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History · Vader

Vader dates to 1906, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Ben Olsen House and the Grace Evangelical Church of Vader. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1941 on, and the census since 1910.

1906founded
2on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Vader’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Vader began

When was Vader founded?

1906

Vader dates its founding to 1906 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 631 in 19102020 census: 629120 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1874.The full story ↓
The story

How Vader came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Vader.

Read it all →

After Little Falls was formed, the town was considered one of the largest communities between Portland and Tacoma. The town was incorporated as a "fourth class" city under the Little Falls name on January 12, 1906; only one resident out of 78 voted against incorporation. The first mayor was W.R. Diley. During its peak between 1890 and 1920, Vader hosted over 40 businesses, contained two churches, and had a hospital. Along with a local newspaper, businesses included a bowling alley, an opera house, several saloons, and the Vader Moving Picture Theater.

ChaptersBeginnings and 20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Vader, 1874 to 1941

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874Post officeThe Little Falls post office opens
  3. 1889Born hereHerbert Heyes is born here
  4. 1895In the archiveVader, Washington 05
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900In the archiveVader, Washington 03
  7. 1906
    FoundingVader is established
  8. 1910Born hereRoy A. Taylor is born here
  9. 1913In the archiveStillwater Lumber and Shingle Mill, Vader, Washington 01
  10. 1913Post officeThe Little Falls post office closes
  11. 1913Post officeThe Vader post office opens
  12. 1939In the archiveWestern Washington, Lewis County
  13. 1941On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Vader, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1910s5 items
Vader, Washington 05c. 1895Vader, Washington 05Vader, Washington 031900sVader, Washington 03Vader, Washington 041900sVader, Washington 04Ben Olsen House 011908Ben Olsen House 01Stillwater Lumber and Shingle Mill, Vader, Washington 01c. 1913Stillwater Lumber and Shingle Mill, Vader, Washington…
1930s5 items
Western Washington, Lewis County1939Western Washington, Lewis CountySign on post office door: Farm animals and household equipment for sale. Vader, western Washington1939Sign on post office door: Farm animals and household …Stump farm. Typical of cut-over area of Western Washington. Lewis County, near Vader1939Stump farm. Typical of cut-over area of Western Washi…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Western Washington, Lewis County1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Western Washingt…The Nieman farm showing cleared land on which the bulldozer is clearing more land. Western Washington, Lewis County, ne…1939The Nieman farm showing cleared land on which the bul…
1940s–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
Today2 recent
Historic Vader Jail2021Historic Vader JailA Street in2021A Street in
On the map

Vader on the map, 1941 to 1985

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

Vader on the 1941 USGS mapVader on the 1953 USGS mapVader on the 1985 USGS map1941Olequa 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 Vader.

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.

Vader, Washington 05
Retake this viewVader, Washington 05, c. 1895

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Vader

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
1976
Ben Olsen House
Ben Olsen HouseGrace Evangelical Church of Vader
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Late Victorian: Gothic1
Ben Olsen HouseQueen Anne
Grace Evangelical Church of VaderLate Victorian: Gothic

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

People over time

Vader, census by census

0100200300400500600700192019401960198020002020Peak: 631

Between 380 and 631 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Vader

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Herbert HeyesActor · b. 1889
Roy A. TaylorAmerican politician · b. 1910
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Vader’s post office has been open since 1913. Another post office, Little Falls, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Little Falls
1874–1913
Vader
1913–today
18701950today

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

Help out

Finish Vader’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 viewVader, Washington 05: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Vader’s history

What year was Vader founded?

In 1906, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Vader’s post office opened in 1874, and the census of 1910 counted 631 people here.

What is on the National Register in Vader?

Two places: the Ben Olsen House (listed 1976) and the Grace Evangelical Church of Vader (2003).

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 (7), the Library of Congress (5), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) 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.