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History · Hunter

Hunter’s post office opened in 1895, and 52% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1920.

1895first post office
0on the National Register
52%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Hunter began, and where its name came from

When was Hunter founded?

1895

The Hunter post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 205 in 19202020 census: 51131 years

How did Hunter get its name?

Hunter was named for Al Hunter, an early settler.

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

What stands out about Hunter’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 Hunter are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18943 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1985. Watch Hunter change.Old housesHalf of Hunter’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 236 in 1950; 51 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hunter’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hunter’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

Hunter on the map, 1894 to 1985

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

Hunter on the 1894 USGS mapHunter on the 1967 USGS mapHunter on the 1985 USGS map1894Beloit 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 Hunter.

The story

How Hunter came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hunter.

Read it all →

The first post office in Hunter was established in 1895. It was named for Al Hunter, an early settler. Hunter was incorporated in 1915.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hunter, 1894 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1895Post officeThe Hunter post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 236
By decade

Hunter, decade by decade

Today1 recent
KSMap-doton-Hunter2004KSMap-doton-Hunter
People over time

Hunter, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 236

Peaked at 236 in 1950; 51 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Hunter

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

See all →
Jessa CrispinAmerican literary critic, editor of Bookslut · b. 1978
Mary Nicholas ArnoldyRoman Catholic nun and mathematician · b. 1893
D
Don G. AbelAmerican judge · b. 1894

Questions about Hunter’s history

What year was Hunter founded?

The Hunter post office opened in 1895, 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 (1), 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.