Challis’ post office opened in 1878, and 24 of its places are on the National Register
Most of Challis was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 24 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 8 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1957 on, and the census since 1880.
Challis was founded in 1878 and named for A.P. Challis, who was a surveyor when the townsite was laid out. Challis post office was established in 1878.
Twin Peaks Sports, the I.O.O.F. Hall, and a number of other buildings in Challis are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, most as a result of an Idaho State Historical Society study of historical resources in the town.
Passages that mention Challis, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Custer County, Idaho1900 · page 20Read the page →
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given. The Fannie Clark station, as the toll gates were known, won considerable renown. Crystal was a small freighting town, which stood near the East Fork bridge, where a few old foundations can still be seen. The toll road from Challis to Loon Creek, via Packer Mountain, was completed on July 6, 1909. The first semi-weekly mail service from Challis to Bonanza was started on January 17, 1911.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Custer County, Idaho1900 · page 18Read the page →
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"As soon as camp was pitched, a messenger from Challis told us to go into town that night, because a big Indian force was moving down the river. We yoked up, forded the river, and pulled to Challis that night, the ISth of August, 1878.''
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
Challis, 1878 to 2010
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Challis’ history
What year was Challis founded?
The Challis post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Challis?
24 listings: 22 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Challis Brewery Historic District and the Old Challis Historic District, with 8 contributing buildings. 31 historic buildings in all.
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 (14), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (24), Wikipedia, 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 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.
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