Cora may have been named after Cora House, a cowgirl who lived in the area. In the early 20th century, the town post office was moved to its current site from a ranch one mile to the east. Dogsleds were once used to make winter deliveries to residents who lived in the Cora area and the rest of the Upper Green River valley.
In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service considered closing the Cora post office for budgetary reasons. Residents of Cora protested and wrote letters to the USPS requesting that the post office remain open because it serves as a gathering place for the community. As of 2022, the post office is still open.
John Perry Barlow, lyricist for the Grateful Dead, grew up in Cora on his family's homestead, the Bar Cross Ranch.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (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.
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