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History · Galt

Galt’s post office opened in 1888, and 61% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1978 on and the census since 1920.

1888first post office
0on the National Register
61%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Galt began

When was Galt founded?

1888

The Galt post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Galtville (1882), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 134 in 19202020 census: 26138 years
Founding year: the first Galt post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Galt’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 Galt are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Galt’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 167 in 1930; 26 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Galt’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Galt’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Galt, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Galt yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Galt is a city in Wright County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26 at the time of the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1888. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 32 to 26 (-19%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

People over time

Galt, census by census

0100192019401960198020002020Peak: 167

Peaked at 167 in 1930; 26 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Galt’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Galt, 1882 to 1978

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882Post officeThe Galtville post office opens
  3. 1888Post officeThe Galtville post office closes
  4. 1888Post officeThe Galt post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 167
  7. 1978On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Galt, decade by decade

Today2 recent
GaltIowaPopPlot2021GaltIowaPopPlotIAMap-doton-Galt2004IAMap-doton-Galt
On the map

Galt on the map, 1978 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Galt. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Galt on the 1978 USGS mapGalt on the 1984 USGS map1978Dows West sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Galt.

Famous people

Famous people close to Galt

Nobody well known was born in Galt itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
G
George ReevesAmerican actor · b. 1914
William D. LeahyUnited States admiral, ambassador to France, Ch… · b. 1875
Jenny SimpsonAmerican middle-distance runner and steeplechas… · b. 1986
MacKinlay KantorAmerican journalist, novelist and screenwriter · b. 1904
T
Tom LathamAmerican politician · b. 1948
Gordon JonesAmerican actor · b. 1911
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Galt’s post office has been open since 1888. Another post office, Galtville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Galtville
1882–1888
Galt
1888–today
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Galt Post Officepost office

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Galt’s history

What year was Galt founded?

The Galt post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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), 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.