Scio’s post office opened in 1860, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940
Its Register listings are the Joseph Wesely House and Barn and the E.C. Peery Building. Its Register listings are the Joseph Wesely House and Barn and the E.C. Peery Building.
Oregon Geographic Names suggests that Scio was named by one of the original residents, William McKinney, who, with Henry L. Turner, set up a flour mill at the new town. Turner suggested McKinney come up with a name for the place, and McKinney used the name of his former home, Scio, Ohio. The Ohio village is, in turn, named for a Greek island called Chios; the Italian version of the name is Scio.
Thomas Creek, which flows through the city, was named for Frederick Thomas, who obtained a Donation Land Claim and settled on the banks of the creek in 1846. Scio post office, headed by postmaster Euphronius Wheeler, was established on October 3, 1860. The community was incorporated as a city on October 24, 1866.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
2018
2017
2011
2004
