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History · Colony

Colony’s post office opened in 1872, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1880.

1872first post office
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Colony began, and where its name came from

When was Colony founded?

1872

The Colony post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Divide (1871), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 114 in 18802020 census: 381154 years

How did Colony get its name?

Colony was named for a colony from Ohio and Indiana, which settled in the neighborhood.

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

What stands out about Colony’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 Colony are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18855 editions of the USGS map, 1885 to 1990. Watch Colony change.Boom and bustPeaked at 997 in 1920; 381 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Colony’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Colony’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Colony’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
On the map

Colony on the map, 1885 to 1990

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

Colony on the 1885 USGS mapColony on the 1894 USGS mapColony on the 1966 USGS mapColony on the 1985 USGS mapColony on the 1990 USGS map1885Garnett sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Colony, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 997

Peaked at 997 in 1920; 381 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Colony came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Colony.

Read it all →

Colony got its start in the year 1872 following construction of the railroad through that territory. It was named for a colony from Ohio and Indiana, which settled in the neighborhood.

The railroad tracks in Colony have since been converted to a rail trail. The trail is part of the Prairie Spirit Trail State Park.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Colony, 1871 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Divide post office opens
  3. 1872Post officeThe Divide post office closes
  4. 1872Post officeThe Colony post office opens
  5. 1885On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1916Born hereDean Brooks is born here
  8. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 997
By decade

Colony, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Detailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapKSMap-doton-Colony2004KSMap-doton-Colony
Every building

Colony, building by building, 1917

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.

Colony fire insurance map, 1917, sheet 11917Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Colony’s post office has been open since 1872. Another post office, Divide, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Divide
1871–1872
Colony
1872–today
18701950today

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

Questions about Colony’s history

What year was Colony founded?

The Colony post office opened in 1872, 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 (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), 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.