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History · Declo

Declo’s post office opened in 1917, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1991 on.

1917first post office
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Chetsford · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Declo began

When was Declo founded?

1917

The Declo post office opened in 1917, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 338109 years
Founding year: the first Declo post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Declo’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.Old housesHalf of Declo’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Declo’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSnake River Campground: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Declo came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Declo.

Read it all →

East of Burley and south of the nearby Snake River, the city was originally named Marshfield. In 1916, the name was changed to Declo. The Central Post Office told the community to choose another name not to exceed five letters. the surname initials of the first five men to enter the post office were recorded: August Detlef, George Eldredge, Hyrum Lewis, James Cooley, and Carl Osterhout. The Central Post Office said they preferred Declo instead of Delco, and such it was named.

The J. R. Simplot Company was founded in 1923 near Declo by 14-year-old entrepreneur J. R. Simplot, who had moved to the area with his family as a toddler. The corporate headquarters for the company are now located in Boise.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Declo, 1917 to 1991

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1917Post officeThe Declo post office opens
  3. 1927Born hereJames Annest is born here
  4. 1991In the archiveSnake River Campground
By decade

Declo, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Snake River Campground1991Snake River Campground
Today5 recent
Fruits and Vegetables (20181008-KS-Reclamation-0071)2018Fruits and Vegetables (20181008-KS-Reclamation-0071)Fruits and Vegetables (20181008-KS-Reclamation-0070)2018Fruits and Vegetables (20181008-KS-Reclamation-0070)Fruits and Vegetables (20181008-KS-Reclamation-0069)2018Fruits and Vegetables (20181008-KS-Reclamation-0069)Declo2017DecloIDMap-doton-Declo2004IDMap-doton-Declo

Questions about Declo’s history

What year was Declo founded?

The Declo post office opened in 1917, 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 Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.