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History · Swaledale

Swaledale’s post office opened in 1887, and 64% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1972 on and the census since 1900.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
64%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Swaledale began

When was Swaledale founded?

1887

The Swaledale post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 240 in 19002020 census: 144139 years
Founding year: the first Swaledale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

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

Start Swaledale’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Swaledale’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 so far

Swaledale, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Swaledale yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Swaledale is a city in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 144 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1887. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 165 to 144 (-13%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Swaledale on the map, 1972 to 1984

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

Swaledale on the 1972 USGS mapSwaledale on the 1984 USGS map1972Swaledale sheet · 1:24,000

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

People over time

Swaledale, census by census

01002001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 240

Between 144 and 240 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Swaledale

Nobody well known was born in Swaledale itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
William D. LeahyUnited States admiral, ambassador to France, Ch… · b. 1875
Meredith WillsonAmerican composer, conductor, musical arranger,… · b. 1902
T
Tom LathamAmerican politician · b. 1948
Jack BaileyAmerican actor and daytime game show · b. 1907
Raef LaFrentzAmerican basketball player · b. 1976
G
George LambertAmerican modern pentathlete, born 1928 · b. 1928

Questions about Swaledale’s history

What year was Swaledale founded?

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

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.