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History · Colton

A history of Colton,
since 1882

Postcards, papers and photographs of Colton from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

1882established
6old images & papers
0recent photos
From Colton’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Colton was first settled in 1879 by J.A. Cole, and was founded in 1882 by J.B. Stanley. Colton was incorporated in 1890; however, the incorporation documents were not recorded until 1893.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1882Established
c. 1898Four Colton friends, Colton, Washington, circa …Commons
1900s3 items · Concordia Band, Colton, Washington, 1…Commons
1910s2 items · Colton, Washington, circa 1910 - DPLA…Commons
1920–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Help out

Finish Colton’s story

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

2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewNorth Steptoe Street, Colton, Was…, c. 1908: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from ColtonWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Colton.Meet them →
By decade

Colton, decade by decade

1890s1 item
Four Colton friends, Colton, Washington, circa 1898 - DPLA - b54eb4ac323ff545924cdd309c7ad3ecCommonsFour Colton friends, Colton, Washington, circa 1898 - DPLA …c. 1898
1900s3 items
Concordia Band, Colton, Washington, 1900 - DPLA - 56bb875d544b81cc7b61947fdc38fae3CommonsConcordia Band, Colton, Washington, 1900 - DPLA - 56bb875d5…1900Frank Semlar, Colton, Washington, circa 1900 - DPLA - da4502f57fa95cf79af4426b474c9cc4CommonsFrank Semlar, Colton, Washington, circa 1900 - DPLA - da450…c. 1900North Steptoe Street, Colton, Washington, circa 1908 - DPLA - 4e5062f1700838ab72c350645b4762e6CommonsNorth Steptoe Street, Colton, Washington, circa 1908 - DPLA…c. 1908 · postcard
1910s2 items
Colton, Washington, circa 1910 - DPLA - bb0a5843bdbd2f4794218976c588933cCommonsColton, Washington, circa 1910 - DPLA - bb0a5843bdbd2f47942…c. 1910 · postcardPark Saloon, Colton, Washington, circa 1910 - DPLA - 3626641fa7f348ad92583c37f3801434CommonsPark Saloon, Colton, Washington, circa 1910 - DPLA - 362664…c. 1910 · postcard
1920s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings 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 Colton is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Colton has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is St. Boniface Church, Convent and Rectory in Uniontown, 2.6 miles away.

Colton and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Colton. Tap a dot.
St. Boniface Church, Convent and RectoryCollins House and GranaryDeesten FarmsteadWhite Spring RanchT. A. Leonard BarnGenesee Exchange Bank

Closest to Colton

St. Boniface Church, Convent and RectoryUniontown · Building2.6miCollins House and GranaryClarkston · Building7.4miDeesten FarmsteadMoscow · Site8.5miWhite Spring RanchGenesee · Folk Victorian8.6miT. A. Leonard BarnPullman · Built 19179.5mi

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. St. Boniface Church, Convent and Rectory’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Colton?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Colton’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

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Four Colton friends, Colton, Washington, circa 1898 - DPLA - b54eb4ac323ff545924cdd309c7ad3ec (c. 1898) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Uniontown📜 Genesee📜 Clarkston📜 Pullman

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

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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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