The story
Read it all →How Pottawattamie Park came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Pottawattamie Park.
Pottawattamie Park was incorporated in 1936 on land once inhabited by the Potawatomi Indians.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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History · Pottawattamie Park
Pottawattamie Park dates to 1936
Most of Pottawattamie Park was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1960.
1936founded
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Pottawattamie Park began
When was Pottawattamie Park founded?
1936
Pottawattamie Park dates its founding to 1936 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1960.
First census: 292 in 19602020 census: 24290 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓
What stands out about Pottawattamie Park’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Pottawattamie Park’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pottawattamie Park’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Pottawattamie Park, census by census
Peaked at 374 in 1970; 242 people lived here in 2020.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pottawattamie Park’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
Pottawattamie Park, 1936 to 1970
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 20th century
- 1936FoundingPottawattamie Park is established
- 1958
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 374
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.
Add from your albumOn the map
Pottawattamie Park on the map, 1958 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pottawattamie Park. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Michigan City East sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pottawattamie Park.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Pottawattamie Park
Nobody well known was born in Pottawattamie Park itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Questions about Pottawattamie Park’s history
What year was Pottawattamie Park founded?
In 1936, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1960 counted 292 people here.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.