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History · Rowena

Rowena’s post office opened in 1911, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper.

1911first post office
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Rowena’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Rowena began

When was Rowena founded?

1911

The Rowena post office opened in 1911, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 192115 years
Founding year: the first Rowena post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Rowena’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rowena’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewDry Canyon Creek Bridge, Spanning Dry C…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Rowena, in brief

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

Rowena is an unincorporated community in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rowena as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the same name. As of the 2020 census, Rowena had a population of 192. Rowena is located west of The Dalles on the Columbia River, where the river passes through the natural feature Rowena Gap. Interstate 84 (Columbia River Highway) and U.S. Route 30 (Historic Columbia River Highway) pass through the community. Route 30 near Rowena is notable for the Rowena Loops. The origin of the name "Rowena" is disp…

Its first post office opened in 1911. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 187 to 192 (+3%).

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

By decade

Rowena, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Dry Canyon Creek Bridge, Spanning Dry Canyon Creek at Mosier-Dallas HighwayDate?Dry Canyon Creek Bridge, Spanning Dry Canyon Creek at…
Today1 recent
Rowena Oregon2009Rowena Oregon
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Dry Canyon Creek Bridge, Spanning Dry Canyon Creek at Mosier-Dallas Highway
Retake this viewDry Canyon Creek Bridge, Spanning Dry Canyon Creek at Mosier-Dallas Highway

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Rowena’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Rowena

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

See all →
Vic WildAmerican-born Russian snowboarder · b. 1986
Greg WaldenAmerican politician · b. 1957
Cecil D. AndrusAmerican politician · b. 1931
D
Darren MorningstarAmerican basketball player · b. 1969
V
Virginia AdmiralAmerican painter and poet · b. 1915
Clifton N. McArthurAmerican politician · b. 1879
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Rowena had its own post office from 1911 to 1916.

Rowena
1911–1916
19101970today
Gone or out of use
Rowena Post Officepost office

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

Questions about Rowena’s history

What year was Rowena founded?

The Rowena post office opened in 1911, 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 →
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 (1), the Library of Congress (1), 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.