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History · The Dalles

The Dalles’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

1857established
0old images & papers
23historic places
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The area around The Dalles is known to have been a trading center for American Indians as long as 10,000 years ago and is thus one of the oldest inhabited places in North America.

The site of what is now the city of The Dalles was a major American Indian trading center. The general area is one of the continent's most significant archaeological regions. Lewis and Clark camped near Mill Creek on October 25–27, 1805, and recorded the Indian name for the creek as Quenett.

EtymologyFur tradeWascopam MissionAmerican settlement20th and 21st centuries

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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By decade

The Dalles, 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.
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National Register of Historic Places

23 historic places in The Dalles

The Dalles has 23 listings on the National Register, and they protect 129 historic buildings, because Trevitt's Addition Historic District alone counts 52.

#12
In Oregonby listings · most towns there have none
23places listed20 buildings · 2 districts · 1 other
0National Historic LandmarksNone here yet
129historic buildings protectedcounting each building in a district
1971first listedFort Dalles Surgeon's Quarters · newest: Joseph D. and Margaret Kelly House, 1999

Where they are

Tap a dot for a photo and link. Districts show at their center.
Fort Dalles Surgeon's QuartersSt. Peter's Roman Catholic ChurchIndian Shaker Church and Gulick HomesteadDalles Carnegie LibraryThe Dalles Civic AuditoriumLewis Anderson House, Barn and GranaryRock Fort CampsiteMalcolm A. Moody HouseJohn L. Thompson HouseUS Post OfficeBennett-Williams HouseHeimrich-Seufert HouseHugh Glenn HouseJohn and Murta Van Dellen HouseOrlando Humason HouseSharp, Edward F., Residential EnsembleEdward French HouseFulton-Taylor HouseTrevitt's Addition Historic DistrictDr. J. A. Reuter HouseFirst Wasco County CourthouseJoseph D. and Margaret Kelly HouseThe Dalles Commercial Historic District
BuildingsDistrictsSites

Architectural styles

From each listing’s National Archives record · 8 of 23 name a style
Gothic Revival2
Vernacular2
Beaux Arts Classicism1
Neo-Classical Revival1
Log1
Oregon Box Construction1

When they were listed

The Register began in 1966. The Dalles’s busiest decade was the 1990s.
Fort Dalles Surgeon's QuartersListed 1971Fort Dalles Surgeon's QuartersGothic RevivalMilitaryArchitectureSt. Peter's Roman Catholic ChurchListed 1974St. Peter's Roman Catholic ChurchGothic Revival · Built 1897ArchitectureIndian Shaker Church and Gulick HomesteadListed 1978Indian Shaker Church and Gulick HomesteadVernacular · Built 1891Native AmericanReligionDalles Carnegie LibraryListed 1978Dalles Carnegie LibraryBeaux Arts Classicism · Built 1910ArchitectureSocial historyThe Dalles Civic AuditoriumListed 1978The Dalles Civic AuditoriumNeo-Classical Revival · Built 1921RecreationArchitectureLewis Anderson House, Barn and GranaryListed 1980Lewis Anderson House, Barn and GranaryVernacular · Built 1890AgricultureExploration/SettlementArchitectureRock Fort CampsiteListed 1980Rock Fort CampsiteSiteExploration/SettlementMalcolm A. Moody HouseListed 1980Malcolm A. Moody HouseOregon Box ConstructionMilitaryPoliticsArchitectureJohn L. Thompson HouseListed 1980John L. Thompson HouseQueen AnneCommerceArchitectureUS Post OfficeListed 1985US Post OfficeBuilt 1916ArchitectureBennett-Williams HouseListed 1986Bennett-Williams HouseBuilt 1899LawArchitectureHeimrich-Seufert HouseListed 1990Heimrich-Seufert HouseBuildingIndustryTransportationArchitectureHugh Glenn HouseListed 1991Hugh Glenn HouseBuilt 1882ArchitectureJohn and Murta Van Dellen HouseListed 1991John and Murta Van Dellen HouseBuildingArchitectureOrlando Humason HouseListed 1991Orlando Humason HouseBuildingPoliticsArchitectureSharp, Edward F., Residential EnsembleListed 1991Sharp, Edward F., Residential EnsembleBuildingTown planningExploration/SettlementArchitectureEdward French HouseListed 1992Edward French HouseBuildingCommerceEconomicsFulton-Taylor HouseListed 1993Fulton-Taylor HouseBuildingExploration/SettlementTown planningTrevitt's Addition Historic DistrictListed 1995Trevitt's Addition Historic DistrictDistrictTransportationPoliticsExploration/SettlementDr. J. A. Reuter HouseListed 1997Dr. J. A. Reuter HouseBuildingArchitectureMedicineFirst Wasco County CourthouseListed 1998First Wasco County CourthouseBuilt 1859PoliticsJoseph D. and Margaret Kelly HouseListed 1999Joseph D. and Margaret Kelly HouseBuildingListed 1986The Dalles Commercial Historic DistrictDistrictPoliticsCommerce
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · styles from the National Archives catalog · photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place

Then & now

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

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Dufur📜 Mosier📜 Bingen📜 White Salmon

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

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