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A−History
History · Colfax

Colfax dates to 1870, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #10 of 285 in Washington. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1880.

1870founded
4on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
11old photos & papers
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Colfax’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Colfax began, and where its name came from

When was Colfax founded?

1870

Colfax dates its founding to 1870 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 444 in 18802020 census: 2,782156 years

How did Colfax get its name?

Colfax was named after Schuyler Colfax, the Vice President of the United States from 1869 to 1873.

How historic is Colfax?

A−

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1872. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Colfax’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Colfax is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #10 of 285 in Washington. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Colfax’s overall grade.
Founding era1870, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194035.7% of homes (±7.2) · typical WA town 4.3% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register4 listings, 6 historic buildings, 22.2 per 10,000 residents · typical WA town 0.1 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 82%
NewerOlder
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 97%

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 Colfax’s 22.2 sits above most of its state (91% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.2 points). Two sources give 1870.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 →

What stands out about Colfax’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Mapped building by building9 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1922, drew every building in Colfax.On the map since 19103 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1982. Watch Colfax change.Old housesHalf of Colfax’s homes were built before 1954.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Every building

Colfax, building by building, 1884–1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Colfax fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 11884Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the map

Colfax on the map, 1910 to 1982

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

Colfax on the 1910 USGS mapColfax on the 1964 USGS mapColfax on the 1982 USGS map1910Pullman sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Colfax came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Colfax.

Read it all →

Palouse Indians were the first known human inhabitants of the Colfax area. White settlers arrived in the summer of 1870 and soon built a sawmill. A flour mill and other businesses followed, and Colfax soon grew into a prosperous town. Originally, pioneer citizen Jared Berarducci called the settlement "Belleville" in honor of his girlfriend; when he found a new love, he changed the town's name to Colfax, for vice president Schuyler Colfax.

Colfax was officially incorporated on November 29, 1873. In 1889–90, the town vied with several other finalists to become the site of a new state agricultural college, present-day Washington State University. The honor ultimately fell to nearby Pullman, fifteen miles (25 km) southeast.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Colfax, 1870 to 1947

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1870
    FoundingColfax is established
  3. 1872Post officeThe Colfax post office opens
  4. 1880In the archiveBridge across the Palouse River, Colfax, Washington, circa 1880 - DPLA - 25267bfa4451e4db…
  5. 1885BuiltJames A. Perkins House is built
  6. 1890In the archiveHamilton school, Colfax, Washington, circa 1890 - DPLA - 8a6571777e5ffcf542ae29c0f322be1f
  7. 1895Born hereYakima Canutt is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900In the archiveHamilton school, Colfax, Washington, circa 1900 - DPLA - ddd98de064050b099099178a7ca701c7
  10. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1914BuiltFlorence Ferguson House is built
  12. 1932Born hereRobert Osborne is born here
  13. 1943Born hereMorten Lauridsen is born here
  14. 1947Born hereJohn Kitzhaber is born here
By decade

Colfax, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1890s8 items
Bridge across the Palouse River, Colfax, Washington, circa 1880 - DPLA - 25267bfa4451e4dbd9ec9f8556f2ced6c. 1880Bridge across the Palouse River, Colfax, Washington, …PostcardFirst National Bank envelope, Colfax, Washington, 1886 - DPLA - 0ccb443858b4f9e907c28a8d4c4593ff1886First National Bank envelope, Colfax, Washington, 188…PostcardHamilton school, Colfax, Washington, circa 1890 - DPLA - 8a6571777e5ffcf542ae29c0f322be1fc. 1890Hamilton school, Colfax, Washington, circa 1890 - DPL…PostcardHamilton school, Colfax, Washington, circa 1890 - DPLA - 927e4789f22c95fdcf57d492e922f797c. 1890Hamilton school, Colfax, Washington, circa 1890 - DPL…PostcardMaria Moore McGuire and Laura Della McGuire Baldwin, Thornton, Washington, circa 1890 - DPLA - ee1553113968773b53b09d1a…c. 1890Maria Moore McGuire and Laura Della McGuire Baldwin, …PostcardGood's Hill, Colfax, Washington, circa 1896 - DPLA - a54b916b9cbe0cfd7e3c06b49e6270ee (page 1)c. 1896Good's Hill, Colfax, Washington, circa 1896 - DPLA - …PostcardGood's Hill, Colfax, Washington, circa 1896 - DPLA - e7d812d4b56c759a35b9b2def2fe9070 (page 1)c. 1896Good's Hill, Colfax, Washington, circa 1896 - DPLA - …PostcardGood's Hill, Colfax, Washington, circa 1896 - DPLA - e7d812d4b56c759a35b9b2def2fe9070 (page 2)c. 1896Good's Hill, Colfax, Washington, circa 1896 - DPLA - …Postcard
1900s3 items
Hamilton school, Colfax, Washington, circa 1900 - DPLA - ddd98de064050b099099178a7ca701c7c. 1900Hamilton school, Colfax, Washington, circa 1900 - DPL…PostcardMain Street School, Colfax, Washington, circa 1900 - DPLA - 522bfbc03ac6a6cae60a1e58ed68e839c. 1900Main Street School, Colfax, Washington, circa 1900 - …PostcardOregon Railroad & Navigation Company depot in Colfax, Washington, circa 1900 - DPLA - 7d332186c31279e5456f69bf6c13bf21c. 1900Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company depot in Colfax,…Postcard
1910s–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
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.

Bridge across the Palouse River, Colfax, Washington, circa 1880 - DPLA - 25267bfa4451e4dbd9ec9f8556f2ced6
Retake this viewBridge across the Palouse River, Colfax, Washington, circa 1880 - DPLA - 25267bfa4451e4dbd9ec9f8556f2ced6, c. 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

4 historic places in Colfax

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

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
6
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
James A. Perkins House
James A. Perkins House, built 1885US Post Office-Colfax MainFlorence Ferguson House, built 1914Whitman County Library
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Victorian1
Georgian Revival1
Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals1
Tudor Revival1
James A. Perkins HouseVictorian · Built 1885
US Post Office-Colfax MainGeorgian Revival
Florence Ferguson HouseLate 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals · Built 1914
All 4 listings
Whitman County LibraryBuilding · listed 2021

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

People over time

Colfax, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 3,057

Between 444 and 3,057 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Colfax

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
John Kitzhaber35th and 37th governor of Oregon · b. 1947
Yakima CanuttAmerican rodeo rider, actor and stuntman · b. 1895
Robert OsborneAmerican film historian and actor · b. 1932
Morten LauridsenAmerican composer · b. 1943
John CrawfordAmerican actor · b. 1920
Abe McGregor GoffAmerican politician and civil servant · b. 1899
Help out

Finish Colfax’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.
Retake an old viewBridge across the Palouse River, Colfax…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Colfax’s history

What year was Colfax founded?

In 1870, according to Wikidata. Colfax’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1880 counted 444 people here.

How does Colfax rank for history?

Colfax is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #10 of 285 in Washington. 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.

What is on the National Register in Colfax?

4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the James A. Perkins House (listed 1972, the first). 6 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Colfax?

36% of Colfax’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1954.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.