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–Not graded
History · La Grande

La Grande’s post office opened in 1910, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 16 old photos and papers, maps from 1941 on, and old-book passages.

1910first post office
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
16old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From La Grande’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How La Grande began

When was La Grande founded?

1910

The La Grande post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Alder (1902), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 121116 years
Founding year: the first La Grande post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about La Grande’s past

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

A town in old photos16 old photos, postcards and papers, 1911–1940.
★ What stands out · By decade

La Grande, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s6 items
Men inspecting Nisqually Power Plant area, La Grande, Washington, approximately 1911c. 1911Men inspecting Nisqually Power Plant area, La Grande,…People on cliff looking at water, La Grande, Washington, approximately 1911c. 1911People on cliff looking at water, La Grande, Washingt…Aquaduct crossing high above Nisqually River, La Grande, Washington, ca. 1916c. 1916Aquaduct crossing high above Nisqually River, La Gran…Canyada Hotel, LaGrande, Washington, ca. 1916c. 1916Canyada Hotel, LaGrande, Washington, ca. 1916Canyada Hotel, LaGrande, Washington., ca. 1916c. 1916Canyada Hotel, LaGrande, Washington., ca. 1916Canyada Hotel, LaGrande, Washington, ca. 1916c. 1916Canyada Hotel, LaGrande, Washington, ca. 1916
1930s9 items
1937. Insectary field laboratory set up by Robert L. Furniss at the Pack Forest. La Grande, Washington19371937. Insectary field laboratory set up by Robert L. …1937. Insectary field laboratory set up by Robert L. Furniss at the University of Washington's Pack Forest, west of Mt.…19371937. Insectary field laboratory set up by Robert L. …1937. Insectary set up by Robert L. Furniss at the Pack Forest, west of Mt. Rainier. La Grande, Washington19371937. Insectary set up by Robert L. Furniss at the Pa…1937. Laboratory quarters at the University of Washington's Pack Forest. La Grande, WA19371937. Laboratory quarters at the University of Washin…1938. Insectary. Pack Forest, La Grande, Washington19381938. Insectary. Pack Forest, La Grande, Washington1939. Laboratory under construction at the University of Washington's Pack Forest. La Grande, Washington19391939. Laboratory under construction at the University…1939. Laboratory under construction at the University of Washington's Pack Forest. La Grande, Washington19391939. Laboratory under construction at the University…1939. Laboratory under construction at the University of Washington's Pack Forest. La Grande, Washington19391939. Laboratory under construction at the University…1939. Large cage used for forcing attacks of Cylindrocopturus sp. on Douglas fir. Pack Forest, La Grande, Washington19391939. Large cage used for forcing attacks of Cylindro…
1940s1 item
1940. New laboratory living quarters. Pack Forest, La Grande, Washington19401940. New laboratory living quarters. Pack Forest, La…
1950s–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
Today5 recent
La Grande, WA — US Post Office — 022015La Grande, WA — US Post Office — 02La Grande, WA — US Post Office — 012015La Grande, WA — US Post Office — 01Untitled photo2015Untitled photoNadamos2013NadamosPost Office at2009Post Office at
The story so far

La Grande, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of La Grande yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

La Grande is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, La Grande had a population of 121. La Grande is located along Washington State Route 7 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Eatonville. La Grande has a post office with ZIP code 98348.

Its first post office opened in 1910. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 109 to 121 (+11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about La Grande in 1927

Passages that mention La Grande, cut from the printed page as they were published.

farm. He worked awhile for day wages and then, at the age of eighteen Sears went to Colorado, driving with a team from Nebraska City to Pike’s Peak He took a passenger on the trip, for which he received ten dollars. He engaged in mining in Colorado for a few months, and in 1881 he went to La Grande…
History of Pierce County Washington1927 · page 426Read the page →
Read the text

farm. He worked awhile for day wages and then, at the age of eighteen Sears went to Colorado, driving with a team from Nebraska City to Pike’s Peak He took a passenger on the trip, for which he received ten dollars. He engaged in mining in Colorado for a few months, and in 1881 he went to La Grande Oregon In the following year he came to Washington and engaged in the sheep end horse business in the Horse Heaven country, where he remained until June, 1890 He then came to Puyallup and bought Ezra Meeker’s livery stable, which le operated until December, 1897, when he sold it. He and Ezra Meeker and John P. Hartman then

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

La Grande, 1902 to 1975

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1902Post officeThe Alder post office opens
  3. 1910Post officeThe Lagrande post office opens
  4. 1911In the archiveMen inspecting Nisqually Power Plant area, La Grande, Washington, approximately 1911
  5. 1937In the archive1937. Insectary field laboratory set up by Robert L. Furniss at the Pack Forest. La Grand…
  6. 1940In the archive1940. New laboratory living quarters. Pack Forest, La Grande, Washington
  7. 1941On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1975Post officeThe Alder post office closes
On the map

La Grande on the map, 1941 to 1990

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

La Grande on the 1941 USGS mapLa Grande on the 1959 USGS mapLa Grande on the 1973 USGS mapLa Grande on the 1990 USGS map1941Tanwax Lake sheet · 1:62,500

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

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.

Men inspecting Nisqually Power Plant area, La Grande, Washington, approximately 1911
Retake this viewMen inspecting Nisqually Power Plant area, La Grande, Washington, approximately 1911, c. 1911

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to La Grande

Nobody well known was born in La Grande itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Buzz OsborneAmerican musician · b. 1964
Brandy ClarkAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1977
Mark FuhrmanAmerican police detective · b. 1952
Michelle FrenchAmerican soccer player · b. 1977
Frank D. RobinsonAmerican aerospace engineer and entrepreneur · b. 1930
Jim TurnerAmerican politician · b. 1946
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Another post office, Alder, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Alder
1902–1975
Lagrande
1910–today
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Alder

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

Help out

Finish La Grande’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMen inspecting Nisqually Power Plant ar…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

AlderIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about La Grande’s history

What year was La Grande founded?

The La Grande post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (21), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.