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History · Lafontaine

Lafontaine’s post office opened in 1879, and 86% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1886 on.

1879first post office
0on the National Register
86%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Lafontaine began

When was Lafontaine founded?

1879

The Lafontaine post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, La Fontaine (1879), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 58147 years
Founding year: the first Lafontaine post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Lafontaine’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 Lafontaine are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18866 editions of the USGS map, 1886 to 1990. Watch Lafontaine change.Old housesHalf of Lafontaine’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lafontaine’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lafontaine’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

Lafontaine on the map, 1886 to 1990

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

Lafontaine on the 1886 USGS mapLafontaine on the 1894 USGS mapLafontaine on the 1905 USGS mapLafontaine on the 1963 USGS mapLafontaine on the 1985 USGS mapLafontaine on the 1990 USGS map1886Independence 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 Lafontaine.

The story

How Lafontaine came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lafontaine.

Read it all →

The Missouri Pacific Railroad was built through Lafontaine in 1886.

A post office was opened in Lafontaine in 1879, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1991.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lafontaine, 1879 to 1989

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879Post officeThe La Fontaine post office opens
  3. 1886On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1989Post officeThe La Fontaine post office closes
By decade

Lafontaine, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Map of Montgomery Co, Ks, USA2005Map of Montgomery Co, Ks, USAMap
Famous people

Famous people close to Lafontaine

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

See all →
Louise BrooksAmerican actress · b. 1906
William IngeAmerican playwright and novelist · b. 1913
Vivian VanceAmerican actress · b. 1909
Gerry BammanAmerican actor · b. 1941
Harry Hines WoodringAmerican politician · b. 1890
Oren E. LongAmerican politician · b. 1889
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Another post office, La Fontaine, opened and closed inside today’s town.

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

Questions about Lafontaine’s history

What year was Lafontaine founded?

The Lafontaine post office opened in 1879, 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, 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.