Maple Valley Beginnings: Arthur Post Office opens on May 22, 1882.

  • By Greg Lange
  • Posted 12/13/1998
  • HistoryLink.org Essay 518

On May 22, 1882, Arthur Post Office opens. Charles O. Russell is the first postmaster. Mail is probably distributed from Russell's home.

On December 14, 1885, the name changed to Maple Valley. Charles O. Russell was still the postmaster at the time of the name change. From 1895 to 1924 it was officially called Maplevalley. It was situated on the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad line and on the Milwaukee Railroad line.

The original location of Arthur was 20 miles southeast of Seattle about 1.5 miles northeast of the future Maple Valley.


Sources:

Guy Reed Ramsey, "Postmarked Washington, 1850-1960," Microfilm (Olympia: Washington State Library, February, 1966), 578-579.


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