Peaked at 1,445 in 1920; 994 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Odebolt’s Wikipedia page.
Every building
Odebolt, building by building, 1893–1915
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.
Odebolt was platted in 1877 when the Chicago & Northwestern Railway was extended to that point. Odebolt was incorporated as a city May 13, 1878.
While the etymology of Odebolt's unusual name is unquestioned—being named after the Odebolt Creek—the etymology of the creek's name is disputed. It has been ascribed to a story of a French fur trapper and to multiple stories of a bolt falling in the creek. The trapper's name was reportedly Odebeau, and his name corrupted.
the middle of the last century. The community spirit was strong and after the building of the new railroad north of the settlement a society was organized called the .Swedish Farmers' Society. They bought and shipped grain and live stock at the new town of Odebolt. Henry Hanson was chosen as manager, and John A. Stolt as secretary. Another evidence of the progressive spirit of this community was the organization of the Mutual Insurance Association in March, 1879. .\. Norelius was president, N. F. Rodine, vice-president: C. J. Johnson, secretary; and August Lundell, treasurer.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Mr. Field migrated from \\'isc()nsin to Iowa in 1879 and located in the new town of Odebolt. He ]3urchased an entire section of land in Wheeler township, which he farmed and de\eloped until 1892, when he made a permanent residence in Odebolt. He died in April of 1907. He was very active in financial and ci\ic affairs while residing in Sac county. He was one of the founders and the first ])resident of the First National Bank df Odebdlt. While he was especially gifted in the line of public duty, the only office which he cared to accept in the county was the trusteeship (if Wheeler township.
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.
Timeline
Odebolt, 1877 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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 (1), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
![Mr. Field migrated from \\'isc()nsin to Iowa in 1879 and located in the new town of Odebolt. He ]3urchased an entire section of land in Wheeler township, which he farmed and de\eloped until 1892, when he made a permanent residence in Odebolt. He died in April of 1907. He was very active in financia…](https://images.townratings.com/story/5586/bk-52781abc501ff4ab-l.jpg)
2004