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History · Bolckow

Bolckow dates to 1868, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1927 on and the census since 1880.

1868founded
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
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Photo: SamuelNelsonGISP · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Bolckow began

When was Bolckow founded?

1868

Bolckow dates its founding to 1868 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 346 in 18802020 census: 163158 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bolckow’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 Bolckow are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 405 in 1890; 163 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Bolckow’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bolckow’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bolckow’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
People over time

Bolckow, census by census

010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 405

Peaked at 405 in 1890; 163 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Bolckow came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bolckow.

Read it all →

Bolckow was founded in 1868. The city was named for Bolckow, an official of the Platte Co. Railroad. It was formerly called St. John. A post office called Bolckow has been in operation since 1869. A variant spelling was Bolkow.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bolckow, 1868 to 1927

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868
    FoundingBolckow is established
  3. 1869Post officeThe Bolckow post office opens
  4. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 405
  5. 20th century
  6. 1927On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bolckow, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Bolckow Missouri2024Bolckow MissouriMOMap-doton-Bolckow2004MOMap-doton-Bolckow
On the map

Bolckow on the map, 1927 to 1984

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

Bolckow on the 1927 USGS mapBolckow on the 1945 USGS mapBolckow on the 1984 USGS map1927Bolckow sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bolckow.

Questions about Bolckow’s history

What year was Bolckow founded?

In 1868, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bolckow’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1880 counted 346 people here.

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 (2), Wikipedia, 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.