The story
Read it all →How Carson came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Carson.
The post office in Carson has been in operation since 1894. The community takes its name from nearby Carson Creek.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
CHistory
History · Carson
Carson’s post office opened in 1894, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 33% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: 5 old photos and papers from 1999 on.
1894first post office
0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
Quick answers
How Carson began
When was Carson founded?
1894
The Carson post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name.
2020 census: 2,323132 years
How historic is Carson?
C
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 33% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Carson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Carson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Carson is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Carson’s overall grade.
Founding era1894, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194013.6% of homes (±5.8) · typical WA town 4.3% · U.S. 8.4%BNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical WA town 0.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 33%
NewerOlder
Few Washington towns list much on the Register (a typical Washington town has 0.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Carson’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (27% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
By decade
Carson, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1990s5 items
1999
1999
1999
1999
1999
2007Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Carson
Nobody well known was born in Carson itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Old corners
Carson’s post office has been open since 1894.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Saint Martins Hot Springs
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Help out
Finish Carson’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Questions about Carson’s history
What year was Carson founded?
The Carson post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Carson rank for history?
Carson is more historic than 33% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Carson?
14% of Carson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.8 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1975.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.