Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Georgetown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Montpelier sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Georgetown.
The story so far
Georgetown, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Georgetown yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Georgetown is a city in the Bear River Valley in Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States, at the center of a farming area between the river and the mountains to the east. It was settled by Mormon pioneers on the route of the Oregon Trail and was named after George Q. Cannon. Georgetown was first settled in 1864. The population was 503 at the 2020 census. U.S. Route 30 passes through the town.
Georgetown was established in 1864. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 476 to 503 (+6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Georgetown in 1870
Passages that mention Georgetown, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The Rocky Mountain directory and Colorado gazetteer, for 1871, comprising a brief history of Colorado ... together with a complete and accurate directory of Denver, Golden City, Black Hawk, Central City, Nevada, Idaho, Georgetown ... First year of publica1870 · page 43Read the page →
Read the text
importance of the county. Idaho Springs was the first town surveyed in the county. This very soon became the most populous portion of the county, and the county seat and archives and offices were located here until 1867, when they were removed to the more populous town of Georgetown, near the head waters of Clear creek. This town was first settled in 1860, by the Griffith family, but did not commence a healthy and rapid growth until the discovery of silver in the extensive belt of lodes that traverse the surrounding mountains. This event secured the future prosperity of George-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Rocky Mountain directory and Colorado gazetteer, for 1871, comprising a brief history of Colorado ... together with a complete and accurate directory of Denver, Golden City, Black Hawk, Central City, Nevada, Idaho, Georgetown ... First year of publica1870Read the page →
Read the text
From this period dates the real success of silver mining in Colorado, and the permanent growth and prosperity of Georgetown, which has already secured the position of second mining and mercantile town in the Territory, and will, no doubt, very soon rank among the first in wealth, number of inhabitants, and mining, milling and mercantile importance. We spent considerable time in Georgetown in the summer and fall of 1870, and know, from actual observation, that the climate is unusually mild for its elevation, and exceedingly pleasant and healthful; the location of the town and its sur-
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
Georgetown, 1864 to 1909
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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