Alturas’ post office opened in 1876, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns · #65 of 847 in California. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway Co. General Office Building, the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the NCO Railway Depot. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1880.
The Alturas post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1901. Another post office, Dorris Bridge (1871), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 148 in 18802020 census: 2,715150 years
How historic is Alturas?
B+
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Alturas post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1901.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Alturas’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Alturas is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #65 of 847 in California. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Alturas’ overall grade.
Few California towns list much on the Register (a typical California town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Alturas’ 14.9 sits above most of its state (94% of California towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1901.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Alturas’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Alturas occupies what was initially an Achumawi (Pit River) village known as Kosealekte or Kasalektawi. The city was initially known as Dorris Bridge or Dorris' Bridge, named after Pressley and James Dorris, who built a bridge across the Pit River at this location.
The Dorris Bridge post office opened in 1871. The town was renamed Dorrisville in 1874 and Alturas in 1876, the latter meaning "heights" in Spanish. The census of 1880 showed a population of 148. However, settlement continued over the next two decades, until the city was incorporated on September 16, 1901. Because of its central location, Alturas became the county seat when Modoc County formed in 1874, even though both Adin and Cedarville were then larger towns.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Alturas. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1961Alturas sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Alturas.
Every building
Alturas, building by building, 1898–1912
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Alturas post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1901.
How does Alturas rank for history?
Alturas is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #65 of 847 in California. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Alturas?
Three places: the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway Co. General Office Building (listed 1974), the Sacred Heart Catholic Church (1983) and the NCO Railway Depot (1985).
How old are the homes in Alturas?
17% of Alturas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 3.4% for a California town; the median home was built in 1971.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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