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History · Koosharem

Koosharem’s post office opened in 1877, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1968 on, and the census since 1890.

1877first post office
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Koosharem’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Koosharem began

When was Koosharem founded?

1877

The Koosharem post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 232 in 18902020 census: 244149 years
Founding year: the first Koosharem post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Koosharem’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.Boom and bustPeaked at 400 in 1900; 244 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Koosharem’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSouthern Paiute Native Americans in Koo…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Koosharem, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 400

Peaked at 400 in 1900; 244 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story so far

Koosharem, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Koosharem yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Koosharem is a town in Sevier County, Utah, United States. Koosharem is also known as "Grass Valley". It generally comprises the area known as Burrville, Utah on the north, south through the valley and through the town of Koosharem and down to the south end with the town of Greenwich, Utah. The valley is made up of private lands nestled within the Fishlake National Forest. Koosharem is situated at the cross-roads for travelers going between Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park and/or Zion National Park. Koosharem is also the closest town to the famous Fish Lake. The town also serves as an important point along the many trails of the Piute ATV Trail System. Koosharem's o…

Its first post office opened in 1877. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 327 to 244 (-25%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Koosharem, 1877 to 1968

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1877Post officeThe Koosharem post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 400
  5. 1905In the archiveSouthern Paiute Native Americans in Koosharem, Utah, 1905
  6. 1932In the archive1976 Indexes to Aerial Photography for Fishlake National Forest, Sheet 2
  7. 1968On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Koosharem, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1930s2 items
Southern Paiute Native Americans in Koosharem, Utah, 19051905Southern Paiute Native Americans in Koosharem, Utah, …1976 Indexes to Aerial Photography for Fishlake National Forest, Sheet 219321976 Indexes to Aerial Photography for Fishlake Natio…
1940s–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
Today2 recent
Highway 24 Summit - Flickr - brewbooks2010Highway 24 Summit - Flickr - brewbooksKoosharem Utah2007Koosharem Utah
On the map

Koosharem on the map, 1968 to 2001

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

Koosharem on the 1968 USGS mapKoosharem on the 2001 USGS map1968Koosharem 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 Koosharem.

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.

Southern Paiute Native Americans in Koosharem, Utah, 1905
Retake this viewSouthern Paiute Native Americans in Koosharem, Utah, 1905, 1905

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Koosharem

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

See all →
Jake GarnAmerican politician and general · b. 1932
Marie WindsorAmerican actress · b. 1919
Art AcordAmerican silent film actor, stuntman, ranch hand · b. 1890
Walter Frederick MorrisonInventor of the Frisbee · b. 1920
Mary ThurmanAmerican actress · b. 1895
J
Joseph HansenAmerican Trotskyist and leading figure in the S… · b. 1910

Questions about Koosharem’s history

What year was Koosharem founded?

The Koosharem post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (4), 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.