Northern Paiute people were the first in the area, frequenting nearby mountains and streambeds to find or follow food sources.

When early settlers arrived, conflict developed over local resources, eventually escalating to the Snake War.

[6] Another miner named Silas Skinner organized a small team and built a road to more easily access Jordan Creek.

The road passed through the current-day location of Jordan Valley, which soon became a pack station where miners would wait for snow to melt enough to access the mining area.

A post office opened in 1867 in the cabin of John Baxter, one of the first permanent residents of Jordan Valley.

[9] When mining declined in the area and populations of boomtowns like Silver City dwindled around 1875, residents of Jordan Valley survived by transitioning to ranching.

[9] This financial hardship, coupled with the remoteness of the town (and subsequent lack of law enforcement) made bootlegging grow in popularity during the last few years of Prohibition.

[9] Many Basque immigrants came to Jordan Valley, starting around 1889 with the arrival of José Navarro and Antone Azcuenaga.

[12] The Basques also constructed several sandstone buildings, including three boarding houses,[13] and (with the help of local Irish immigrants) the St. Bernard's Catholic Church, which can still be seen today.

[16] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.08 square miles (5.39 km2), all of it land.

People in those occupations typically live far from town on homesteads, but use Jordan Valley as their cultural and economic center.

People within Jordan Valley primarily provide a number of services to tourists passing through on U.S. Route 95, which is the primary road from Boise, Idaho to Reno, Nevada.

Other popular areas nearby include Leslie Gulch, Cow Lakes, Antelope Reservoir, and Three Forks to the south.