The story
Read it all →How Beaver came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Beaver.
Beaver was laid out in 1879. The community takes its name from nearby Beaver Creek. The city was incorporated in 1911.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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History · Beaver
Beaver’s post office opened in 1866, and 73% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1920.
1866first post office
0on the National Register
73%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Beaver began
When was Beaver founded?
1866
The Beaver post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1879.
First census: 132 in 19202020 census: 46160 years
Founding year: the first Beaver post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1879.The full story ↓
What stands out about Beaver’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Beaver’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Beaver’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.From the old history books
What they wrote about Beaver, 1880–1914
Passages that mention Beaver, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Boone County, Iowa, containing ... biographical sketches ... war records of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of the Northwest, history of Iowa, map of1880 · page 635Read the page →
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to Moingona and took charge of the post-office; he is the owner of 320 acres of well improved land, situated on section 32, in Beaver township, and also owns two good houses; has built station house at Beaver; in 1876 he was admitted to the bar in this State; as an official he is prompt,
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The history of Boone County, Iowa, containing ... biographical sketches ..1880 · page 635Read the page →
Read the text
to Moingona and took charge of the post-office; he is the owner of 320 acres of well improved land, situated on section 32, in Beaver township, and also owns two good houses; has built station house at Beaver; in 1876 he was admitted to the bar in this State; as an official he is prompt,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Boone County, Iowa, containing ... biographical sketches ... war records of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men, history of the Northwest, history of Iowa, map of1880 · page 543Read the page →
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The town of Beaver is located on the south half of the southwest quarter, section 32, township 84, range 28. It was laid out June 30, 1879. This town, though quite young, has become quite a trading point, and is the only shipping place for the people of the west part of Boone and Greene counties. The civil officers of Amaqua township, chosen at the last general election, are as follows: Assessor — F. W. Jasinskj.
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History of Boone County, Iowa1914 · page 519Read the page →
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After leaving home Mr. Adams hrst worked for a Mr. Hughes on a farm five miles north of Beaver, Iowa, being at that time about eighteen years of age and receiving in remuneration for his services eighteen dollars per month and board. There he remained for a year and then worked for his brother John, who conducted a livery stable at Grand Junction, remaining for about two years. .\t the end of that time he first took up railroad work, becoming a brakeman on the Rock Island railroad on February 20, 1878. His run was from Grand function to Fort Dodge, and there he continued until October 17, 1879, when he became
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Beaver, decade by decade
2021
2014
2004On the map
Beaver on the map, 1951 to 1982
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Beaver. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1951Ogden 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 Beaver.
People over time
Beaver, census by census
Between 46 and 132 people in every census since 1920.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Beaver’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Beaver’s history
What year was Beaver founded?
The Beaver post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1879.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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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 (3), Wikipedia, 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.