Most of Sublette was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1968 on, and the census since 1930.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sublette is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sublette’s overall grade.
Kansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kansas town has 5.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Sublette’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of Kansas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.2 points). Two sources give 1912.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Sublette’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Sublette was founded in 1912. It was named for William Lewis Sublette, a French Huguenot who was a partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Sublette was a mountain man, fur trapper and pioneer who blazed a trail through the area and was known by the local natives as "Cut Face".
The first post office in Sublette was established in January 1913.
Circa 1913, the population of Sublette was around 270. The first baby born in Sublette was named Gladys Sublette Boaz, delivered by Dr. Loring Minor. Sublette was once a larger town called Santa Fe; however, the people of Santa Fe wanted to move closer to a railroad and set up a settlement called Sublette.
In 1912, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Sublette’s post office opened in 1913, and the census of 1930 counted 673 people here.
How does Sublette rank for history?
Sublette is more historic than 12% 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.
How old are the homes in Sublette?
7% of Sublette’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 10% for a Kansas town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 the Library of Congress (12), 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) 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.
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