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History · Coulterville

Coulterville dates to 1850, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 24 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1896 on.

1850founded
1on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Coulterville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Coulterville began

When was Coulterville founded?

1850

Coulterville dates its founding to 1850 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1872.

2020 census: 115176 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1872.The full story ↓

What stands out about Coulterville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Coulterville Main Street Historic District takes in 24 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Coulterville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewOld `Whistling Billy`Train on Display i…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

1 listing protects 24 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
24
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Coulterville Main Street Historic District
Coulterville Main Street Historic District
Districts
Coulterville Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Coulterville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Coulterville.

Read it all →

The place was settled in 1850 by George W. Coulter, for whom it is also named. For a time Coulter lived in a tent flying the American flag, prompting local Mexicans to call the place Banderita (Spanish for "small flag"). The Maxwell's Creek post office opened in 1852 and changed its name to Coulterville in 1853. The name "Maxwell" honors George Maxwell, with whom Coulter cast lots to determine the name of the town.

Coulterville is registered as California Historical Landmark #332. A large portion of the downtown was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Coulterville Main Street Historic District.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Coulterville, 1850 to 1975

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1850
    FoundingCoulterville is established
  3. 1872Post officeThe Coulterville post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1947On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1975In the archiveOld `Whistling Billy`Train on Display in Coulterville, California - February 1975
By decade

Coulterville, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s1 item
Old `Whistling Billy`Train on Display in Coulterville, California - February 19751975Old `Whistling Billy`Train on Display in Coulterville…
1980s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today5 recent
Mariposite Rock at Well Known Road Cut in Mariposa County near2016Mariposite Rock at Well Known Road Cut in Mariposa Co…Old `Whistling Billy`Train on Display in Coulterville, California - July 20102010Old `Whistling Billy`Train on Display in Coulterville…2009-0724-CA-Coulterville-HotelJeffery20092009-0724-CA-Coulterville-HotelJeffery2009-0724-CA-Coulterville-HND20092009-0724-CA-Coulterville-HNDVIEW OF COULTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA AT INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 149 IN FOREGROUND AND CALIFORNIA ROAD J20 IN CENTER. LOOKIN…2001VIEW OF COULTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA AT INTERSECTION OF H…
On the map

Coulterville on the map, 1947 to 2001

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

Coulterville on the 1947 USGS mapCoulterville on the 1973 USGS mapCoulterville on the 2001 USGS map1947Coulterville 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 Coulterville.

Every building

Coulterville, building by building, 1896–1903

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.

Coulterville fire insurance map, 1896, sheet 11896Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Old `Whistling Billy`Train on Display in Coulterville, California - February 1975
Retake this viewOld `Whistling Billy`Train on Display in Coulterville, California - February 1975, 1975

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Coulterville’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Coulterville

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

See all →
J
Jacoby ShaddixAmerican singer, songwriter and rapper · b. 1976
T.J. DillashawAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1986
J
Jenny O'HaraAmerican actress · b. 1942
L
Larry J. FrancoAmerican film producer · b. 1949
Melvin Mouron BelliAmerican lawyer · b. 1907
George RadanovichAmerican politician · b. 1955

Questions about Coulterville’s history

What year was Coulterville founded?

In 1850, according to Wikidata. Coulterville’s post office opened in 1872.

What is on the National Register in Coulterville?

One place: the Coulterville Main Street Historic District (listed 1982).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.