The Colfax post office opened in 1865, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Chalybeate Springs (1884), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 2,255161 years
How historic is Colfax?
A−
More historic than 85% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Colfax post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Colfax’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Colfax is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Colfax’s overall grade.
Iowa towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Iowa town has 9.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Colfax’s 136 sits above most of its state (87% of Iowa towns have fewer) while its 30 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% 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 (±9.2 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 Colfax’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Colfax was laid out in 1866. It is named for Schuyler Colfax.
In its heyday, the city of Colfax had two main industries that drew thousands to the area: the mining of coal, and the use of the mineral springs discovered near the city.
The first large scale coal mine in Jasper County was the Watson No. 1 Mine, 5 miles southeast of town, connected to the Rock Island by a long railroad spur. From 1881 to 1900, the Jasper County Coal and Railway Company operated a number of mines north of Colfax. The Colfax Consolidated Coal Company formed in 1902, bringing the mines of Colfax under a common operator. They opened mine No. 8 in 1905; this was one of the best equipped mines in the state. The coal camp of Severs was run by this company.
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.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Colfax’s post office has been open since 1865. Another post office, Chalybeate Springs, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Colfax
1865–today
Chalybeate Springs
1884–1887
18601940today
Gone or out of use
Chalybeate Springs Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Colfax
Highland
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Colfax’s history
What year was Colfax founded?
The Colfax post office opened in 1865, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Colfax rank for history?
Colfax is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns. 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 Colfax?
Two places: the James Norman Hall House (listed 1984) and the Colfax Spring City Commercial Historic District (2018).
How old are the homes in Colfax?
44% of Colfax’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.2 points), against a typical 22% for an Iowa town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
1907
1909
2004