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History · Pistol River

Pistol River’s post office opened in 1927

Below: maps from 1954 on.

1927first post office
0on the National Register
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Quick answers

How Pistol River began

When was Pistol River founded?

1927

The Pistol River post office opened in 1927, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 8999 years
Founding year: the first Pistol River post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

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

Start Pistol River’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pistol River’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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The story so far

Pistol River, in brief

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

Pistol River (Tolowa: chvt-ler’sh-chvn-dvn taa-ghii~-li~’ ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Curry County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Pistol River had a population of 89. It is near the Pistol River and the Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, just to the east of U.S. Route 101. The community of Pistol River takes its name from the stream that flows past it. James Mace, a militia soldier, lost a pistol in the river in 1853, during a skirmish of the Rogue River Wars, and it has been known as the Pistol River since then. The Pistol River post office was established in 1927. The Pistol River area is known for its windsurfing, and the Internationa…

Its first post office opened in 1927. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 84 to 89 (+6%).

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

Timeline

Pistol River, 1927 to 1960

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1927Post officeThe Pistol River post office opens
  3. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1960Post officeThe Pistol River post office closes
By decade

Pistol River, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Pistol River, OR2015Pistol River, ORPistol River, OR - panoramio (4)2015Pistol River, OR - panoramio (4)Pistol River, OR - panoramio (3)2015Pistol River, OR - panoramio (3)Pistol River, OR - panoramio (2)2015Pistol River, OR - panoramio (2)Pistol River, OR - panoramio (1)2015Pistol River, OR - panoramio (1)Pistol River Watershed2011Pistol River Watershed
On the map

Pistol River on the map, 1954 to 1986

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

Pistol River on the 1954 USGS mapPistol River on the 1986 USGS map1954Gold Beach sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Pistol River

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

See all →
Bridgette WilsonAmerican actress, singer, and model · b. 1973
M
Max SteinekeAmerican petroleum geologist · b. 1898
J
James Hargrove MeredithUnited States federal judge · b. 1914
Cory KendrixAmerican rapper · b. 1988
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Pistol River had its own post office from 1927 to 1960.

Pistol River
1927–1960
19201970today
1cemetery inside Pistol River
Pistol River

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

Questions about Pistol River’s history

What year was Pistol River founded?

The Pistol River post office opened in 1927, 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 (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.