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History · Russell

Russell’s post office opened in 1867, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1935 on, and the census since 1870.

1867first post office
0on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Russell began

When was Russell founded?

1867

The Russell post office opened in 1867, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1887.

First census: 175 in 18702020 census: 472159 years
Founding year: the first Russell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1887.The full story ↓

What stands out about Russell’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 642 in 1940; 472 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Russell’s homes were built before 1940.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Russell’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Russell, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 642

Peaked at 642 in 1940; 472 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

The story

How Russell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Russell.

Read it all →

The town was originally settled by German and Irish settlers in the 1850s. By the early 1860s the town of Russell had been made into a farming community and provided a source of food for surrounding communities. After being incorporated, a railway and railroad grain-tower were constructed along the town's edge allowing excess produce to be travelled elsewhere on the frontier.

In 1935, the town suffered a fire on the town square that burned down the eastern side and killed 3 people.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Russell in 1881

Passages that mention Russell, cut from the printed page as they were published.

A proposition, submitted to the citizens of the township, early in 1881, to vote a five per cent tax, to aid in constructing a railroad from Chariton, by way of Russell, to a point on the Wabash Railroad, in Wayne or Appanoose county, was defeated at two successive elections, at first by a tie vote…
History of Lucas County, Iowa containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc1881 · page 647Read the page →
Read the text

A proposition, submitted to the citizens of the township, early in 1881, to vote a five per cent tax, to aid in constructing a railroad from Chariton, by way of Russell, to a point on the Wabash Railroad, in Wayne or Appanoose county, was defeated at two successive elections, at first by a tie vote, and next by a small majority.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The tax books of 1880, show 23,084 acres of land outside of the town of Russell. Of this amount, something over three-lonrths is fenced, sad otherwise improved. The majority of the farms are in a splendid state ol Digitized by Google
History of Lucas County, Iowa containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc1881 · page 644Read the page →
Read the text

The tax books of 1880, show 23,084 acres of land outside of the town of Russell. Of this amount, something over three-lonrths is fenced, sad otherwise improved. The majority of the farms are in a splendid state ol Digitized by Google

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

Russell, 1867 to 1945

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1867Post officeThe Russell post office opens
  3. 1879Born hereGeorge McGill is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1935On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 642
  7. 1945Born hereRich Arnold is born here
By decade

Russell, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Russell 1935 1-62,500 - PCL Map Collection - txu-pclmaps-topo-ia-russell-1935Date?Russell 1935 1-62,500 - PCL Map Collection - txu-pclm…Map
Today3 recent
RussellMuseumLibrary2025RussellMuseumLibraryRussellIowaSign2025RussellIowaSignRussellCityHall2025RussellCityHall
On the map

Russell on the map, 1935 to 1966

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

Russell on the 1935 USGS mapRussell on the 1966 USGS map1935Russell sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Russell

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
George McGillAmerican politician · b. 1879
R
Rich ArnoldAmerican politician · b. 1945

Questions about Russell’s history

What year was Russell founded?

The Russell post office opened in 1867, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1887.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (4), 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 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.