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History · Vernon

Vernon dates to 1894

Most of Vernon was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1957. Below: maps from 1971 on.

1894founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Vernon began

When was Vernon founded?

1894

Vernon dates its founding to 1894 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1910.

2020 census: 126132 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1910.

What stands out about Vernon’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Vernon are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Vernon’s homes were built before 1957.
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Start Vernon’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Vernon’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Vernon, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Vernon yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Vernon is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 122. Vernon is 19 miles (31 km) east of Show Low. Vernon has a post office with ZIP code 85940. Vernon was settled by B.H. Wilhelm Jr, who named it in 1894 for William Tecumseh Vernon. It was important at first as a sawmill town, but as activity diminished, people moved away. It had a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ward, but they disbanded it in 1954, when the sawmill business finally moved to the vicinity of Lakeside.

Vernon was established in 1894. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 122 to 126 (+3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Vernon, 1894 to 1971

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1894
    FoundingVernon is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1910Post officeThe Vernon post office opens
  5. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Vernon, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Entrance to the Dobson Timberline Ranch, near Vernon, Arizona2018Entrance to the Dobson Timberline Ranch, near Vernon,…Dusk falls near Vernon, Arizona2018Dusk falls near Vernon, ArizonaSunset along near Vernon, Arizona2018Sunset along near Vernon, Arizona
On the map

Vernon on the map, 1971 to 1998

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Vernon. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Vernon on the 1971 USGS mapVernon on the 1984 USGS mapVernon on the 1998 USGS map1971Vernon sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Vernon.

Famous people

Famous people close to Vernon

Nobody well known was born in Vernon itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
J
Jeff FlakeAmerican diplomat and former United States sena… · b. 1962
Zella DayAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1995
Stewart L. UdallAmerican Democratic politician, former United S… · b. 1920
Ann KirkpatrickFormer U.S. Representative from Arizona · b. 1950
Mo UdallAmerican politician · b. 1922
Samuel C. PhillipsUnited States general · b. 1921
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Vernon’s post office has been open since 1910.

Gone or out of use
Vernon Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Vernon’s history

What year was Vernon founded?

In 1894, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Vernon’s post office opened in 1910.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From the Library of Congress (3), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.