The story
Read it all →How Rocky Ford came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Rocky Ford.
The community was named after a rocky ford over the nearby Ogeechee River.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Rocky Ford
Rocky Ford’s post office opened in 1869, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1910.
1869first post office
0on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Rocky Ford began
When was Rocky Ford founded?
1869
The Rocky Ford post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 385 in 19102020 census: 167157 years
Founding year: the first Rocky Ford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Rocky Ford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Rocky Ford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 522 in 1920; 167 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19213 editions of the USGS map, 1921 to 1978. Watch Rocky Ford change.Old housesHalf of Rocky Ford’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Rocky Ford’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rocky Ford’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Rocky Ford, census by census
Peaked at 522 in 1920; 167 people lived here in 2020.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Rocky Ford’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Rocky Ford on the map, 1921 to 1978
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rocky Ford. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1921Rocky Ford sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Rocky Ford.
Timeline
Rocky Ford, 1869 to 1921
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1869Post officeThe Rocky Ford post office opens
- 20th century
- 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 522
- 1921
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Rocky Ford, decade by decade
2012
2005Questions about Rocky Ford’s history
What year was Rocky Ford founded?
The Rocky Ford post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.