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History · Grass Valley

Grass Valley’s post office opened in 1882, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1910.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Finetooth · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Grass Valley began

When was Grass Valley founded?

1882

The Grass Valley post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1900.

First census: 342 in 19102020 census: 149144 years
Founding year: the first Grass Valley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1900.

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

Start Grass Valley’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grass Valley’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

Grass Valley, in brief

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

Grass Valley is a city in Sherman County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Grass Valley had a population of 149.

Its first post office opened in 1882. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 164 to 149 (-9%).

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

By decade

Grass Valley, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Downtown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 81ac2b2e6a665c8815ce3b34a7b194142016Downtown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 81ac2b2e6a665c8815ce3…Downtown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 4d87ca05c295d99e54bf22021cb929142016Downtown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 4d87ca05c295d99e54bf2…Downtown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 42fa5f8f861002854716910aed2260202016Downtown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 42fa5f8f8610028547169…Untitled photo2015Untitled photo2015, US 97, Approaching Moro, OR20152015, US 97, Approaching Moro, ORGrass Valley, Oregon2009Grass Valley, Oregon
On the map

Grass Valley on the map, 1962 to 1981

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

Grass Valley on the 1962 USGS mapGrass Valley on the 1981 USGS map1962Grass Valley 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 Grass Valley.

Every building

Grass Valley, building by building, 1905–1910

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 year, then a sheet.

Grass Valley fire insurance map, 1905, sheet 11905Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

People over time

Grass Valley, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 342

Between 149 and 342 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Grass Valley

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

See all →
Greg WaldenAmerican politician · b. 1957
V
Virginia AdmiralAmerican painter and poet · b. 1915
Clifton N. McArthurAmerican politician · b. 1879
Colston LovelandAmerican football player · b. 2004
Nicholas J. SinnottAmerican politician · b. 1870
R
Ronald L. SchwaryAmerican film producer · b. 1944

Questions about Grass Valley’s history

What year was Grass Valley founded?

The Grass Valley post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1900.

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 (6), 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.