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C−History
History · Gypsum

Gypsum’s post office opened in 1883, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #92 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it

Most of Gypsum was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. Its Register listing is the First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Below: maps from 1962 on and the census since 1920.

1883first post office
1on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Gypsum began

When was Gypsum founded?

1883

The Gypsum post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 164 in 19202020 census: 8,040143 years

How historic is Gypsum?

C−

More historic than 21% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Gypsum post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Gypsum’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gypsum is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #92 of 159 in Colorado. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gypsum’s overall grade.
Founding era1883, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±0.7) · typical CO town 2.5% · U.S. 8.4%D−National Register1 listing, 1.1 per 10,000 residents · typical CO town 1.1 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 21%
NewerOlder
Colorado towns of 2,500+ (159)Ahead of 42%

Few Colorado towns list much on the Register (a typical Colorado town has 1.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Gypsum’s 1.1 sits near the middle of its state (51% of Colorado towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 Gypsum’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 Gypsum are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gypsum’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gypsum’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 Gypsum came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gypsum.

Read it all →

The town was named for nearby gypsum deposits, and was incorporated in 1911.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Gypsum, decade by decade

Today23 recent
Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River pano 022021Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River pano 02Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River pano 012021Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River pano 01Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River 032021Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River 03Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River 022021Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River 02Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River 012021Gypsum, Colorado - Eagle River 01Gypsum, Colorado - American Gypsum plant 012021Gypsum, Colorado - American Gypsum plant 01Aerial view of the Eagle County Regional Airport2016Aerial view of the Eagle County Regional AirportAerial view of Gypsum, Colorado, near Eagle County Regional Airport2016Aerial view of Gypsum, Colorado, near Eagle County Re…Gypsum route (Unsplash)2016Gypsum route (Unsplash)Colorado River2016Colorado RiverFlattops Flowers2011Flattops FlowersFlattops Flowers2011Flattops FlowersFlattops Flowers2011Flattops FlowersFlattops Flowers2011Flattops FlowersFlattops Flowers2011Flattops FlowersFlattops Flowers2011Flattops FlowersFlattops Flowers2011Flattops FlowersFlattops Flowers2011Flattops FlowersFlattops Flowers2011Flattops FlowersFlattops2011FlattopsRoundup River Ranch , Gypsum, Colorado2010Roundup River Ranch , Gypsum, ColoradoBear ran onto the road in front of me, turned and ran back up the 45-degree slope on the left, and vaulted a 3-strand b…2010Bear ran onto the road in front of me, turned and ran…COMap-doton-Gypsum2005COMap-doton-Gypsum
On the map

Gypsum on the map, 1962 to 1982

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

Gypsum on the 1962 USGS mapGypsum on the 1982 USGS map1962Gypsum 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 Gypsum.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Gypsum

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1993
First Evangelical Lutheran Church
First Evangelical Lutheran Church
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian1
Gothic1
First Evangelical Lutheran ChurchLate Victorian

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

People over time

Gypsum, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,0001920194019601980200020208,040

Grew from 164 people in 1920 to 8,040 in 2020, more than tenfold.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Gypsum

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

See all →
G
Gabe NewellAmerican computer programmer and businessman · b. 1962
Mikaela ShiffrinAmerican alpine skier · b. 1995
Alex FerreiraAmerican freestyle skier · b. 1994
A
Alexi GrewalRacing cyclist · b. 1960
Jaelin KaufAmerican freestyle skier · b. 1996
Jeremy AbbottAmerican figure skater · b. 1985
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

EagleIts storyC−

Questions about Gypsum’s history

What year was Gypsum founded?

The Gypsum post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Gypsum rank for history?

Gypsum is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #92 of 159 in Colorado. 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 Gypsum?

One place: the First Evangelical Lutheran Church (listed 1993).

How old are the homes in Gypsum?

0.0% of Gypsum’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 2002.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (21), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.