Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Valentine

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 · Valentine

Valentine dates to 1882

Most of Valentine was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1950. Below: maps from 1978 on.

1882founded
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Profdumpster · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Valentine began

When was Valentine founded?

1882

Valentine dates its founding to 1882 (Wikidata).

2020 census: 73144 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Valentine’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 Valentine are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Valentine’s homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Valentine’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Valentine’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 Valentine came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Valentine.

Read it all →

The area near Valentine played a role during the Mexican Revolution. Pancho Villa and his forces passed through the region and were associated with border skirmishes. In response to Villa's raids, Fort Holland was established nearby in 1918 as part of protective efforts.

On August 16, 1931, Valentine was struck by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake—the largest ever recorded in Texas. Nearly all non-wooden structures, including the school, suffered major damage, with school buildings condemned afterwards. The quake was felt as far away as Houston and throughout northern Mexico, and caused landslides across the region. No fatalities were reported, but damages were substantial.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Valentine, decade by decade

Today6 recent
2014-07-26 Valentine City Limit20142014-07-26 Valentine City Limit2014-07-26 Valentine Buildings20142014-07-26 Valentine Buildings2013-05-17 everywhere is a ghosttown here (Hi Waf Cafe20132013-05-17 everywhere is a ghosttown here (Hi Waf Cafe2012-10-09 Looking empty road on Texas Route 9020122012-10-09 Looking empty road on Texas Route 90Untitled photo2009Untitled photoTXMap-doton-Valentine2004TXMap-doton-Valentine
On the map

Valentine on the map, 1978 to 1985

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

Valentine on the 1978 USGS mapValentine on the 1985 USGS map1978Valentine East sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Valentine

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

See all →
Robert Jay MathewsAmerican neo-Nazi · b. 1953
F
Forrest BlueAmerican football player · b. 1945
P
Patricia RodriguezChicana artist and educator (b. 1944) · b. 1944

Questions about Valentine’s history

What year was Valentine founded?

In 1882, according to Wikidata.

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 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.