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History · Grass Valley

Grass Valley’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

1900established
0old images & papers
6recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Grass Valley is a city in Sherman County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Grass Valley had a population of 149.

Grass Valley was established in 1900. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 164 to 149 (-9%). Half of its homes were built before 1976.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Grass Valley yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Grass Valley’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Grass Valley

See all 24 →
Greg WaldenGreg WaldenThe Dalles · 24 miVAVirginia AdmiralThe Dalles · 24 miClifton N. McArthurClifton N. McArthurThe Dalles · 24 miColston LovelandColston LovelandGoldendale · 32 miGeorge AguilarGeorge AguilarThe Dalles · 24 miNicholas J. SinnottNicholas J. SinnottThe Dalles · 24 mi
By decade

Grass Valley, 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
Today6 photos
Downtown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 81ac2b2e6a665c8815ce3b34a7b19414CommonsDowntown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 81ac2b2e6a665c8815ce3b34a7b…2016Downtown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 4d87ca05c295d99e54bf22021cb92914CommonsDowntown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 4d87ca05c295d99e54bf22021cb…2016Downtown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 42fa5f8f861002854716910aed226020CommonsDowntown, Grass Valley - DPLA - 42fa5f8f861002854716910aed2…2016Untitled photoCommonsUntitled photo20152015, US 97, Approaching Moro, ORCommons2015, US 97, Approaching Moro, OR2015Grass Valley, OregonCommonsGrass Valley, Oregon2009
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Grass Valley is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Grass Valley has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Sherman County Courthouse in Grass Valley, 4.1 miles away.

Grass Valley and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Grass Valley. Tap a dot.
Sherman County CourthouseJohn and Helen Moore HouseDeMoss Springs ParkColumbia Southern Railroad Passenger Station and Freight WarehouseWasco Warehouse & Milling Company Hydroelectric Project Historic DistrictImperial Stock Ranch Headquarters Complex

Closest to Grass Valley

Sherman County CourthouseGrass Valley · Built 18994.1miJohn and Helen Moore HouseMoro · Building6.2miDeMoss Springs ParkMoro · Vernacular (bandstand)11.7miColumbia Southern Railroad Passenger Station and Freight WarehouseWasco · Building16.5miWasco Warehouse & Milling Company Hydroelectric Project Historic DistrictTygh Valley · District17.2mi

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. Sherman County Courthouse’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Grass Valley?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Grass Valley’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
📜 Moro📜 Wasco📜 Dufur📜 Maupin

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The coffee’s on

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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