Scappoose’s post office opened in 1872, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 49% of U.S. towns · #51 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Scappoose was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Its Register listings are the James Grant Watts House, the John and Carolena Heimuller Farmstead and the United States Post Office (Scappoose). Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1930.
The Scappoose post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1921. Another post office, Columbia (1870), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 248 in 19302020 census: 8,010154 years
How did Scappoose get its name?
Scappoose was named for a nearby stream, which drains the southern part of the county.
More on the name
The name "Scappoose" is of Native American origin, and is said to mean "gravelly plain."
How historic is Scappoose?
B−
More historic than 49% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Scappoose post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1921. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
History grade
What drives Scappoose’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Scappoose is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #51 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Scappoose’s overall grade.
Oregon towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oregon town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Scappoose’s 8.6 sits above most of its state (66% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1921.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Scappoose’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Scappoose yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Scappoose is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. It was named for a nearby stream, which drains the southern part of the county. The name "Scappoose" is of Native American origin, and is said to mean "gravelly plain." The population was 8,010 at the 2020 census.
Its first post office opened in 1872. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 6,592 to 8,010 (+22%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Scappoose, 1870 to 1966
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Scappoose’s post office has been open since 1872. Another post office, Columbia, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Columbia
1870–1872
Scappoose
1872–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
South Scappoose
1cemetery inside Scappoose
Saint Wenceslaus
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Scappoose’s history
What year was Scappoose founded?
The Scappoose post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1921.
How does Scappoose rank for history?
Scappoose is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns, #51 of 142 in Oregon. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Scappoose?
Three places: the James Grant Watts House (listed 1980), the John and Carolena Heimuller Farmstead (2011) and the United States Post Office (Scappoose) (2017).
How old are the homes in Scappoose?
8% of Scappoose’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1991.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
1929
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