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History · Jamestown

Jamestown’s post office opened in 1867, and 49% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Jamestown Mercantile Building and the Jamestown Town Hall. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1890.

1867first post office
2on the National Register
49%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Jamestown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Jamestown began, and where its name came from

When was Jamestown founded?

1867

The Jamestown post office opened in 1867, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 212 in 18902020 census: 256159 years

How did Jamestown get its name?

Jamestown was named for James Smith, an early discoverer of gold.

Founding year: the first Jamestown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What stands out about Jamestown’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.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1890 and 1930, then grew 3-fold.On the map since 19023 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1978. Watch Jamestown change.Old housesHalf of Jamestown’s homes were built before 1943.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jamestown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jamestown’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 photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewJamestown, Colo., October 9,2013--A res…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Jamestown, census by census

01002003001900192019401960198020002020212 in 1890Low: 69

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1890 and 1930, then grew 3-fold.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

On the map

Jamestown on the map, 1902 to 1978

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

Jamestown on the 1902 USGS mapJamestown on the 1957 USGS mapJamestown on the 1978 USGS map1902Boulder 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 Jamestown.

The story so far

Jamestown, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Jamestown yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

The historic Town of Jamestown is a Statutory Town in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The population was 256 at the 2020 United States census, down from 274 in 2010. It was named for James Smith, an early discoverer of gold. Jamestown was hit hard by the September 2013 Colorado floods when the town was isolated due to road damage from the rains and the flooding of James Creek. Under a mandatory evacuation order, most residents were airlifted to safety under the direction of the Colorado National Guard to nearby Boulder.

Its first post office opened in 1867. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 274 to 256 (-7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Jamestown, 1867 to 2010

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1867Post officeThe Jamestown post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 21st century
  6. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 274
By decade

Jamestown, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Jamestown, Colo., October 9,2013--A resident of Jamestown, CO holds up a packet of Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) which are be…Date?Jamestown, Colo., October 9,2013--A resident of James…
Today9 recent
Jamestown, CO2018Jamestown, CONebraska Task Force 1 conducts search and rescue operations in Jamestown, Colorado building2013Nebraska Task Force 1 conducts search and rescue oper…Nebraska Task Force 1 Conducts Search and Rescue Operations2013Nebraska Task Force 1 Conducts Search and Rescue Oper…Near Elysian Park, CO, November 19, 20132013Near Elysian Park, CO, November 19, 2013Jamestown, Colorado Cut Off by 2013 Colorado Floods2013Jamestown, Colorado Cut Off by 2013 Colorado FloodsJamestown, CO, November 19, 20132013Jamestown, CO, November 19, 2013Jamestown, CO, November 19, 20132013Jamestown, CO, November 19, 20132013 Colorado floods search and rescue operations in20132013 Colorado floods search and rescue operations inCOMap-doton-Jamestown2005COMap-doton-Jamestown
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.

Jamestown, Colo., October 9,2013--A resident of Jamestown, CO holds up a packet of Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) which are be…
Retake this viewJamestown, Colo., October 9,2013--A resident of Jamestown, CO holds up a packet of Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) which are be…

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Jamestown

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1989
Jamestown Mercantile Building
Jamestown Mercantile BuildingJamestown Town Hall
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Vernacular Wood1
Vernacular Stone Building1
Jamestown Mercantile BuildingVernacular Wood
Jamestown Town HallVernacular Stone Building

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Jamestown

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

See all →
Edward Lawrie TatumUS genetics scientist · b. 1909
K
Kristin DavisAmerican actress · b. 1965
Scott CarpenterAmerican test pilot, astronaut and aquanaut · b. 1925
Kristen SchaalAmerican actress · b. 1978
J
John Carroll LynchAmerican character actor and film director · b. 1963
Vance D. BrandTest pilot and NASA astronaut · b. 1931
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Jamestown’s post office has been open since 1867.

Gone or out of use
Afterthought MinemineBlack Hope Number One MinemineBlack Rose MinemineBonanza MinemineBrown MinemineBrown Spar MinemineCastle Gulch MinemineChancellor MinemineCordova MinemineDes Moines MinemineDolly MinemineEmely MinemineEmmet MinemineEmmit MinemineEquator MinemineEscanoba MinemineFarmer Boy MinemineGold Leaf Lodemine

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Jamestown’s history

What year was Jamestown founded?

The Jamestown post office opened in 1867, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Jamestown?

Two places: the Jamestown Mercantile Building (listed 1989) and the Jamestown Town Hall (2003).

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 (10), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.