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History · La Belle

La Belle’s post office opened in 1856, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1880.

1856first post office
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How La Belle began

When was La Belle founded?

1856

The La Belle post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 341 in 18802020 census: 664170 years
Founding year: the first La Belle post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about La Belle’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 La Belle are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,017 in 1910; 664 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1899 to 1914, drew every building in La Belle.Old housesHalf of La Belle’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start La Belle’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how La Belle’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

La Belle, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,017

Peaked at 1,017 in 1910; 664 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Every building

La Belle, building by building, 1899–1914

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

La Belle fire insurance map, 1899, sheet 11899Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How La Belle came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of La Belle.

Read it all →

A post office called La Belle has been in operation since 1856. The first permanent settlement at La Belle was made in 1857, and the town site platted in 1871. La Belle is derived from the French meaning "the beautiful", and the settlement was so named from its scenic setting.

The city of La Belle was incorporated in 1872, although it had been a village and stage coach stop much earlier.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

La Belle, 1856 to 1951

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1856Post officeThe La Belle post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 1,017
  5. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

La Belle, decade by decade

Today4 recent
State Street LaBelle Missouri2009State Street LaBelle MissouriLaBelle Christian Church2009LaBelle Christian ChurchJohnson park LaBelle MO2009Johnson park LaBelle MOMOMap-doton-La Belle2004MOMap-doton-La Belle
On the map

La Belle on the map, 1951 to 1975

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

La Belle on the 1951 USGS mapLa Belle on the 1975 USGS map1951La Belle sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to La Belle

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

See all →
R
Robert PearceOlympic wrestler · b. 1908
Robert Earl HughesAmerican entertainer · b. 1926
Ella EwingTallest female of her era · b. 1872
George TurnerU.S. politician from Washington state · b. 1850
Smith W. BrookhartAmerican politician · b. 1869
Henry Theophilus FinckAmerican music critic · b. 1854

Questions about La Belle’s history

What year was La Belle founded?

The La Belle post office opened in 1856, 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 (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.