What:

By order of Public Law 119-59, the United States Postal Service will join U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) at the dedication of the Guthrie, OK, Post Office in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Oscar J. Upham. This event is free and open to the public.

Who:

Falonda Woods, USPS District Manager, Arkansas-Oklahoma District
The Honorable James Lankford, U.S. Senate
Upham Family

When:

Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.

Where:

Guthrie Post Office, 201 W. Oklahoma Ave., Guthrie, OK 73044

Background:

Public Law 119-59 designates the U.S. Postal Service facility at 201 W. Oklahoma Ave., Guthrie, OK, to be dedicated in honor of Oscar J. Upham.

Oscar Jefferson Upham was born December 14, 1871, in Toledo, Ohio. On April 22, 1889, Upham, along with his parents, staked land in the Oklahoma Land Run, in Guthrie, OK, the Territorial Capital. Upham travelled to Illinois and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1896 at the age of 25. He was stationed at Mare Island, CA. Within a year, he was ordered to sea duty aboard the USS Oregon. While Upham was on duty, the Spanish fleet exited the harbor at Santiago, Cuba, on July 3, 1898. Upham was serving as a powder monkey for one of the six-inch guns on the Oregon's bridge. He was given the order to shoot, and Upham was credited with shooting the first shot after war had been declared by America in the Spanish–American War.

During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, Upham and his fellow Marines were erecting barricades in Peking, China, when the Chinese rebels surrounded the group and settled down for a three-month siege. He received the Medal of Honor for this action — one of 33 Marines to earn the distinction during the rebellion.

Upham returned to Guthrie, OK, after his military service and joined the U.S. Postal Service. He retired after 34 years of service and died on February 18, 1949, in Guthrie, where many of his family still live today.

On April 1, 2025, Upham was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Honor. Upham’s military service is displayed in multiple museums including the Oklahoma Territorial Museum in Guthrie, OK, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia, and the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

This post office dedication is a testament to the legacy Oscar J. Upham left behind through service to his country and the Guthrie, OK, community.

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