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2019 Terrell County CourthousePhoto: Aualliso · CC BY-SA 4.0
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History · Sanderson

Sanderson dates to 1882, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1928 on, and the census since 1970.

1882founded
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sanderson’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sanderson began

When was Sanderson founded?

1882

Sanderson dates its founding to 1882 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 1,229 in 19702020 census: 664144 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sanderson’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Sanderson’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sanderson’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewKerr's Mercantile - 1982: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Sanderson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sanderson.

Read it all →

Sanderson was founded in 1882. It was a division point for the Southern Pacific Railroad, where refueling and crew changes on its main transcontinental route took place. Mohair and wool production on surrounding ranches formed a significant part of the economy. The community entered in an economic decline when the operations involving sheep and goats decreased.

A devastating flood in June 1965 killed 26 people and washed away homes and businesses near the usually dry Sanderson Creek. Since then, many flood-control dams have been erected across the arroyos upstream from the town.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Sanderson, 1882 to 1982

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882
    FoundingSanderson is established
  3. 1884Post officeThe Sanderson post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1928On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1982In the archiveKerr's Mercantile - 1982
By decade

Sanderson, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s2 items
Kerr's Mercantile - 19821982Kerr's Mercantile - 1982Princess Theaterc. 1982Princess Theater
1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
An artistic rock carving that highlights the many pictographs by native peoples found among the rocks in surrounding Te…2014An artistic rock carving that highlights the many pic…Sanderson Texas Fire House2010Sanderson Texas Fire HouseSanderson High School, Sanderson TX Dec 20092008Sanderson High School, Sanderson TX Dec 2009Hiking in Sanderson - Water Tower2008Hiking in Sanderson - Water Tower
On the map

Sanderson on the map, 1928 to 1985

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

Sanderson on the 1928 USGS mapSanderson on the 1969 USGS mapSanderson on the 1985 USGS map1928Sanderson sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sanderson.

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.

Kerr's Mercantile - 1982
Retake this viewKerr's Mercantile - 1982, 1982

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Sanderson, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200198020002020Peak: 1,241

Between 664 and 1,241 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sanderson’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Sanderson’s history

What year was Sanderson founded?

In 1882, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Sanderson’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1970 counted 1,229 people here.

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 (6), Wikipedia, 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.