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History · Sheldahl

Sheldahl dates to 1855, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Sheldahl First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church. Below: 1 old photo or paper.

1855founded
1on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sheldahl’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sheldahl began

When was Sheldahl founded?

1855

Sheldahl dates its founding to 1855 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1874.

2020 census: 297171 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1874.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sheldahl’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.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sheldahl’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sheldahl’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.+2Retake an old viewFirst Evangelical Lutheran Church, Coun…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Sheldahl came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sheldahl.

Read it all →

The area was settled by 120 Norwegian immigrants from Lisbon, Illinois on June 7, 1855; including Osmond and Anna Sheldahl and five of their children. It incorporated as a city on January 18, 1882.

The Chicago and Northwestern Railway established a NE to S rail line through Sheldahl during the 1880s. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad connected with this line 2 miles north in Slater. In 2005, Union Pacific Railroad sold a 25-mile discontinued rail corridor—which included the recently abandoned line through Sheldahl—to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, which enabled the construction of the recreational High Trestle Trail. Access to the trail, including a parking area and washroom, is located in Sheldahl.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Sheldahl, 1855 to 1933

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855
    FoundingSheldahl is established
  3. 1874Post officeThe Sheldahl post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1933Born hereRobert J. Hermann is born here
By decade

Sheldahl, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
First Evangelical Lutheran Church, County Road R-38 & Northwest 166 AvenueDate?First Evangelical Lutheran Church, County Road R-38 &…
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

First Evangelical Lutheran Church, County Road R-38 & Northwest 166 Avenue
Retake this viewFirst Evangelical Lutheran Church, County Road R-38 & Northwest 166 Avenue

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sheldahl’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Sheldahl

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Sheldahl First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran C…
Sheldahl First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Vernacular1
Sheldahl First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran ChurchVernacular

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Sheldahl’s history

What year was Sheldahl founded?

In 1855, according to Wikidata. Sheldahl’s post office opened in 1874.

What is on the National Register in Sheldahl?

One place: the Sheldahl First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church (listed 1984).

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 the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.