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History · Dwight

Dwight’s post office opened in 1887, and 49% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1910.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
49%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Dylan Edwards · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Dwight began, and where its name came from

When was Dwight founded?

1887

The Dwight post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Damorris (1880), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 298 in 19102020 census: 217139 years

How did Dwight get its name?

Dwight was named for Dwight Rathbone, the owner of the original town site.

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

What stands out about Dwight’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 Dwight are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18894 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1985. Watch Dwight change.Boom and bustPeaked at 365 in 1990; 217 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Dwight’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dwight’s collection

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

Dwight on the map, 1889 to 1985

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

Dwight on the 1889 USGS mapDwight on the 1894 USGS mapDwight on the 1971 USGS mapDwight on the 1985 USGS map1889Parkerville 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 Dwight.

People over time

Dwight, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 365

Peaked at 365 in 1990; 217 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Dwight came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dwight.

Read it all →

Dwight had its start in the year 1887 by the building of the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway through that territory. It was named for Dwight Rathbone, the owner of the original town site. Dwight was incorporated as a city in 1903.

The Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway was foreclosed in 1891 and taken over by Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, which shut down in 1980 and reorganized as Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad, merged in 1988 with Missouri Pacific Railroad, merged in 1997 with Union Pacific Railroad. Most locals still refer to this railroad as the "Rock Island".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Dwight, 1880 to 1990

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880Post officeThe Damorris post office opens
  3. 1887Post officeThe Damorris post office closes
  4. 1887Post officeThe Dwight post office opens
  5. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1990CensusPopulation peaks at 365
By decade

Dwight, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Dwight KS2021Dwight KSDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapKSMap-doton-Dwight2004KSMap-doton-Dwight
Famous people

Famous people close to Dwight

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

See all →
Bobby LashleyAmerican professional wrestler and mixed martia… · b. 1976
Marillyn HewsonAmerican business executive; former president, … · b. 1953
Adna R. Chaffee Jr.United States Army general · b. 1884
D
Duane GishAmerican biochemist an creationist · b. 1921
John Jacob RhodesAmerican politician · b. 1916
K
Kevin WillmottAmerican film director · b. 1959
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Dwight’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Damorris, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Damorris
1880–1887
Dwight
1887–today
18801950today

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

Questions about Dwight’s history

What year was Dwight founded?

The Dwight 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 →
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 (3), Wikipedia, 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.