Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1885 on.
The Welda post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Welda’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Welda. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Welda.
From Wikipedia’s history of Welda.
Welda was platted in 1873, soon after the railroad was extended to that point in 1870. Its post office was established in 1874, probably named for Welda in Germany.
The railroad tracks in Welda have since been converted to a rail trail. The trail is part of the Prairie Spirit Trail State Park.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Welda’s page.
Retake this view · +15Nobody well known was born in Welda itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Welda post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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.
1880s
