Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Ogden

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Ogden

Ogden’s post office opened in 1870, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1914 on and the census since 1880.

1870first post office
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Ogden began

When was Ogden founded?

1870

The Ogden post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 239 in 18802020 census: 729156 years
Founding year: the first Ogden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ogden’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 Ogden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ogden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ogden’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
The story

How Ogden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ogden.

Read it all →

A tornado did extensive damage to the downtown area of Ogden in March 1976, and a devastating F-3 tornado with winds estimated at 170 mph hit Ogden on April 19, 1996, leaving a path of destruction from one end of town to the other. When the 1996 tornado was over, more than 200 homes received major damage, 80 homes were completely destroyed and 13 people suffered minor injuries. With help from government agencies, surrounding communities, and thousands of volunteers; Ogden recovered under the leadership of Mayor Jim Gilliland. Over the years Ogden has proven itself a resilient community with supportive and caring residents.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Ogden, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Ogden signpost2008Ogden signpost
On the map

Ogden on the map, 1943 to 1968

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

Ogden on the 1943 USGS mapOgden on the 1957 USGS mapOgden on the 1968 USGS map1943Fithian sheet · 1:62,500

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

Every building

Ogden, building by building, 1914

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Ogden fire insurance map, 1914, sheet 11914Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Ogden, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 818

Between 239 and 818 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Ogden

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

See all →
M
Marianne DickersonAmerican distance runner · b. 1960
Frank HanlyAmerican politician · b. 1863
Mike FrerichsAmerican politician from Illinois · b. 1973
B
Bill WhalenAmerican football player · b. 1895

Questions about Ogden’s history

What year was Ogden founded?

The Ogden post office opened in 1870, 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 →
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 (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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.