In the year 1908, a settler originally from the city of Hebron named George Bratzel decided that he wanted to create a new town. He decided to purchase a 160 acres terrain, which was located 40 miles north of Hebron. The territory at the time was called the "Lee Haven farm". On May 19, 1909 he finished the construction of the very first building in the area, his shop, and immediately decided to throw a dance party to advertise both the area and his shop. Soon after, on June 1, 1909, the man applied for the Post Office, hoping for recognition. His request was soon approved.
The area was initially known as "Olanta", up until 1913, when it was renamed by George himself Golden Valley. The city progressively got bigger as time passed.
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 Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.