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History · Gibbs

Gibbs dates to 1886, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1903 on and the census since 1900.

1886founded
0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Gibbs began

When was Gibbs founded?

1886

Gibbs dates its founding to 1886 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 168 in 19002020 census: 70140 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓

What stands out about Gibbs’ 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 Gibbs are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 226 in 1910; 70 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19033 editions of the USGS map, 1903 to 1981. Watch Gibbs change.Old housesHalf of Gibbs’ homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gibbs’s collection

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

Gibbs, census by census

01002001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 226

Peaked at 226 in 1910; 70 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

On the map

Gibbs on the map, 1903 to 1981

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

Gibbs on the 1903 USGS mapGibbs on the 1966 USGS mapGibbs on the 1981 USGS map1903Edina 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 Gibbs.

The story

How Gibbs came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gibbs.

Read it all →

The town of Gibbs was an outgrowth of the Santa Fe Railroad, laid out in 1887 when the rail lines passed through southeastern Adair County. The name Gibbs was chosen in honor of Frank W. Gibbs, who donated land to the Santa Fe Railroad for the construction of a rail depot and stockyard. At the time of Gibbs' incorporation in 1894, it was anticipated that the town might become Adair County's main rail shipping point for the Santa Fe. This hope was bolstered by the fact that the road leading to Gibbs was the first all-weather road in the county. In the late 1800s a considerable amount of cattle and hogs were shipped from the Gibbs depot to packing houses in Chicago, along with seasonal carloads of fresh apples, strawberries, and eggs to points across America. Perrin & Company of Chicago also constructed a grain elevator trackside for the storage and shipping of corn, with lesser amounts o…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Gibbs, 1886 to 1910

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886
    FoundingGibbs is established
  3. 1888Post officeThe Gibbs post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1903On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 226
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Gibbs

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

See all →
Geraldine PageAmerican actress · b. 1924
G
Gordon BellAmerican computer engineer · b. 1934
H
Henderson ForsytheAmerican actor · b. 1917
James P. KemAmerican politician · b. 1890
Farrell DobbsAmerican labour organizer, left-wing politician… · b. 1907
George TurnerU.S. politician from Washington state · b. 1850

Questions about Gibbs’ history

What year was Gibbs founded?

In 1886, according to Wikidata. Gibbs’ post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1900 counted 168 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 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.