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History · Upton

Upton’s post office opened in 1901, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1910.

1901first post office
0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Upton began

When was Upton founded?

1901

The Upton post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Merino (1890), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 244 in 19102020 census: 898125 years
Founding year: the first Upton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Upton’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 Upton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,224 in 1960; 898 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Upton’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Upton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Upton’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
People over time

Upton, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,224

Peaked at 1,224 in 1960; 898 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Upton, in brief

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

Upton is a town in Weston County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 898 at the 2020 census. The slogan of the town is: "The best town on earth".

Its first post office opened in 1901. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,100 to 898 (-18%).

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

Timeline

Upton, 1890 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890Post officeThe Merino post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1901Post officeThe Merino post office closes
  5. 1901Post officeThe Upton post office opens
  6. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,224
By decade

Upton, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Upton, WY2022Upton, WY
On the map

Upton on the map, 1957 to 1984

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

Upton on the 1957 USGS mapUpton on the 1984 USGS map1957Upton 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 Upton.

Famous people

Famous people close to Upton

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

See all →
Edwin Keith ThomsonAmerican politician · b. 1919
E
Earl ChristensenAmerican rancher and politician · b. 1919
M
Michael T. AveryAmerican politician · b. 1952
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Upton’s post office has been open since 1901. Another post office, Merino, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Merino
1890–1901
Upton
1901–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Colloid
Gone or out of use
Airport Shale Pit Minemine
1cemetery inside Upton
Greenwood

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

Questions about Upton’s history

What year was Upton founded?

The Upton post office opened in 1901, 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 →
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 (1), 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.