The story
Read it all →How St. Olaf came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of St. Olaf.
St. Olaf was founded in 1872 and was incorporated as a town in 1900.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · St. Olaf
St. Olaf dates to 1872, and 80% of its homes were built before 1940
Its Register listing is the St. Olaf Auditorium. Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1880.
1872founded
1on the National Register
80%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How St. Olaf began
When was St. Olaf founded?
1872
St. Olaf dates its founding to 1872 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.
First census: 50 in 18802020 census: 106154 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1874.The full story ↓
What stands out about St. Olaf’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 St. Olaf are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of St. Olaf’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19023 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1984. Watch St. Olaf change.Boom and bustPeaked at 191 in 1940; 106 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start St. Olaf’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how St. Olaf’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
St. Olaf on the map, 1902 to 1984
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of St. Olaf. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Elkader sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of St. Olaf.
From the old history books
What they wrote about St. Olaf, 1882–1916
Passages that mention St. Olaf, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Clayton County, Iowa1916 · page 323Read the page →
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Patterson. The township was later settled largely by Norwegians who largely controlled the destinies of the township after their coming. St. Olaf was established on the line of the Iowa Eastern in 1874, and before the railroad reached Elkader it was an important shipping point. H. H. Strum was the first postmaster in 1874. The Norwegian Lutheran church was established in 1854. Wagner postofifice was the pioneer postoffice of the township, being established in 1859. William Monlux, W. P. Eno and Milo P. Clark were some of the strong men
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Clayton County, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships ... biographies of representative citizens1882 · page 1132Read the page →
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The postoffice of St. Olaf was established in the fall of 1874, and H. H. Strum was the first Postmaster. He served somewhat less than a year, and was succeeded by E. Embertson, who still keeps the office, in connection with his general merchandise store.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Clayton County, Iowa1916 · page 248Read the page →
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county was the victim of a number of severe storms and damaging floods. In June, 1880, there was a terriffic storm. Bloody Run was flooded, the narrow gauge suffered heavily from washouts at Beulah and St. Olaf, the county bridge at Pony Creek was washed away. Elkport and Osterdock were under water, the Martin Garber farm was badly damaged and the Mississippi was the highest that had been known. At McGregor the river came to the steps of the Flanders house, Guttenberg was an island and railroad traffic was completely
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
St. Olaf, 1872 to 1940
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1872FoundingSt. Olaf is established
- 1874Post officeThe Saint Olaf post office opens
- 20th century
- 1902
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1939
BuiltSt. Olaf Auditorium is built - 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 191
By decade
St. Olaf, decade by decade
Today2 recent
2016
2004On the National Register
1 historic place in St. Olaf
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
1994
St. Olaf Auditorium
Buildings
Architectural styles listings
Moderne1
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
St. Olaf, census by census
Peaked at 191 in 1940; 106 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on St. Olaf’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to St. Olaf
Nobody well known was born in St. Olaf itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Old corners and places now gone
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Saint Olaf
Gone or out of use
Saint Olaflocale
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about St. Olaf’s history
What year was St. Olaf founded?
In 1872, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. St. Olaf’s post office opened in 1874, and the census of 1880 counted 50 people here.
What is on the National Register in St. Olaf?
One place: the St. Olaf Auditorium (listed 1994).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.