Guy Reed Ramsey did all of his post office research without the benefit of the internet, relying on microfilm and print indexes provided by archives and libraries (including the Washington State Library), as well as oral history interviews he conducted himself. Over fifty years later, researchers following in his footsteps are not so limited. Below is a list of resources that our staff believes would be helpful in conducting research into Washington's many post offices.

• HistoryLink, the free online encyclopedia of Washington State history. A great starting place for researching Washington communities and their histories.
• "More Than Two Centuries of Service," by the United States Postal Service, a short but helpful timeline of services offered by USPS.
• Northwest Digital Heritage, a joint project of the Washington State Library, Oregon State Library, and Oregon Heritage Commission featuring archival photographic collections from the region's repositories
• Post Office Reports of Site Locations, 1837-1950 courtesy the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Scroll down the page to view the digitized reels of film pertaining to Washington state.
• Post Route Map of the State of Washington: Showing Post Offices with the Intermediate Distances on Mail Routes in Operation on the 1st of September, 1897.
• Primarily Washington | Digital Backpack Postmarked Washington. Digital Backpacks (DBPs) are intended as less formal, vacation-ready counterparts to the lesson plans available on Primarily Washington. DBPs use resources available from the Washington State Library collections to highlight historical events, cultural and environmental subjects, and more.
• U.S., Appointments of U.S. Postmasters, 1832-1971 digitized NARA microfilm provided by Ancestry.com. Available to search or browse with a personal Ancestry subscription or through AncestryLibrary, available at subscribing libraries - including the Washington State Library.
• U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management General Land Office Records. Land patents, survey plats, field notes, and tract books searchable by personal name or township and range.
• Washington State Archives - Digital Archives Washington's premiere genealogical resource for hunting down details about postmasters and letter carriers; some photographic collections also available.
• Washington Digital Newspapers The State Library's online portal for digitized newspapers. Over 97 titles and 600,000 digitized pages available, and growing all the time.
• Washington Rural Heritage A community memory project spearheaded by the Washington State Library, containing digitized collections from over 150 institutions and 400 privately held collections throughout the state - the perfect starting place when searching for photographs.
• "Your Obedient Servant: the Letters of Quincy A. Brooks, Special Agent of the Post Office Department, 1865-1867," edited by Alan H. Patera. Correspondence regarding the improvement of mail service in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Arizona.
• Official Register - Government Sources by Subject - Library Guides at University of Washington Libraries Published every two years since 1816, the "Official Register of the United States" contains a list of the Officers and Employees in the Civil, Military, and Naval Service. The register includes Postmasters, locations of post offices, and compensation.