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History · Sutherland

Sutherland’s post office opened in 1884, and 57% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: old-book passages.

1884first post office
0on the National Register
57%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Quick answers

How Sutherland began

When was Sutherland founded?

1884

The Sutherland post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Southerland (1882), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

2020 census: 629142 years
Founding year: the first Sutherland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Sutherland’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 Sutherland are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Sutherland’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sutherland’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Sutherland came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sutherland.

Read it all →

Sutherland was laid out in 1882. The city was named after the Duke of Sutherland.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Sutherland in 1897

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

The Bank of Sutherland received its charter as a national bank, called the " First National Bank of Sutherland " in January, 1887. The officers of the newly organized bank at its start were: Benj. Thompson, president; James Porter,
History of O'Brien County, Iowa, from its organization to the present time1897 · page 377Read the page →
Read the text

The Bank of Sutherland received its charter as a national bank, called the " First National Bank of Sutherland " in January, 1887. The officers of the newly organized bank at its start were: Benj. Thompson, president; James Porter,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The first building constructed by him was taken by the cyclone which went through Sutherland in June, 1882. After the cyclone Mr. Sheldon built again, and after its completion filled it with a general stock of merchandise. About this same time, and before ihe incoming of the railroad,
History of O'Brien County, Iowa, from its organization to the present time1897 · page 368Read the page →
Read the text

The first building constructed by him was taken by the cyclone which went through Sutherland in June, 1882. After the cyclone Mr. Sheldon built again, and after its completion filled it with a general stock of merchandise. About this same time, and before ihe incoming of the railroad,

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

Sutherland, 1882 to 1977

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882Post officeThe Southerland post office opens
  3. 1884Post officeThe Southerland post office closes
  4. 1884Post officeThe Sutherland post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1977Born hereJosh Stamer is born here
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Sutherland’s post office has been open since 1884. Another post office, Southerland, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Southerland
1882–1884
Sutherland
1884–today
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Sutherlandlocale

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

Questions about Sutherland’s history

What year was Sutherland founded?

The Sutherland post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

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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 Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.