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History · Dayville

Dayville’s post office opened in 1868, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1972 on and the census since 1890.

1868first post office
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Dayville began

When was Dayville founded?

1868

The Dayville post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1913.

First census: 120 in 18902020 census: 132158 years
Founding year: the first Dayville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1913.The full story ↓

What stands out about Dayville’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 Dayville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1890 and 1900, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dayville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dayville’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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People over time

Dayville, census by census

01002003001900192019401960198020002020120 in 1890Low: 52

Lost half of its people between 1890 and 1900, then more than doubled.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Dayville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dayville.

Read it all →

Dayville was named for the John Day River. The original site of the Dayville post office was 3 miles (5 km) west of the city's current location. In the mid-19th century, Dayville was along the route of a wagon road, renamed The Dalles Military Road in about 1870, that connected The Dalles on the Columbia River with gold mines near Canyon City. Dayville was incorporated in 1913.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Dayville, 1868 to 1972

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868Post officeThe Dayville post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 286
  5. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Dayville, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Welcome to Dayville Our Fossils Are Friendly Sign2017Welcome to Dayville Our Fossils Are Friendly SignPicnic Tables & Drinking Fountain in Dayville, Orgon Park2017Picnic Tables & Drinking Fountain in Dayville, Orgon …Pepsi Sign at Dayville Mercantile2017Pepsi Sign at Dayville MercantilePark in2017Park inPark & Mural in2017Park & Mural inJake Streeter Plaque in Dayville, Oregon Park2017Jake Streeter Plaque in Dayville, Oregon ParkFire Hydrant Drinking Fountain in2017Fire Hydrant Drinking Fountain inDayville, Oregon Welcome Sign2017Dayville, Oregon Welcome SignDayville, Oregon Ranch and D Mountain2017Dayville, Oregon Ranch and D Mountain2017-07-14 Dayville 0120172017-07-14 Dayville 01South Fork at2006South Fork atDayvilleridge2006Dayvilleridge
On the map

Dayville on the map, 1972 to 1992

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

Dayville on the 1972 USGS mapDayville on the 1985 USGS mapDayville on the 1992 USGS map1972Dayville sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Dayville

Nobody well known was born in Dayville itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Joseph PoindexterAmerican judge · b. 1869
LaVonne Griffin-ValadeAmerican politician · b. 1953
D
Donald GilmanAmerican politician · b. 1934

Questions about Dayville’s history

What year was Dayville founded?

The Dayville post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1913.

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 (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.