Perkins dates to 1889, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 41% of U.S. towns · #71 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Most of Perkins was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 12 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1890.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Perkins’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Perkins is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #71 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Perkins’ overall grade.
Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Perkins’ 39.9 sits above most of its state (87% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1889.
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 Perkins’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
1898Sheet 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.
Perkins was founded during the Land Run in April 1889. Joseph Wert staked a claim for 160 acres and offered up 40 acres of his land to be established as a township. The town went through three names in its first year- Cimarron, Italy, and then Perkins. The last name was for Bishop Walden Perkins, a congressman from Kansas who pulled strings to establish the post office for the new township. The town of Perkins incorporated on August 25, 1891.
Though Perkins was settled in 1889, it celebrates Old Settlers Day around Sept 22. This is the anniversary of the Land Run of 1891. Being on the north side of the Cimarron River, it was one of the starting points for the Run of 1891.
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.
In 1889, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Perkins’ post office opened in 1890, and the census of 1900 counted 719 people here.
How does Perkins rank for history?
Perkins is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #71 of 131 in Oklahoma. 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 Perkins?
Two places: the Perkins Downtown Historic District (listed 2000) and the White Cloud Lodge (2010).
How old are the homes in Perkins?
1% of Perkins’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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