By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer

The Crestline Post Office is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Last Thursday, Supervisor Janice Rutherford came to Crestline to present Crestline Postmaster Jeri-Lynn Miller with a county resolution recognizing this historic milestone.
“This centennial anniversary will be celebrated in top form. The post office is creating a special cache envelope and a special postmark will be issued that day for the anniversary,” Miller said. Other community celebration activities are planned.
Miller, who has been the Crestline postmaster since October 2003, added, “I am excited to bring to the forefront the history of the post office and the impact it has had on our mountain communities.”
Most mountain communities had their name defined, changed or finally “officially recognized” when a post office was established with its name. The official establishment of the Crestline Post Office was September 5, 1919, when longtime resident Samuel Dillin, who was postmaster of the Skyland Heights Post Office, moved the post office to his store. His store was at a lower elevation than Skyland and was a stage stop at the top of the road, making for easier mail delivery.
Dillin’s new store had been the previous cement storage warehouse for the Arrowhead Reservoir Company, which had been abandoned for a while. Dillin converted it into a general store and added on a separate room for the post office. Since that area had been given the name Crestline in 1906 in a contest, Dillin chose that name for the post office to reflect its new location.
That Crestline Post Office’s wooden building burned in the 1950s. That spot is currently occupied by Herington’s Real Estate at Crest Forest Drive and Highway 138.
The first post office on the west end of the mountains was established in June 1907 as the Incline Post Office at the top of the Incline Railway in Skyland, and renamed in April 1910 to Skyland Heights, adopting the name of the popular resort where it was located. Skyland Heights had difficulty retaining postmasters, since it did not have much year-round business and received lots of snow. Skyland was basically a summer resort.
After Dillin became postmaster, he decided to relocate it for the benefit of the year-round residents. Dillin remained the postmaster for 10 years, until he was replaced by developer Charles S. Mann in 1929.
The Crestline Post Office has expanded its area of service over the decades. The Switzerland Post Office merged services into the Crestline office in 1941, after the construction of Lake Gregory and a direct road from Crestline to Valley of the Moon.
The Switzerland Post Office was operated by Postmaster Frederick Carl “Fritz” Mueller, who named it Switzerland to reflect the Swiss theme of the Club San Moritz, which was originally located on the lakeshore in Valley of the Moon, across the street from his post office.
The Crestline Post Office moved to the Knapps Cutoff location from Top Town in 1963, with 1,500 boxes. It relocated to its current location on Lake Drive in 1986, with 4,900 boxes.
The Crestline Post Office has operated numerous substations with additional PO boxes as the town has grown over the decades. The Valley of Enchantment substation, which opened with 2,500 boxes, is still in operation. Closed substations were The Carousel Gift Shop substation and the Lakeside Station, which had 800 PO boxes, all under the 92325 ZIP code.
The Cedarpines Park Post Office was established in 1927 under Postmaster Frank Nardi, who owned the Cedar Pines Park General Store. It still has its own zip code, 92322, and a freestanding building. However, since 1985, it has been operating as a branch of the Crestline Post Office.
The Rim of the World Historical Society and the Crestline Post Office are coordinating plans for this September’s centennial celebration. Rutherford added, “It’s fun to celebrate the rich history of our mountain communities.”