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History · Marcus

Marcus dates to 1863, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1915 on, and the census since 1890.

1863founded
0on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Marcus’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Marcus began

When was Marcus founded?

1863

Marcus dates its founding to 1863 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 311 in 18902020 census: 216163 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓

What stands out about Marcus’ past

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

Boom and bustPeaked at 583 in 1930; 216 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Marcus’ homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · People over time

Marcus, census by census

01002003004005006001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 583

Peaked at 583 in 1930; 216 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Marcus came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Marcus.

Read it all →

Marcus was named for Marcus Oppenheimer who settled in the area in 1863.

Marcus was a supply and transportation base for northward-bound travellers during the Big Bend Gold Rush of the 1860s in the Colony of British Columbia due to its location just above Kettle Falls, a wall to river navigation. In 1865 the steamboat Forty-Nine was built at Marcus to attempt the run to the goldrush boomtown of La Porte at the foot of the infamous Dalles des Morts or "Death Rapids", which were located in the immediate vicinity of the rush and were the upper barrier to river navigation. Regular service from Marcus to La Porte did not begin until 1866 due to difficult winter conditions at the Narrows of the Arrow Lakes on the first attempt in 1865.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Marcus, 1863 to 1948

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1863
    FoundingMarcus is established
  3. 1880In the archiveLARO 2583
  4. 1884Post officeThe Marcus post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900In the archiveMarcus, Washington (circa 1900)
  7. 1925In the archiveLARO 2520
  8. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 583
  9. 1938In the archiveLARO 3222
  10. 1941In the archiveGreat Northern Railway relocation
  11. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Marcus, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1940s8 items
LARO 25831880LARO 2583Marcus, Washington (circa 1900)c. 1900Marcus, Washington (circa 1900)LARO 25201925LARO 2520LARO 32221938LARO 3222Great Northern Railway relocation1941Great Northern Railway relocationOld town site of Marcus with the abandoned Great Northern Railroad bridge1941Old town site of Marcus with the abandoned Great Nort…Marcus (1942) Washington 1-125000 topographic quadrangles (cut)1942Marcus (1942) Washington 1-125000 topographic quadran…Marcus (1942) Washington 1-125000 topographic quadrangles1942Marcus (1942) Washington 1-125000 topographic quadran…
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
Today1 recent
LARO 25822005LARO 2582
On the map

Marcus on the map, 1948 to 1969

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

Marcus on the 1948 USGS mapMarcus on the 1951 USGS mapMarcus on the 1969 USGS map1948Kettle Falls 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 Marcus.

Every building

Marcus, building by building, 1915

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 sheet.

Marcus fire insurance map, 1915, sheet 11915Sheet 1 of 3
BrickWoodStone

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

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.

LARO 2583
Retake this viewLARO 2583, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Marcus

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

See all →
C
Charles DayAmerican rower · b. 1914
ReniéAmerican costume designer (1901−1992) · b. 1901
J
James FargoFilm/television director · b. 1938
Nathan SawayaAmerican artist · b. 1973
Allen StoneAmerican soul musician · b. 1986
R
Roy WilliamsAmerican animator · b. 1907
Help out

Finish Marcus’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewLARO 2583: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Marcus’ history

What year was Marcus founded?

In 1863, according to Wikidata. Marcus’ post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1890 counted 311 people here.

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 (9), Wikipedia, 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.