Most of Dallesport was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1957 on, and the census since 2000.
The Dallesport post office opened in 1937, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Rockland (1860), Grand Dalles (1892) and Northdalles (1932), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,185 in 20002020 census: 1,32889 years
How historic is Dallesport?
D−
More historic than 2% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Dallesport post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dallesport’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dallesport is more historic than 2% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dallesport’s overall grade.
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 Dallesport’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 D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size. 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 →
What stands out about Dallesport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The location was traditionally a site of the Wishram tribe (called "Echeloots" by Lewis and Clark), who lived on the north bank of the Columbia River about 10 miles (16 km) in both directions from The Dalles, Oregon. Although the Wishrams were included in the Treaty of Yakima, they resisted removal to the Yakama Reservation. Indian burials from Memaloose Island in the Columbia were removed to the Wish-ham Cemetery near Dallesport prior to the filling of Lake Celilo. The loss of their traditional fishing grounds at Celilo Falls during the construction of The Dalles Dam in March 1957 dealt both a spiritual and an economic blow to the tribe.
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.
The Dallesport post office opened in 1937, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Dallesport rank for history?
Dallesport is more historic than 2% 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 Dallesport?
0.0% of Dallesport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 (4), 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.
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