Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Sprague River

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Sprague River

The history of Sprague River

Below: maps from 1957 on.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

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

Start Sprague River’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sprague River’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

How Sprague River came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sprague River.

Read it all →

The Sprague River was named for Captain Franklin B. Sprague, who participated in the Snake and Paiute Indian wars, and was in command of Fort Klamath in 1866. His name was applied to the river by 1864, and perhaps earlier. The Klamath name for the stream was Plai or Plaikni Koke. Koke was the generic word for "river" and plai meant the river came from upper or higher country. Sprague River post office, named after the stream, was established September 14, 1923, with Benjamin E. Wolford as the first postmaster. There was an earlier post office named Sprague River farther east and upstream of the current community, at the site of the current town of Bly, Oregon

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Sprague River, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Sprague River - DPLA - c74fa28818d29ea6499a9fcdb0bf704a2019Sprague River - DPLA - c74fa28818d29ea6499a9fcdb0bf70…Sprague River - DPLA - 8d9e44f9e5bb1729874ff9beccef50c12019Sprague River - DPLA - 8d9e44f9e5bb1729874ff9beccef50…Sprague River - DPLA - 6e6ddec4a1d2d66b4bce5aec35e50a1f2019Sprague River - DPLA - 6e6ddec4a1d2d66b4bce5aec35e50a…Sprague River - DPLA - 5f24ea50f13f011359ec7065835ff1332019Sprague River - DPLA - 5f24ea50f13f011359ec7065835ff1…Sprague River - DPLA - 4ed4a4b5f08ebea9e01dd00fad8db5882019Sprague River - DPLA - 4ed4a4b5f08ebea9e01dd00fad8db5…Sprague River - DPLA - 2d13099fd6c7155823b72c21767b3cfa2019Sprague River - DPLA - 2d13099fd6c7155823b72c21767b3c…Sprague River - DPLA - 04c2e9a964d9caf6fde399bef6fac18c2019Sprague River - DPLA - 04c2e9a964d9caf6fde399bef6fac1…Sprague River, Braymil - DPLA - 9193f5d180e5e82a24a2b92b534852052015Sprague River, Braymil - DPLA - 9193f5d180e5e82a24a2b…
On the map

Sprague River on the map, 1957 to 1998

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

Sprague River on the 1957 USGS mapSprague River on the 1985 USGS mapSprague River on the 1998 USGS map1957Swan Lake 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 Sprague River.

Famous people

Famous people close to Sprague River

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

See all →
Carl BarksAmerican cartoonist · b. 1901
B
Brenda BakkeAmerican actress · b. 1963
Ralph HillAmerican runner; athletics competitor · b. 1908
Don Pedro ColleyAmerican actor · b. 1938
Sharron AngleFormer member of the Nevada Assembly from 1999 … · b. 1949
Charles O. PorterAmerican politician, member of the United State… · b. 1919

Questions about Sprague River’s history

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 (8), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.