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Onalaska, Washington 01Photo: OlympiaBuebird · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · Onalaska

Onalaska dates to 1909

Most of Onalaska was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1943 on.

1909founded
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Onalaska’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Onalaska began

When was Onalaska founded?

1909

Onalaska dates its founding to 1909 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1915.

2020 census: 657117 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1915.The full story ↓

What stands out about Onalaska’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.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Onalaska’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewSouth Fork Newaukum River Bridge, Spann…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Onalaska came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Onalaska.

Read it all →

Onalaska was built around the inland mill established by the Carlisle Lumber Company in 1909, with actual production commencing in 1914. At its peak in 1929, company inventory numbered over 20 million board feet of lumber, producing 300,000 board feet per day. The community's population was approximately 1,000, with 175 single-family homes and almost 50 bunkhouses of various occupancy. During the Great Depression, with issues regarding falling timber prices and production, along with increased unionization efforts, the Carlisle family closed the facility. The mill was sold for scrap during World War II.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Onalaska, 1909 to 1943

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1909
    FoundingOnalaska is established
  3. 1915Post officeThe Onalaska post office opens
  4. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Onalaska, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
South Fork Newaukum River Bridge, Spanning South Fork Newkaukum River at State Route 508Date?South Fork Newaukum River Bridge, Spanning South Fork…
On the map

Onalaska on the map, 1943 to 1984

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

Onalaska on the 1943 USGS mapOnalaska on the 1954 USGS mapOnalaska on the 1984 USGS map1943Willapa 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 Onalaska.

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.

South Fork Newaukum River Bridge, Spanning South Fork Newkaukum River at State Route 508
Retake this viewSouth Fork Newaukum River Bridge, Spanning South Fork Newkaukum River at State Route 508

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Onalaska

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

See all →
Merce CunninghamAmerican dancer and choreographer · b. 1919
Buzz OsborneAmerican musician · b. 1964
Ralph TownerAmerican musician · b. 1940
Brandy ClarkAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1977
Herbert HeyesActor · b. 1889
Olive McKeanAmerican swimmer, Olympic bronze medalist, coach · b. 1915

Questions about Onalaska’s history

What year was Onalaska founded?

In 1909, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Onalaska’s post office opened in 1915.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.