More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #143 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Most of Deer Park was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1890.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Deer Park’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Deer Park is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #143 of 285 in Washington. 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 Deer Park’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 Deer Park’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 (±4.4 points). Two sources give 1889.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Deer Park’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
North of Spokane, the city of Deer Park was officially incorporated 118 years ago on June 24, 1908. Deer Park got its name when railroad surveyors saw deer grazing in the area. It was settled in 1889 when a railroad siding was built for the Spokane Falls & Northern Railway. Soon the Standard Lumber Company sawmill was established by William Short and George Crawford to provide the lumber needed to rebuild the nearby city of Spokane Falls (later renamed simply Spokane) following the great fire of 1889. By 1900, the population of Deer Park was approximately 300 residents. In addition to the sawmill, the community consisted of three general stores (owned separately by P. Kelly, Dan Weis, and A. Baldwin), a blacksmith and harness shop, a livery and feed stable, Jeff Moore's hotel, Dr. Prince's drug store, a public school with approximately 75 students, and a Congregational church led by Rev…
Passages that mention Deer Park, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the city of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington1912 · page 683Read the page →
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Dakota, and worked in the harvest fields and at other employment for eight months. In 1888 he arrived at Spokane, Washington, and was employed for two months on a farm and for eleven months in sawmills. He then located on a homestead near Deer Park, where he lived until 1910, since which time he has resided in town. In 1906 he purchased a butcher shop in Deer Park and added a line of groceries. The year following he erected a new double building and organized a company which was incorporated as the Olson Mercantile Company.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
An illustrated history of Spokane county, state of Washington1900 · page 167Read the page →
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sound of the axe and saw are common sounds, and the Inisy mill turns out piles of lumber tor the neighboring city, nestles the village of Deer Park. One of the first buildings to attract one's attention as he enters the place is the church whose welcome is voiced by its name, the "Open Door Congregational Church." One of the noblemen of the world,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
An illustrated history of Spokane county, state of Washington1900 · page 517Read the page →
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in the lumber Inisiness until twenty-five years old, then went to Kansas and took contracts in stone for a few years. In 1888 he came to Spokane county, located at Deer Park and engaged in the lumber business. He is now proprietor of the only hotel in Deer Park, a house of about sixteen rooms with a bar attached.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the city of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington1912 · page 159Read the page →
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he located in Deer Park as pension attorney, but after three years went to Colville, where he spent a short time, and then returned to Deer Park. Here he has been appearing in behalf of dients in the justice courts and for three years past he has filled the office of justice of the peace, discharging its duties in a manner that meets the hearty approval of the best people of the community.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Deer Park, 1889 to 1961
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1889, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Deer Park’s post office opened in 1890, and the census of 1910 counted 875 people here.
How does Deer Park rank for history?
Deer Park is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #143 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.
How old are the homes in Deer Park?
10% of Deer Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1990.
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 (8), the Library of Congress (1), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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