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A−History
History · Shoshone

Shoshone’s post office opened in 1870, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it

11 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 41 buildings. Below: maps from 1884 on and the census since 1910.

1870first post office
11on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Shoshone began

When was Shoshone founded?

1870

The Shoshone post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Naples (1882), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 1,155 in 19102020 census: 1,653156 years

How historic is Shoshone?

A−

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Shoshone post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Shoshone’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Shoshone is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Shoshone’s overall grade.
Founding era1870, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194024.8% of homes (±6.9) · typical ID town 8.5% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register11 listings, 51 historic buildings, 267 per 10,000 residents · typical ID town 8.4 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 81%
NewerOlder

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 Shoshone’s 267 sits above most of its state (100% of Idaho towns have fewer) while its 51 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% 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 (±6.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Shoshone’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Shoshone are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1911, drew every building in Shoshone.A historic districtThe Shoshone Historic District takes in 41 historic buildings.Landmarks on the Register11 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Shoshone’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Shoshone, building by building, 1884–1911

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.

Shoshone fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 11884Sheet 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.

On the National Register

11 listings protect 51 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
11
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
51
each building in a district counts
first listed
1975
Shoshone Historic District
A. G. Newman HouseAmerican Legion HallArambarri, Galo, Boarding House, built 1914Custer Slaughter HouseJ.C. Penney Company Building, built 1918Jack Oughton HouseJose and Gertrude Anasola House, built 1913Thomas Olley HouseShoshone Historic DistrictW. H. Murphy HousePurdum Livery Stable
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Commercial4
Bungalow3
Vernacular2
Vernacular Bungalow1
Vernacular Colonial Revival1
Turn-of-the-Century Commercial1
A. G. Newman HouseVernacular
American Legion HallBungalow
Arambarri, Galo, Boarding HouseCommercial · Built 1914
Custer Slaughter HouseCommercial
J.C. Penney Company BuildingCommercial · Built 1918
Jack Oughton HouseVernacular Bungalow
Jose and Gertrude Anasola HouseVernacular Colonial Revival · Built 1913
Thomas Olley HouseBungalow
All 11 listings
Shoshone Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975W. H. Murphy HouseBuilding · listed 1983Purdum Livery StableBuilding · listed 1983

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Shoshone came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Shoshone.

Read it all →

Founded in 1882 during the construction of the Oregon Short Line, Shoshone has long been considered the main railroad station in south central Idaho's Magic Valley region. The much larger community of Twin Falls 26 miles (42 km) to the south never developed a strong railroad presence due to the logistical issues presented by its location south of the Snake River Canyon. For many years, Shoshone was the only Amtrak stop in south central Idaho.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Shoshone, 1870 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1870Post officeThe Shoshone post office opens
  3. 1882Post officeThe Naples post office opens
  4. 1883Post officeThe Naples post office closes
  5. 1894Born hereTalbot Jennings is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1913BuiltJose and Gertrude Anasola House is built
  8. 1914BuiltArambarri, Galo, Boarding House is built
  9. 1918BuiltJ.C. Penney Company Building is built
  10. 1925Born hereJack M. Murphy is born here
  11. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Shoshone, decade by decade

Today15 recent
Myers School, Shoshone, Idaho 1219202023Myers School, Shoshone, Idaho 121920NPS craters-of-the-moon-regional-map2016NPS craters-of-the-moon-regional-mapBookSawtooth National Forest Map with roads2012Sawtooth National Forest Map with roadsMapIDMap-doton-Shoshone2004IDMap-doton-ShoshoneAFRD WAREHOUSE, WEST SIDE, FACING EAST. NOTE PLACEMENT OF METAL SIDING BETWEEN THE TWO HALVES OF THE SLIDING DOOR. ORIG…2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, WEST SIDE, FACING EAST. NOTE PLACEMEN…AFRD WAREHOUSE, WEST SIDE DETAIL OF ALTERED SLIDING DOORS, FACING EAST. WEATHER COVER OVER RAIL IS ORIGINAL. SHEET META…2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, WEST SIDE DETAIL OF ALTERED SLIDING D…AFRD WAREHOUSE, SOUTH SIDE. FACING NORTH. METAL AWNING ALONG LENGTH OF BUILDING AND VERTICAL METAL SIDING ARE ALTERATIO…2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, SOUTH SIDE. FACING NORTH. METAL AWNIN…AFRD WAREHOUSE, SOUTH SIDE DETAIL, SLIDING DOORS. FACING NORTH. COMPARE WITH FIGURES 4 AND 5 IN NARRATIVE REPORT, WHICH…2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, SOUTH SIDE DETAIL, SLIDING DOORS. FAC…AFRD WAREHOUSE, OBLIQUE VIEW OF WEST AND SOUTH SIDES. - Minidoka Relocation Center Warehouse, 111 South Fir Street, Sho…2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, OBLIQUE VIEW OF WEST AND SOUTH SIDES.…AFRD WAREHOUSE, NORTH SIDE, FACING EAST. - Minidoka Relocation Center Warehouse, 111 South Fir Street2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, NORTH SIDE, FACING EAST. - Minidoka R…AFRD WAREHOUSE, INTERIOR, FACING WEST. TWO ROWS OF ORIGINAL WOOD POSTS SUPPORT CEILING RAFTERS. SHEETROCK ON CEILING AN…2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, INTERIOR, FACING WEST. TWO ROWS OF OR…AFRD WAREHOUSE, INTERIOR, FACING SOUTHEAST TOWARD SOUTHEAST CORNER. SHEET ROCK ON CEILING. RAFTERS ARE SUPPORTED BY POS…2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, INTERIOR, FACING SOUTHEAST TOWARD SOU…AFRD WAREHOUSE, INTERIOR DETAIL OF RAFTER SUPPORT POST TIMBER AND METHOD OF BRACING. THE BRACES PENETRATE THE SHEET ROC…2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, INTERIOR DETAIL OF RAFTER SUPPORT POS…AFRD WAREHOUSE, EAST SIDE, FACING WEST. NOTE LEAN-TO AFFIXED TO WALL AND THREE SETS OF TRIPLE-BANK WINDOWS. - Minidoka …2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, EAST SIDE, FACING WEST. NOTE LEAN-TO …AFRD WAREHOUSE, EAST SIDE DETAIL SHOWS CONNECTION OF LEAN-TO TO WALL. FACING WEST. NOTE THE PROFILE OF THE METAL AWNING…2004AFRD WAREHOUSE, EAST SIDE DETAIL SHOWS CONNECTION OF …
On the map

Shoshone on the map in 1971

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Shoshone.

Shoshone on the 1971 USGS map1971Shoshone sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Shoshone.

People over time

Shoshone, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,800192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,653

Between 1,155 and 1,653 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Shoshone

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
T
Talbot JenningsAmerican screenwriter · b. 1894
J
Jack M. MurphyAmerican politician in Idaho · b. 1925
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Shoshone’s post office has been open since 1870. Another post office, Naples, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Shoshone
1870–today
Naples
1882–1883
18701950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Shoshone’s history

What year was Shoshone founded?

The Shoshone post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Shoshone rank for history?

Shoshone is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns. 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 Shoshone?

11 listings: 10 buildings and 1 historic district, the Shoshone Historic District, with 41 contributing buildings. 51 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Shoshone?

25% of Shoshone’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 8.5% for an Idaho town; the median home was built in 1968.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (15), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (11), 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.