Cherokee’s post office opened in 1854
Most of Cherokee was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1952.
How Cherokee began, and where its name came from
When was Cherokee founded?
The Cherokee post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name.
How did Cherokee get its name?
It is an area inhabited by Maidu Indians prior to the gold rush, but takes its name from a band of Cherokee prospectors who perfected a mining claim on the site.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Cherokee had its own post office from 1854 to 1912.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Cherokee’s history
What year was Cherokee founded?
The Cherokee post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 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.