TownTapestry
Sign inJoin
GraeagleGood morning
History · Graeagle

Graeagle’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Graeagle. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The town was founded in 1916 as a lumber town. A post office was established in 1919 with the moniker of Davies Mill. When the mill changed ownership in the 1920s, a naming contest was held. Belle Byrne contracted the name of nearby Gray Eagle Creek to Graeagle, winning the contest and its $5 prize.

The name of the creek may have had some connection with Edward D Baker, the "Gray Eagle of Republicanism," who was in the mining region in 1856 while stumping the state for Frémont.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Graeagle’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from GraeagleWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Graeagle.Meet them →
By decade

Graeagle, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Graeagle is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Graeagle has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Plumas-Eureka Mill, Jamison Mines District in Johnsville, 4 miles away.

Graeagle and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Graeagle. Tap a dot.
Plumas-Eureka Mill, Jamison Mines DistrictSierra City SchoolHospital BridgeHansen BridgeDurgan BridgeJersey Bridge

Closest to Graeagle

Plumas-Eureka Mill, Jamison Mines DistrictJohnsville · District4miSierra City SchoolSierra City · Building12.9miHospital BridgeDownieville · Steel, pin connected, through Pratt truss15.8miHansen BridgeDownieville · Low side steel truss bridge · Built 193516.2miDurgan BridgeDownieville · One lane steel, rigid connected Pratt through truss16.5mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Plumas-Eureka Mill, Jamison Mines District’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Graeagle?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Graeagle’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Portola📜 Loyalton📜 Truckee📜 Nevada City
The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Graeagle, CAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map

Local begins with a boundary.

See what belongs to your selected town.

Loading boundary…

Graeagle is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
Open detailed map