The Dalles dates to 1857, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 77% of U.S. towns · #13 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
23 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 97 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1884 on and the census since 1860.
How The Dalles began, and where its name came from
When was The Dalles founded?
1857
The Dalles dates its founding to 1857 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.
First census: 802 in 18602020 census: 16,010169 years
How did The Dalles get its name?
The name of the city comes from the French word dalle, meaning either "sluice", akin to English "dale" and German Tal, "valley", or "flagstone", referring to the columnar basalt rocks carved by the river (in voyageur French used to refer to rapids), which was used by the French-Canadian employees of the North West Company to refer to the rapids of the Columbia River between the present-day city and Celilo Falls.
How historic is The Dalles?
A−
More historic than 77% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, The Dalles is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #13 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of The Dalles’ 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 The Dalles’ 80.4 sits above most of its state (93% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 128 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points). Two sources give 1857.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 The Dalles’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area around The Dalles is known to have been a trading center for American Indians as long as 10,000 years ago and is thus one of the oldest inhabited places in North America.
The site of what is now the city of The Dalles was a major American Indian trading center. The general area is one of the continent's most significant archaeological regions. Lewis and Clark camped near Mill Creek on October 25–27, 1805, and recorded the Indian name for the creek as Quenett.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of The Dalles. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1957The Dalles 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 The Dalles.
Every building
The Dalles, building by building, 1884–1909
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1857, according to Wikidata. The Dalles’ post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1860 counted 802 people here.
How does The Dalles rank for history?
The Dalles is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #13 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 The Dalles?
23 listings: 20 buildings, among them the Fort Dalles Surgeon's Quarters (listed 1971, the first), 2 historic districts, the Trevitt's Addition Historic District and the Dalles Commercial Historic District, with 97 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 128 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in The Dalles?
20% of The Dalles’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 the Library of Congress (9), Wikidata (9), the National Register of Historic Places (23), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
2018
