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History · Jim Falls

Jim Falls’ post office opened in 1903, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1949 on.

1903first post office
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Jim Falls began

When was Jim Falls founded?

1903

The Jim Falls post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 231123 years
Founding year: the first Jim Falls post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Jim Falls’ 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 Jim Falls are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Jim Falls’ homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jim Falls’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Jim Falls came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jim Falls.

Read it all →

Jim Falls is named in honor of James Ermatinger. In 1840, he established a trading post near the falls, which were then called "Vermillion Falls". Later, he became very involved with public affairs of the village and county. In 1854, he was appointed by the county Board of Supervisors, along with Henry O'Neil, and Daniel McCann, to lay out a road from Chippewa Falls to Vermillion Falls. In 1855, he acted as Justice of the Peace for Chippewa County.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Jim Falls on the map, 1949 to 1975

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

Jim Falls on the 1949 USGS mapJim Falls on the 1951 USGS mapJim Falls on the 1975 USGS map1949Bloomer 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 Jim Falls.

Famous people

Famous people close to Jim Falls

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

See all →
Seymour CrayApplied mathematician, computer scientist, and … · b. 1925
Alexander WileyAmerican politician · b. 1884
Eddy WallerActor · b. 1889
J
Judy HenskeAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1936
N
Nate DeLongAmerican basketball player · b. 1926
Edward O. ShawAmerican fighter ace · b. 1920
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

AnsonIts storyC+Eagle PointIts storyC

Questions about Jim Falls’ history

What year was Jim Falls founded?

The Jim Falls post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.