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History · Deer Island

Deer Island’s post office opened in 1887

Most of Deer Island was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: M.O. Stevens · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Deer Island began

When was Deer Island founded?

1887

The Deer Island post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 323139 years
Founding year: the first Deer Island post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

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

Start Deer Island’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Deer Island’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
The story so far

Deer Island, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Deer Island yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Deer Island is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Deer Island had a population of 323. The community is located along U.S. Route 30 north-northwest of Columbia City. Deer Island has a post office with ZIP code 97054.

Its first post office opened in 1887. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 294 to 323 (+10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Deer Island, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Deer Island Oregon Farm Silo Columbia River Highway2015Deer Island Oregon Farm Silo Columbia River HighwayDeer Island School - DPLA - f752a463d8a9c7930c7b4b2992e6b0202014Deer Island School - DPLA - f752a463d8a9c7930c7b4b299…Deer Island School - DPLA - 9e9ad94745a8b06c03d710a4c72bd77c2014Deer Island School - DPLA - 9e9ad94745a8b06c03d710a4c…Deer Island School2013Deer Island SchoolUntitled photo2006Untitled photo
Famous people

Famous people close to Deer Island

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

See all →
G
George AmickAmerican racing driver · b. 1924
Phil SpencerAmerican business executive · b. 1968
Robert CornthwaiteAmerican actor · b. 1917
David KortenWriter, economic adviser, sustainability advoca… · b. 1937
J
Jeff StorkVolleyball player · b. 1960
Charles PetersonAmerican photographer · b. 1964
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Deer Island had its own post office from 1887 to 1958.

Deer Island
1887–1958
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Murphylocale

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Deer Island’s history

What year was Deer Island founded?

The Deer Island post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), 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.