Preston dates to 1866, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns · #6 of 59 in Idaho. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Bear River Battleground, a National Historic Landmark. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Preston’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Preston is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #6 of 59 in Idaho. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Preston’s overall grade.
Idaho towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Idaho town has 8.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Preston’s 8.4 sits near the middle of its state (55% of Idaho towns have fewer) while its 5 listings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.2 points). Two sources give 1866.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Preston’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Bear River Massacre occurred in 1863 at a point a few miles northwest of Preston. The Bear River Massacre Site is a National Historic Landmark.
In 1866, Latter-day Saint pioneers arrived in the northern end of the Cache Valley, stretching across southeastern Idaho and northeastern Utah. They founded a community in that location and named it Worm Creek, but in 1881 changed it to Preston because leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Salt Lake City objected to the name "Worm Creek" being part of any church congregation's name. The name Preston was suggested by a local member to honor William B. Preston, who at the time was president of the LDS Church's Cache Stake.
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.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1907Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
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.
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Idaho - Franklin County - Preston - ED 21-17, ED 21-18, ED 21-19, ED 21-20, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Preston’s page.
In 1866, according to Wikidata. Preston’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1880 counted 49 people here.
How does Preston rank for history?
Preston is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #6 of 59 in Idaho. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Preston?
5 listings: 4 buildings and 1 site.
How old are the homes in Preston?
29% of Preston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 8.5% for an Idaho town; the median home was built in 1965.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (6), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
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