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History · Condon

Condon’s post office opened in 1884, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 23 buildings. Below: maps from 1910 on and the census since 1890.

1884first post office
3on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Condon began

When was Condon founded?

1884

The Condon post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1893.

First census: 60 in 18902020 census: 711142 years
Founding year: the first Condon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1893.The full story ↓

What stands out about Condon’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 Condon are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,149 in 1960; 711 people lived here in 2020.A historic districtThe Condon Commercial Historic District takes in 23 historic buildings.On the map since 19163 editions of the USGS map, 1916 to 1987. Watch Condon change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Condon’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Condon, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,149

Peaked at 1,149 in 1960; 711 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Condon’s Wikipedia page.

On the National Register

3 listings protect 25 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
25
each building in a district counts
first listed
1989
S. B. Barker Building
S. B. Barker Building, built 1903Silas A. Rice Log House, built 1884Condon Commercial Historic District, built 1899
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian2
Italianate2
Simple Pen of Hewn Logs1
20th Century Revivals1
Italian Renaissance1
20th Century American Movements1
S. B. Barker BuildingLate Victorian · Built 1903
Silas A. Rice Log HouseSimple Pen of Hewn Logs · Built 1884
Condon Commercial Historic DistrictLate Victorian · Built 1899

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Condon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Condon.

Read it all →

Condon was the southern terminus of the Condon Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1883, a local homesteader named Potter platted the land around a spring on his property. The spring, which emerged from a bed of black basalt, was known to pioneer ranchers in the area as Summit Springs. Experiencing financial difficulty, Potter surrendered the site to the legal firm Condon and Cornish from Arlington. Harvey C. Condon, a member of the firm, was a nephew of Oregon geologist Thomas Condon. Condon and Cornish sold lots in the townsite and in 1884, resident David B. Trimble applied for a post office and became its first postmaster. He named the post office Condon after Harvey C. Condon.

ChaptersCondon Commercial Historic District

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Condon, 1884 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884BuiltSilas A. Rice Log House is built
  3. 1884Post officeThe Condon post office opens
  4. 1899BuiltCondon Commercial Historic District is built
  5. 20th century
  6. 1903BuiltS. B. Barker Building is built
  7. 1916On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1920Born hereStaryl C. Austin is born here
  9. 1933Born hereTerry Cooney is born here
  10. 1936Born hereJohn David Burns is born here
  11. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,149
By decade

Condon, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Interior of the Condon Local in2023Interior of the Condon Local inGilliam County bus2016Gilliam County busCondon State Airport Pauling Field2009Condon State Airport Pauling Field
On the map

Condon on the map, 1916 to 1987

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

Condon on the 1916 USGS mapCondon on the 1970 USGS mapCondon on the 1987 USGS map1916Condon sheet · 1:125,000

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

Every building

Condon, building by building, 1910

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 sheet.

Condon fire insurance map, 1910, sheet 11910Sheet 1 of 4
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Condon

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Staryl C. AustinAmerican military personnel · b. 1920
J
John David BurnsAmerican politician · b. 1936
T
Terry CooneyUnited States Marine · b. 1933

Questions about Condon’s history

What year was Condon founded?

The Condon post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1893.

What is on the National Register in Condon?

Three places: the S. B. Barker Building (listed 1989), the Silas A. Rice Log House (1991) and the Condon Commercial Historic District (1998).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.