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–Not graded
History · Nezperce

Nezperce’s post office opened in 1896, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1924 on, and the census since 1910.

1896first post office
0on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Nezperce’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Nezperce began

When was Nezperce founded?

1896

The Nezperce post office opened in 1896, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 599 in 19102020 census: 458130 years
Founding year: the first Nezperce post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Nezperce’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.On the map since 19243 editions of the USGS map, 1924 to 1981. Watch Nezperce change.Old housesHalf of Nezperce’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Nezperce’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Nezperce’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 viewNezperce, Idaho (circa 1910): stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Nezperce on the map, 1924 to 1981

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

Nezperce on the 1924 USGS mapNezperce on the 1967 USGS mapNezperce on the 1981 USGS map1924Kamiah 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 Nezperce.

The story so far

Nezperce, in brief

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

Nezperce is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Idaho, United States. As of the 2020 census, Nezperce had a population of 458. Nezperce is named for the local Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans. ("Nezperce" derives from a corruption of the French words nez percé, literally "pierced nose.") There is one school district, Nezperce School District #302.

Its first post office opened in 1896. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 466 in 2010, 458 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Nezperce, 1896 to 1924

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1896Post officeThe Nezperce post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1901Born hereAl Hoxie is born here
  5. 1910In the archiveNezperce, Idaho (circa 1910)
  6. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Nezperce, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Nezperce, Idaho (circa 1910)c. 1910Nezperce, Idaho (circa 1910)
1920s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today11 recent
Bird's Eye View, circa 1910 -closeup2018Bird's Eye View, circa 1910 -closeupPostcardBird's Eye View, circa 19102018Bird's Eye View, circa 1910PostcardCatholic School, circa 1915 - Nez Perce, Idaho2017Catholic School, circa 1915 - Nez Perce, IdahoPostcardLewis County Letterhead, 19232015Lewis County Letterhead, 1923Hoop'er Up Parade, July 22, 19032015Hoop'er Up Parade, July 22, 1903Push Binder on D. E. Frink Ranch, circa 19072015Push Binder on D. E. Frink Ranch, circa 1907PostcardMultiview, 19112015Multiview, 1911PostcardWheat Field, circa 19102014Wheat Field, circa 1910PostcardPanoramic View -closeup-, circa 19072014Panoramic View -closeup-, circa 1907PostcardLewis County Court House, circa 19502014Lewis County Court House, circa 1950PostcardIDMap-doton-Nezperce2004IDMap-doton-Nezperce
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.

Nezperce, Idaho (circa 1910)
Retake this viewNezperce, Idaho (circa 1910), c. 1910

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Nezperce, census by census

0100200300400500600700192019401960198020002020Peak: 677

Between 444 and 677 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Questions about Nezperce’s history

What year was Nezperce founded?

The Nezperce post office opened in 1896, 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 (12), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.