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History · Oasis

Oasis dates to 1880

Below: maps from 1962 on and the census since 1890.

1880founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Oasis began

When was Oasis founded?

1880

Oasis dates its founding to 1880 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 199 in 18902020 census: 58146 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1883.The full story ↓

What stands out about Oasis’ 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 Oasis are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 364 in 1930; 58 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Oasis’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Oasis, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 364

Peaked at 364 in 1930; 58 people lived here in 2020.

9 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Oasis came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Oasis.

Read it all →

The Utah Southern Railroad Extension reached the Oasis area in October 1879, and by 1880 a settlement had begun to develop. Originally named Deseret Station, it became known as Oasis by 1885. In the early years, a small dam near Deseret provided all the irrigation water. Then in 1886, the Oasis and Riverside Canal Company and the Gunnison Bend Canal Company were organized, with ambitious plans to expand the cultivation of the surrounding land. The canal projects took years longer than expected, but supported steady population growth.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Oasis, 1880 to 1962

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880
    FoundingOasis is established
  3. 1883Post officeThe Oasis post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 364
  6. 1962On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Oasis on the map, 1962 to 1986

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

Oasis on the 1962 USGS mapOasis on the 1986 USGS map1962Delta 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 Oasis.

Famous people

Famous people close to Oasis

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

See all →
Chrissy TeigenAmerican model · b. 1985
Culbert OlsonAmerican politician · b. 1876
William H. KingAmerican politician · b. 1863
Sam MelvilleAmerican actor · b. 1936
Arnold WilliamsAmerican politician · b. 1898
James E. FaustApostle of the LDS Church · b. 1920
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Deseret2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Oasis’ history

What year was Oasis founded?

In 1880, according to Wikidata. Oasis’ post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1890 counted 199 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 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.