Santa Clara’s post office opened in 1886, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Eagle Island Camp, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 4 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1921 on, and the census since 1890.
The Santa Clara post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1888. Four smaller post offices, Saranac Inn (1888), Spring Cove (1890) and Bay Pond (1900), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,690 in 18902020 census: 332140 years
Founding year: the first Santa Clara post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1888.The full story ↓
What stands out about Santa Clara’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Passages that mention Santa Clara, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Santa Clara County, California1881 · page 547Read the page →
Read the text
Santa Clara College. — Santa Clara College is situated in the town of Santa Clara, which is justly celebrated for the beauty of its surrounding scenery, and the mildness and salubrity of its climate. The Southern Pacific and the South Pacific Coast railroads pass through the town.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Santa Clara County, California1881 · page 539Read the page →
Read the text
Products. — The products of Santa Clara township do not vary from those of other parts of the county. Cereals, in every variety, fruits, vegetables, and tubers, all attain the highest perfection imaginable, while there is easy means of export by the Southern Pacific and South Pacific Coast Railroads, both of which companies have depots in the town of Santa Clara.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Santa Clara, 1886 to 2004
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Santa Clara post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1888.
What is on the National Register in Santa Clara?
6 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Eagle Island Camp (a National Historic Landmark since 2004) and the Moss Ledge (listed 1986, the first), 1 historic district, the Church of the Ascension Chapel and Rectory, with 4 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 56 historic buildings in all.
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 Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
