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D−History
History · Jackpot

Jackpot dates to 1954

Among the newest of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Jackpot was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1957 on.

1954founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Jackpot began

When was Jackpot founded?

1954

Jackpot dates its founding to 1954 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1962.

2020 census: 85572 years

How historic is Jackpot?

D−

Among the newest of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1962.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Jackpot’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jackpot is among the newest of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jackpot’s overall grade.
Founding era1954, from Wikidata: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19400.0% of homes (±2.6) · typical NV town 0.3% · U.S. 8.4%D−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical NV town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the newest
NewerOlder

Few Nevada towns list much on the Register (a typical Nevada town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Jackpot’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (29% of Nevada 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 still be D−. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1954.

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 Jackpot’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 Jackpot are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jackpot’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Jackpot came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jackpot.

Read it all →

After Idaho outlawed all forms of casino gaming in 1954, "Cactus Pete" Piersanti and Don French moved their slot machine operations from Idaho to the Jackpot townsite. Piersanti's and French's gaming establishments were named Cactus Pete's and the Horseshu Club, respectively. Piersanti in particular is credited for founding Jackpot.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Jackpot, 1954 to 1962

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1954
    FoundingJackpot is established
  3. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1962Post officeThe Jackpot post office opens
By decade

Jackpot, decade by decade

Today25 recent
Cactus Pete's2020Cactus Pete's2014-06-22 10 13 09 Road closure barricade along U.S. Route 93 about 140 miles north of the White Pine County Line in E…20142014-06-22 10 13 09 Road closure barricade along U.S.…2014-06-22 10 12 35 Road closure barricade along U.S. Route 93 about 140 miles north of the White Pine County Line in E…20142014-06-22 10 12 35 Road closure barricade along U.S.…2014-06-22 10 08 00 View south along U.S. Route 93 entering20142014-06-22 10 08 00 View south along U.S. Route 93 en…2014-06-22 10 04 52 View south towards Jackpot, Nevada from the Idaho state line along U.S. Route 9320142014-06-22 10 04 52 View south towards Jackpot, Nevad…2014-06-22 10 04 47 View east along the border between Nevada and Idaho from U.S. Route 93 in20142014-06-22 10 04 47 View east along the border betwee…2014-06-22 10 01 27 First reassurance sign after crossing the Idaho state line along southbound U.S. Route 93 in20142014-06-22 10 01 27 First reassurance sign after cros…2014-06-22 10 00 25 Welcome to Nevada sign along southbound U.S. Route 93 in20142014-06-22 10 00 25 Welcome to Nevada sign along sout…2014-06-22 09 59 05 View south along U.S. Route 93 crossing from Idaho into20142014-06-22 09 59 05 View south along U.S. Route 93 cr…2014-06-22 09 56 59 View north along U.S. Route 93 entering Idaho from20142014-06-22 09 56 59 View north along U.S. Route 93 en…2014-06-22 09 52 41 View north along U.S. Route 93 entering20142014-06-22 09 52 41 View north along U.S. Route 93 en…2013-07-04 17 32 49 View of Jackpot in Nevada from a hill to the west20132013-07-04 17 32 49 View of Jackpot in Nevada from a …Taxiway A4, Hayden Field2011Taxiway A4, Hayden FieldRanch by2011Ranch byPartly cloudy with a chance of rain2011Partly cloudy with a chance of rainJackpot Skyline2011Jackpot SkylineHills by2011Hills byHills by Jackpot - panoramio (4)2011Hills by Jackpot - panoramio (4)Hills by Jackpot - panoramio (3)2011Hills by Jackpot - panoramio (3)Hills by Jackpot - panoramio (2)2011Hills by Jackpot - panoramio (2)Hills by Jackpot - panoramio (1)2011Hills by Jackpot - panoramio (1)Control Monument2011Control MonumentPolygonum amphibium2008Polygonum amphibiumPolygonum amphibium2008Polygonum amphibiumPolygonum amphibium2008Polygonum amphibium
On the map

Jackpot on the map, 1957 to 1989

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

Jackpot on the 1957 USGS mapJackpot on the 1989 USGS map1957Delaplain sheet · 1:62,500

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

Questions about Jackpot’s history

What year was Jackpot founded?

In 1954, according to Wikidata. Jackpot’s post office opened in 1962.

How does Jackpot rank for history?

Jackpot is among the newest 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 Jackpot?

0.0% of Jackpot’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 0.3% for a Nevada town; the median home was built in 1986.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (25), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.