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Wilson Creek, Washington signPhoto: WhyIsThisSoHard575483838 · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
History · Wilson Creek

Wilson Creek’s post office opened in 1894, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Wilson Creek State Bank. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1910.

1894first post office
1on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Wilson Creek began

When was Wilson Creek founded?

1894

The Wilson Creek post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 405 in 19102020 census: 204132 years
Founding year: the first Wilson Creek post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Wilson Creek’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Wilson Creek are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Wilson Creek’s homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wilson Creek’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Wilson Creek came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wilson Creek.

Read it all →

The area around Crab and Wilson creeks were inhabited by Native American peoples until the arrival of settlers in the late 19th century. The town was originally known as "Nanum Creek" and was renamed after one of the first pioneers to the area, who settled there in 1886. John Marlin and the Urquhart Brothers established their homes in the area in 1870s and were followed by a military road connecting Fort Walla Walla to Camp Chelan that passed near the area. A railroad was built through the area in 1892. Wilson Creek was platted in 1903 and officially incorporated on May 8, 1903.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wilson Creek, 1894 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1894Post officeThe Wilson Creek post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1906BuiltWilson Creek State Bank is built
  5. 1956On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Wilson Creek, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Wilson Creek, Washington sign2021Wilson Creek, Washington signCitizens Bank of Wilson Creek (1906)2004Citizens Bank of Wilson Creek (1906)
On the map

Wilson Creek on the map, 1956 to 1982

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

Wilson Creek on the 1956 USGS mapWilson Creek on the 1982 USGS map1956Wilson Creek 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 Wilson Creek.

Every building

Wilson Creek, building by building, 1909–1930

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.

Wilson Creek fire insurance map, 1909, sheet 11909Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

On the National Register

1 historic place in Wilson Creek

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1975
Wilson Creek State Bank
Wilson Creek State Bank, built 1906
Buildings
Wilson Creek State BankBuilt 1906

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

People over time

Wilson Creek, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 405

Between 148 and 405 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Wilson Creek

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

See all →
Clarence GilyardAmerican actor · b. 1955
Pierson FodéAmerican actor and model · b. 1991
Dennis OppenheimAmerican artist, sculptor and photographer · b. 1967
David Ray GriffinAmerican philosopher · b. 1939
ValkyraeAmerican video game streamer · b. 1992
Joseph J. TysonAmerican Catholic prelate · b. 1957

Questions about Wilson Creek’s history

What year was Wilson Creek founded?

The Wilson Creek post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Wilson Creek?

One place: the Wilson Creek State Bank (listed 1975).

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 (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.