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History · Isleton

Isleton dates to 1874, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 41 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1910 on, and the census since 1930.

1874founded
1on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Isleton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Isleton began

When was Isleton founded?

1874

Isleton dates its founding to 1874 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 2,090 in 19302020 census: 794152 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1875.The full story ↓

What stands out about Isleton’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts takes in 41 historic buildings.On the map since 19105 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1993. Watch Isleton change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Isleton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewIsleton city limit sign along Westbound…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

1 listing protects 41 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
41
each building in a district counts
first listed
1991
Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Distric…
Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements1
Commercial Style1
Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial DistrictsLate 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements

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

On the map

Isleton on the map, 1910 to 1993

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

Isleton on the 1910 USGS mapIsleton on the 1952 USGS mapIsleton on the 1968 USGS mapIsleton on the 1978 USGS mapIsleton on the 1993 USGS map1910Isleton sheet · 1:31,680

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

The story

How Isleton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Isleton.

Read it all →

Isleton was founded 1874 by Josiah Poole. After having the town platted, he constructed a wharf on the Sacramento River, and a booming town soon followed. However, Isleton was flooded in 1878 and 1881, causing Poole financial difficulties and leading him to move out. The town also flooded in 1890, 1907, and 1972. As agriculture in the surrounding area developed, three canneries opened up in Isleton and other delta towns. The cannery workforce was over 90 percent Asian.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Isleton, 1913–1923

Passages that mention Isleton, cut from the printed page as they were published.

After his demise, his sons took charge of the business. From the time when a postoffice was established at Isleton, on March 13, 1879, Mr. Gardiner was the postmaster, having been instrumental in securing a postoffice for the place; he served for seventeen year in that official capacity, to the sat…
History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present1923 · page 572Read the page →
Read the text

After his demise, his sons took charge of the business. From the time when a postoffice was established at Isleton, on March 13, 1879, Mr. Gardiner was the postmaster, having been instrumental in securing a postoffice for the place; he served for seventeen year in that official capacity, to the satisfaction of everyone. He was agent for the California Transportation Company and the Southern Pacific

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Lester Pool Gardiner attended the grammar school at Isleton and the Sacramento high school. When he had finished his formal schooling, he identified himself with the Gardiner Company of Isleton, and its numerous interests there. He was among the first to respond to his country's need, when the Worl…
History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present1923 · page 784Read the page →
Read the text

Lester Pool Gardiner attended the grammar school at Isleton and the Sacramento high school. When he had finished his formal schooling, he identified himself with the Gardiner Company of Isleton, and its numerous interests there. He was among the first to respond to his country's need, when the World War involved the United States, and in August, 1917, he entered the American Army, and was sent to

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Andrus island was settled in 1852 by George Andrus, at the upper end. It contains about seven thousand acres and is all reclaimed. Isleton, forty-one miles from Sacramento, is at the lower end of this island. • It was established by Josiah Pool in 1874, and has enjoyed prosperity for many years. Th…
History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present1913 · page 330Read the page →
Read the text

Andrus island was settled in 1852 by George Andrus, at the upper end. It contains about seven thousand acres and is all reclaimed. Isleton, forty-one miles from Sacramento, is at the lower end of this island. • It was established by Josiah Pool in 1874, and has enjoyed prosperity for many years. The wharf was built in 1875.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Isleton, 1874 to 1941

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874
    FoundingIsleton is established
  3. 1875Post officeThe Isleton post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1941Born hereLuwana Quitiquit is born here
By decade

Isleton, decade by decade

Date unknown2 to date
Isleton city limit sign along Westbound HWY 160 on June 25 2010Date?Isleton city limit sign along Westbound HWY 160 on Ju…Isleton Bridge, Spanning Sacramento River at Post Mile 5.95 of California State Highway 160Date?Isleton Bridge, Spanning Sacramento River at Post Mil…
Today13 recent
Welcome to Isleton sign2022Welcome to Isleton signTiger Pride on Elementary School fence in2022Tiger Pride on Elementary School fence inIsleton - Everybody Loves Everybody2022Isleton - Everybody Loves EverybodyInspecting a Sacramento River levee2013Inspecting a Sacramento River leveeInspecting a Sacramento River levee2013Inspecting a Sacramento River leveeInspecting a Sacramento River levee2013Inspecting a Sacramento River leveeInspecting a Sacramento River levee2013Inspecting a Sacramento River leveeA double water tower at Isleton, California2012A double water tower at Isleton, CaliforniaIsleton Bridge over the Sacramento River2012Isleton Bridge over the Sacramento RiverSponsored by The Dutra Group2012Sponsored by The Dutra GroupPineapple Restaurant2012Pineapple RestaurantDowntown2012DowntownDowntown2012Downtown
Every building

Isleton, building by building, 1919–1925

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.

Isleton fire insurance map, 1919, sheet 11919Sheet 1 of 2
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.

Isleton city limit sign along Westbound HWY 160 on June 25 2010
Retake this viewIsleton city limit sign along Westbound HWY 160 on June 25 2010

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Isleton, census by census

05001,0001,5002,00019401960198020002020Peak: 2,090

Between 794 and 2,090 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Isleton’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Isleton’s history

What year was Isleton founded?

In 1874, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Isleton’s post office opened in 1875, and the census of 1930 counted 2,090 people here.

What is on the National Register in Isleton?

One place: the Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts (listed 1991).

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 (12), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.