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History · Northport

Northport’s post office opened in 1892, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Columbia River Bridge at Northport and the Northport School. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1900.

1892first post office
2on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Northport’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Northport began

When was Northport founded?

1892

The Northport post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1898.

First census: 787 in 19002020 census: 297134 years
Founding year: the first Northport post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1898.The full story ↓

What stands out about Northport’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 906 in 1920; 297 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1901 to 1929, drew every building in Northport.Old housesHalf of Northport’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Northport’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Northport’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewNorthport 1916: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Northport, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 906

Peaked at 906 in 1920; 297 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Every building

Northport, building by building, 1901–1929

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.

Northport fire insurance map, 1901, sheet 21901Sheet 2 of 5
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Northport came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Northport.

Read it all →

Northport began when railroad builder Daniel C. Corbin had agents purchase two wooded benches overlooking the Columbia River from the federal government in 1892. Corbin had plans to extend his Spokane Falls and Northern Railway (S&FN) from Little Dalles, the town seven miles south, to the rich mining districts of southern British Columbia. Northport would provide a railhead for two railroads into Canada.

At this time, The Kootenai Steamship Company riverboats provided service from Little Dalles to Revelstoke, B.C. After the S&FN reached Northport on Sept. 18, 1892, the riverboats ran from Northport to Revelstoke.

In March 1896 a major fire occurred in the business district. At least 16 businesses were destroyed or damaged.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Northport, 1892 to 1969

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892Post officeThe Northport post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1916In the archiveNorthport 1916
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 906
  6. 1969On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Northport, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Northport 19161916Northport 1916
1920s–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
Today3 recent
Northport School NRHP 79002561 Stevens County, WA2019Northport School NRHP 79002561 Stevens County, WAOct 2012 486x4RP2012Oct 2012 486x4RPOct 2012 4674x4xRP2012Oct 2012 4674x4xRP
On the map

Northport on the map, 1969 to 1992

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

Northport on the 1969 USGS mapNorthport on the 1982 USGS mapNorthport on the 1992 USGS map1969Northport sheet · 1:24,000

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

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.

Northport 1916
Retake this viewNorthport 1916, 1916

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Northport

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Northport School
Columbia River Bridge at NorthportNorthport School
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Steel through truss1
Columbia River Bridge at NorthportSteel through truss
All 2 listings
Northport SchoolBuilding · listed 1979

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Northport

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

See all →
C
Charles DayAmerican rower · b. 1914
Nathan SawayaAmerican artist · b. 1973
R
Roy WilliamsAmerican animator · b. 1907
Stephen CosgroveAmerican writer · b. 1945
D
Don EllersickAmerican football defensive back · b. 1938

Questions about Northport’s history

What year was Northport founded?

The Northport post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1898.

What is on the National Register in Northport?

Two places: the Columbia River Bridge at Northport (listed 1995) and the Northport School (1979).

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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.