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History · Rozel

Rozel’s post office opened in 1893, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1930.

1893first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Rozel began

When was Rozel founded?

1893

The Rozel post office opened in 1893, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Keysville (1877) and Ben Wade (1881), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 220 in 19302020 census: 102133 years
Founding year: the first Rozel post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Rozel’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 Rozel are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18894 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1985. Watch Rozel change.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Rozel.Old housesHalf of Rozel’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rozel’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rozel’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

Rozel on the map, 1889 to 1985

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

Rozel on the 1889 USGS mapRozel on the 1891 USGS mapRozel on the 1970 USGS mapRozel on the 1985 USGS map1889Larned 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 Rozel.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Rozel’s post office has been open since 1893. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Keysville
1877–1891
Ben Wade
1881–1893
Rozel
1893–today
18701950today

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

The story

How Rozel came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Rozel.

Read it all →

The first post office in Rozel was established in 1893. The community was named in honor of Roseila, the daughter of a businessman.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Rozel, 1877 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1877Post officeThe Keysville post office opens
  3. 1881Post officeThe Ben Wade post office opens
  4. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1891Post officeThe Keysville post office closes
  6. 1893Post officeThe Ben Wade post office closes
  7. 1893Post officeThe Rozel post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1921Born hereGlee S. Smith, Jr. is born here
  10. 1960Born hereGary Patterson is born here
By decade

Rozel, decade by decade

Today2 recent
KSMap-doton-Rozel2005KSMap-doton-RozelMap of Pawnee Co, Ks, USA2005Map of Pawnee Co, Ks, USAMap
People over time

Rozel, census by census

010020019401960198020002020Peak: 236

Between 102 and 236 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Rozel

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Gary PattersonAmerican college football player, college footb… · b. 1960
G
Glee S. Smith, Jr.American lawyer and politician · b. 1921

Questions about Rozel’s history

What year was Rozel founded?

The Rozel post office opened in 1893, 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 (2), 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.