Lamar’s post office opened in 1886, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns · #18 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 7 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1890.
The Lamar post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 566 in 18902020 census: 7,687140 years
How did Lamar get its name?
Lamar was named after Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the author of the Mississippi Ordinance of Secession, and a Confederate officer and diplomat.
How historic is Lamar?
B+
More historic than 68% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lamar is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #18 of 159 in Colorado. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lamar’s overall grade.
Few Colorado towns list much on the Register (a typical Colorado town has 1.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lamar’s 13.1 sits above most of its state (74% of Colorado towns have fewer) while its 10 historic buildings outnumber those of 76% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Lamar’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1893Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
5 historic places in Lamar
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Lamar was founded on May 24, 1886, by Issac Holmes. It was named after Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the author of the Mississippi Ordinance of Secession, and a Confederate officer and diplomat. The first town elections were held in December, and C. M. Morrison became the town's first mayor. In 1889, Prowers County was established, and Lamar was elected to house the county's government.
Throughout its history, Lamar has suffered from fires and floods. The town was also greatly affected by the Dust Bowl, and as such, participated in projects led by the Civil Works Administration, Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and the Works Progress Administration.
The Lamar post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Lamar rank for history?
Lamar is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns, #18 of 159 in Colorado. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Lamar?
5 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Davies Hotel (listed 1978, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Willow Creek Park and the Prowers Country Welfare Housing, with 7 contributing buildings. 10 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Lamar?
20% of Lamar’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 1971.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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