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B+History
History · Rawlins

Rawlins’ post office opened in 1876, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns · #5 of 28 in Wyoming. What drives it

6 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 162 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1883 on, and the census since 1870.

1876first post office
6on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
10famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Rawlins’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Rawlins began, and where its name came from

When was Rawlins founded?

1876

The Rawlins post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 612 in 18702020 census: 8,221150 years

How did Rawlins get its name?

Rawlins was named for Union General John Aaron Rawlins, who camped in the locality in 1867.

How historic is Rawlins?

B+

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Rawlins post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
History grade

What drives Rawlins’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rawlins is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #5 of 28 in Wyoming. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rawlins’ overall grade.
Founding era1876, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194015.4% of homes (±4.4) · typical WY town 12.0% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register6 listings, 166 historic buildings, 204 per 10,000 residents · typical WY town 25.1 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 73%
NewerOlder
Wyoming towns of 2,500+ (28)Ahead of 85%

Wyoming towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wyoming town has 25.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Rawlins’ 204 sits above most of its state (93% of Wyoming towns have fewer) while its 166 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Rawlins’ past

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

A historic districtThe Rawlins Residential Historic District takes in 91 historic buildings.Mapped building by building8 fire insurance maps, 1883 to 1920, drew every building in Rawlins.Boom and bustPeaked at 11,547 in 1980; 8,221 people lived here in 2020.Landmarks on the Register6 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

6 listings protect 166 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
166
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
George Ferris Mansion
George Ferris MansionWyoming State Penitentiary District, built 2001France Memorial United Presbyterian ChurchDowntown Rawlins Historic DistrictUnion Pacific Railroad DepotRawlins Residential Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian3
Queen Anne2
Romanesque2
Gothic Revival2
Bungalow2
Craftsman2
George Ferris MansionQueen Anne
Wyoming State Penitentiary DistrictRomanesque · Built 2001
France Memorial United Presbyterian ChurchGothic Revival
Downtown Rawlins Historic DistrictSecond Renaissance Revival
Union Pacific Railroad DepotLate Victorian
Rawlins Residential Historic DistrictBungalow

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

Every building

Rawlins, building by building, 1883–1920

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.

Rawlins fire insurance map, 1883, sheet 11883Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

People over time

Rawlins, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 11,547

Peaked at 11,547 in 1980; 8,221 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

The story so far

Rawlins, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rawlins yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Rawlins is a city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,221 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County. It was named for Union General John Aaron Rawlins, who camped in the locality in 1867.

Its first post office opened in 1876. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 9,259 to 8,221 (-11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Rawlins, 1876 to 2001

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1876Post officeThe Rawlins post office opens
  3. 1878In the archiveAstronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observe transit of Venus. Thomas Edison se…
  4. 20th century
  5. 1911Born hereJoe Hickey is born here
  6. 1922Born hereClarence Addison Brimmer, Jr. is born here
  7. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1959Born herePhilip A. Brimmer is born here
  9. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 11,547
  10. 1982Born hereJesse Garcia is born here
  11. 21st century
  12. 2001BuiltWyoming State Penitentiary District is built
By decade

Rawlins, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s6 items
Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observe transit of Venus. Thomas Edison second from right1878Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observ…Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observe a solar eclipse. Thomas Edison second from right1878Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observ…Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observe transit of Venus. Thomas Edison second from right1878Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observ…Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observe transit of Venus. Thomas Edison second from right1878Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observ…Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observe transit of Venus. Thomas Edison second from right1878Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observ…Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observe transit of Venus. Thomas Edison second from right1878Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observ…
On the map

Rawlins on the map, 1953 to 1980

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

Rawlins on the 1953 USGS mapRawlins on the 1980 USGS map1953Rawlins sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Rawlins.

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.

Astronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observe transit of Venus. Thomas Edison second from right
Retake this viewAstronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyoming to observe transit of Venus. Thomas Edison second from right, 1878

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

10 famous people were born in Rawlins

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

See all →
Jesse GarciaAmerican actor · b. 1982
Joe HickeyAmerican politician · b. 1911
Clarence Addison Brimmer, Jr.United States District Judge · b. 1922
Philip A. BrimmerUnited States federal judge · b. 1959
Eli BeboutAmerican politician and businessman · b. 1946
D
Daniel L. KinnamanAmerican politician · b. 1933
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Rawlins’s post office has been open since 1876.

Gone or out of use
Martinez Max Sand and Gravel Pitmine
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Rawlins
Carbon County MuseumRawlinsWyoming State Penitentiary

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

Help out

Finish Rawlins’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAstronomical expedition at Rawlins, Wyo…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Rawlins’ history

What year was Rawlins founded?

The Rawlins post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Rawlins rank for history?

Rawlins is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #5 of 28 in Wyoming. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Rawlins?

6 listings: 3 buildings, among them the George Ferris Mansion (listed 1982, the first), and 3 historic districts, the Wyoming State Penitentiary District, the Downtown Rawlins Historic District and the Rawlins Residential Historic District, with 162 contributing buildings. 166 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Rawlins?

15% of Rawlins’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Wyoming town; the median home was built in 1971.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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), 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.