Post Office serves Camp Sherman

Bill Helm (left), Postmaster Karen Sheldahl, Jim Sternberg, Ellen Wood and Tinkerbell relax outside the Camp Sherman Post Office. photo by Conrad Weiler

Camp Sherman may be kin to the rural hinterlands, but it's got its very own zip code (97730) -- and its own post office, run by Postmaster Karen Sheldahl.

In fact, postal services go back over a century in this tiny, rural community. Early service was offered at the site of the present Allingham Guard Station from 1893 to 1896 and services in the area may have been offered as early as 1888.

Historical records list Frank S. Leithauser as first Camp Sherman Postmaster in February 1922.

Today, there is a full service Post Office located in downtown Camp Sherman in the same building as the General Store. This separate addition was completed in 1976. Before that, postal services were inside the store.

During the summer season, Camp Sherman's post office is also open for Saturday business between 9 and 11 a.m. according to Sheldahl.

The post office also serves as a meeting place for local residents, having coffee and discussing local stories inside the office or on outside benches. The bulletin board inside announces meetings, cleanup activities and other local information.

Sheldahl is a 25-year veteran of postal service -- the last four years as postmaster in Camp Sherman. She replaced her husband, Jon Sheldahl, who was the previous postmaster. Andrea Balosky assists Karen when she cannot be in the office.

The post office serves over 200 full-time Camp Sherman residents, has 160 postal boxes in use and 68 deliveries on routes throughout the area.

"The post office boxes came from Bandon for our office," said Jon Sheldahl. "They were building a new office and we got their old boxes."

"The strengths of a local post office are being able to know the members of our community and offering personalized services," said Karen. "The Postal Service likes having a presence in the community."

That community connection is reflected in the story of a letter that came in addressed to "Grandma and Grandpa."

That offered quite a few possibilities in Camp Sherman. The only clue was a Roseburg postmark. Later, noticing a person sending a letter to Roseburg, Karen Sheldahl identified "Grandma."

"It's really funny how you get to recognize voices of local people when they come into the post office -- even before seeing them," Sheldahl said. "'How did you know it was me?' is a common question customers ask when you greet them without seeing them from the back room.

"Also, you get to recognize car sounds of different people parking outside ­ before they come in."

Karen and Jon Sheldahl have lived in Metolius Meadows for eight years with their daughter Katie.

Karen serves on the local middle school site council for Black Butte School. She also works with middle and high school students at St. Edward the Martyr Catholic Church youth ministry.