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History · Ozawkie

Ozawkie’s post office opened in 1855

Most of Ozawkie was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975.

1855first post office
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Ozawkie began

When was Ozawkie founded?

1855

The Ozawkie post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 638171 years
Founding year: the first Ozawkie post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ozawkie’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 Ozawkie are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ozawkie’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
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0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Ozawkie came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ozawkie.

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The community was originally named Osawkee and became Jefferson County's original county seat in 1855. The word Ozawkie is derived from the Sauk or Saukee Indians.

In 1930, there were rumors the US Army Corps of Engineers building a dam and relocation would be required. However, it was only in 1954 that the Perry Dam Project was approved. Since Ozawkie was not incorporated, the US Government would not relocate it. Citizens came together to form a non-profit organization to help move Ozawkie. In 1966, Ozawkie was relocated to higher ground west of the original town site and a water tower, school and 26 homes were built.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Questions about Ozawkie’s history

What year was Ozawkie founded?

The Ozawkie post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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 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.