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History · Marquette

Marquette’s post office opened in 1873, and 59% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Hans Hanson House. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1890.

1873first post office
1on the National Register
59%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Marquette began, and where its name came from

When was Marquette founded?

1873

The Marquette post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1874. Another post office, Calmar (1871), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 367 in 18902020 census: 599153 years

How did Marquette get its name?

Marquette was named after Marquette, Michigan.

Founding year: the first Marquette post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1874. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Marquette’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 Marquette are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1990. Watch Marquette change.Old housesHalf of Marquette’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Marquette’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Marquette’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

Marquette on the map, 1892 to 1990

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

Marquette on the 1892 USGS mapMarquette on the 1942 USGS mapMarquette on the 1964 USGS mapMarquette on the 1979 USGS mapMarquette on the 1985 USGS mapMarquette on the 1990 USGS map1892Salina 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 Marquette.

The story

How Marquette came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Marquette.

Read it all →

In 1873, what eventually would become Marquette began on the banks of the Smoky Hill River with a flour mill. The site was surveyed and on February 9, 1874, the town was chartered. It was settled by Swedish immigrants and Civil War veterans. It was named after Marquette, Michigan. Marquette was located on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

On the night of May 8–9, 1905, an F4 tornado destroyed much of the town, killing 34 people. Many homes in town were blown away and entire families were killed.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Marquette, 1871 to 1892

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Calmar post office opens
  3. 1873Born hereThomas Walter Darrah is born here
  4. 1873Post officeThe Marquette post office opens
  5. 1880Post officeThe Calmar post office closes
  6. 1888BuiltHans Hanson House is built
  7. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Marquette, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Marquette Kansas Railroad depot museum2008Marquette Kansas Railroad depot museumMarquette Kansas Museum and Range School museum2008Marquette Kansas Museum and Range School museumMarquette Kansas Lutheran Church2008Marquette Kansas Lutheran ChurchMarquette Kansas Library block2008Marquette Kansas Library blockKSMap-doton-Marquette2004KSMap-doton-Marquette
On the National Register

1 historic place in Marquette

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Hans Hanson House
Hans Hanson House, built 1888
Buildings
Hans Hanson HouseBuilt 1888

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Marquette, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 780

Between 367 and 780 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Marquette’s post office has been open since 1873. Another post office, Calmar, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Calmar
1871–1880
Marquette
1873–today
18701950today

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

Questions about Marquette’s history

What year was Marquette founded?

The Marquette post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1874.

What is on the National Register in Marquette?

One place: the Hans Hanson House (listed 1982).

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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) 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.