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History · Rock

Rock’s post office opened in 1870, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1890 on.

1870first post office
0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Rock began

When was Rock founded?

1870

The Rock post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 94156 years
Founding year: the first Rock post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Rock’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 Rock are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18903 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1983. Watch Rock change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rock’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rock’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

Rock on the map, 1890 to 1983

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

Rock on the 1890 USGS mapRock on the 1955 USGS mapRock on the 1983 USGS map1890Wellington 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 Rock.

The story

How Rock came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rock.

Read it all →

In 1877, the Florence, El Dorado, and Walnut Valley Railroad Company built a branch line from Florence to El Dorado; in 1881 it was extended to Douglass, and later to Arkansas City. The line was leased and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The line from Florence to El Dorado was abandoned in 1942. The original branch line connected Florence, Burns, De Graff, El Dorado, Augusta, Douglass, Rock, Akron, Winfield and Arkansas City.

In 1905, the nearby Bucher Bridge, on the National Register of Historic Places, was built.

Chapters19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Rock, decade by decade

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

Famous people close to Rock

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

See all →
Eugene PalletteAmerican actor · b. 1889
Phyllis HaverAmerican actress · b. 1899
D
Darren E. BurrowsAmerican actor · b. 1966
Ira DavenportAmerican track athlete, baseball player, Americ… · b. 1887
George W. HillAmerican film director and cinematographer · b. 1895
B
Bob BrannumAmerican basketball player-coach · b. 1925

Questions about Rock’s history

What year was Rock founded?

The Rock post office opened in 1870, 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 and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.