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History · Silverdale

Silverdale’s post office opened in 1871, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1889 on.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Silverdale began

When was Silverdale founded?

1871

The Silverdale post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 61155 years
Founding year: the first Silverdale post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Silverdale’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 Silverdale are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18893 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1985. Watch Silverdale change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Silverdale’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Silverdale’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

Silverdale on the map, 1889 to 1985

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

Silverdale on the 1889 USGS mapSilverdale on the 1965 USGS mapSilverdale on the 1985 USGS map1889Burden 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 Silverdale.

The story

How Silverdale came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Silverdale.

Read it all →

The post office was established June 5, 1871, and temporarily closed October 19, 1883, before being reopened December 12, 1883. It was permanently closed on July 31, 1964.

In 1912, Silverdale was described as a hamlet with a hotel, general store, bank, and other businesses, and in 1910 the population was 100. Today only a church and limestone quarry remain with perhaps a dozen residences. The quarry specialized in fine cut, quality limestone.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Silverdale, decade by decade

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

Questions about Silverdale’s history

What year was Silverdale founded?

The Silverdale post office opened in 1871, 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 →
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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 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.