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History · Torrey

Torrey’s post office opened in 1898, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Torrey was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Its Register listings are the Charles W. and Leah Lee House and the Torrey Log Church-Schoolhouse. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1952 on, and the census since 1910.

1898first post office
2on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Torrey’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Torrey began

When was Torrey founded?

1898

The Torrey post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1934.

First census: 142 in 19102020 census: 231128 years
Founding year: the first Torrey post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1934.The full story ↓

What stands out about Torrey’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1930 and 1970, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Torrey’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Torrey’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 viewFarm and cabin, Utah [Elijah Cutler Beh…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Torrey, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020274 in 1930Low: 84

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1930 and 1970, then more than doubled.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Torrey came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Torrey.

Read it all →

The town was established in the 1880s by settlers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was initially known as Youngtown, after John Willard Young. The town is generally held to be named after Jay L. Torrey from Pittsfield, Illinois. Torrey was a member of the Wyoming legislature, who, upon the advent of the Spanish–American War, achieved national attention by proposing the creation of what became three volunteer cavalry regiments, made up of cowboys and stockmen. Torrey was commissioned colonel of the 2nd Regiment, the "Rocky Mountain Riders".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Torrey, 1895 to 1995

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1895BuiltCharles W. and Leah Lee House is built
  3. 1898BuiltTorrey Log Church-Schoolhouse is built
  4. 1898Post officeThe Torrey post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 274
  7. 1936Born hereBuddy Merrill is born here
  8. 1952On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1965Post officeThe Torrey post office closes
  10. 1980In the archiveFarm and cabin, Utah [Elijah Cutler Behunin Cabin]
  11. 1995In the archiveScenic Byway 12 - Scenic Byway 12 Entrance Kiosk at
By decade

Torrey, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1980s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s–1990s3 items
Farm and cabin, Utah [Elijah Cutler Behunin Cabin]1980Farm and cabin, Utah [Elijah Cutler Behunin Cabin]Scenic Byway 12 - Scenic Byway 12 Entrance Kiosk at1995Scenic Byway 12 - Scenic Byway 12 Entrance Kiosk atScenic Byway 12 - The Big Apple Outdoor Dance Hall in1995Scenic Byway 12 - The Big Apple Outdoor Dance Hall in
Today13 recent
A sheer rockface in Capitol Reef National Park, one of the majestic "Mighty Five" national parks popular with visitors,…2022A sheer rockface in Capitol Reef National Park, one o…Formations in Capitol Reef National Park, one of the majestic "Mighty Five" national parks popular with visitors, near …2022Formations in Capitol Reef National Park, one of the …Formations in Capitol Reef National Park, one of the majestic "Mighty Five" national parks popular with visitors, near …2022Formations in Capitol Reef National Park, one of the …A young buck deer appears to pose in a field near the town of Torrey in the western U.S. state of Utah2022A young buck deer appears to pose in a field near the…View of Austin's Chuck Wagon Motel2017View of Austin's Chuck Wagon MotelAustin's Chuck Wagon Motel2017Austin's Chuck Wagon Motel2017.04.15 19.41.48 IMG 0214 - Flickr - andrey zharkikh20172017.04.15 19.41.48 IMG 0214 - Flickr - andrey zharki…2017.04.15 19.40.19 IMG 0213 - Flickr - andrey zharkikh20172017.04.15 19.40.19 IMG 0213 - Flickr - andrey zharki…Dawn at2011Dawn atTorrey, Utah2009Torrey, UtahLee House2009Lee HouseCaineville Wash2008Caineville WashCafe Diablo2006Cafe Diablo
On the map

Torrey on the map, 1952 to 2002

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

Torrey on the 1952 USGS mapTorrey on the 1985 USGS mapTorrey on the 2002 USGS map1952Notom 2 SW 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 Torrey.

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.

Farm and cabin, Utah [Elijah Cutler Behunin Cabin]
Retake this viewFarm and cabin, Utah [Elijah Cutler Behunin Cabin], 1980

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Torrey

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1993
Torrey Log Church-Schoolhouse
Charles W. and Leah Lee House, built 1895Torrey Log Church-Schoolhouse, built 1898
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian1
Mid-19th Century1
Classical1
Folk Victorian1
Greek Revival1
LDS Meeting House-Period 11
Charles W. and Leah Lee HouseLate Victorian · Built 1895
All 2 listings
Torrey Log Church-SchoolhouseBuilding · listed 1993

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Torrey had its own post office from 1898 to 1965.

Torrey
1898–1965
18901960today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Torrey’s history

What year was Torrey founded?

The Torrey post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1934.

What is on the National Register in Torrey?

Two places: the Charles W. and Leah Lee House (listed 1996) and the Torrey Log Church-Schoolhouse (1993).

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 (11), the Library of Congress (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.