Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Paskenta

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Paskenta Welcome SignPhoto: AnonymousEditor95 · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · Paskenta

Paskenta’s post office opened in 1872

Most of Paskenta was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1955. Below: maps from 1952 on.

1872first post office
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: AnonymousEditor95 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Paskenta began

When was Paskenta founded?

1872

The Paskenta post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 110154 years
Founding year: the first Paskenta post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Paskenta’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 Paskenta are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Paskenta’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Paskenta’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Paskenta came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Paskenta.

Read it all →

Paskenta was originally inhabited by a Nomlaki tribe. In the Nomlaki (Central Wintun) language, "Paskenta" (paskenti) means "under the hill" or "under the bank". The modern settlement was founded by Americans of European origin ca. 1860. A post office has been in operation there since 1872. The Paskenta Ranchería was established between 1906 and 1909 and is home to the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the map

Paskenta on the map, 1952 to 1995

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

Paskenta on the 1952 USGS mapPaskenta on the 1967 USGS mapPaskenta on the 1995 USGS map1952Paskenta 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 Paskenta.

Famous people

Famous people close to Paskenta

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

See all →
Blaire WhiteAmerican YouTuber and political commentator · b. 1993
R
Robert ShawAmerican conductor · b. 1916
T
Tom BruceAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, former… · b. 1952
R
Ralph GoingsAmerican artist · b. 1928
A
Al GeibergerProfessional golfer · b. 1937
Tyler ReddickAmerican stock car racing driver · b. 1996

Questions about Paskenta’s history

What year was Paskenta founded?

The Paskenta post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 Wikipedia, 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.