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History · Udell

Udell’s post office opened in 1883, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1910.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Udell began, and where its name came from

When was Udell founded?

1883

The Udell post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 186 in 19102020 census: 28143 years

How did Udell get its name?

Udell was named for Dr. Nathan Udell, a pioneer settler.

Founding year: the first Udell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Udell’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 Udell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 214 in 1920; 28 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Udell’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Udell, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 214

Peaked at 214 in 1920; 28 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Udell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Udell.

Read it all →

Udell was founded in 1895. It was named for Dr. Nathan Udell, a pioneer settler.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Udell, 1883 to 1968

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Udell post office opens
  3. 1891Born hereRoss S. Whisler is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 214
  6. 1968On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Udell, decade by decade

Today2 recent
UdellIowaAerialView2024UdellIowaAerialViewIAMap-doton-Udell2004IAMap-doton-Udell
On the map

Udell on the map, 1968 to 1981

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

Udell on the 1968 USGS mapUdell on the 1981 USGS map1968Unionville 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 Udell.

Questions about Udell’s history

What year was Udell founded?

The Udell post office opened in 1883, 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 Wikimedia Commons (2), 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) 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.