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History · Polo

Polo dates to 1867, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1880.

1867founded
0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Polo began

When was Polo founded?

1867

Polo dates its founding to 1867 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 72 in 18802020 census: 509159 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1868.The full story ↓

What stands out about Polo’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 Polo are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Polo’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Polo’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Polo’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
The story

How Polo came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Polo.

Read it all →

Polo was laid out in 1867. The city's name is a transfer from Polo, Illinois. A post office called Polo has been in operation since 1868.

Two developers, Paul Outersky and Larry Outersky, have been attributed for having provided the name, but this has been debunked.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Polo, 1867 to 1924

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1867
    FoundingPolo is established
  3. 1868Post officeThe Polo post office opens
  4. 1893Born hereMack Wheat is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Polo, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Polo Missouri downtown2026Polo Missouri downtownMOMap-doton-Polo2004MOMap-doton-Polo
On the map

Polo on the map, 1924 to 1984

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

Polo on the 1924 USGS mapPolo on the 1984 USGS map1924Polo 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 Polo.

Every building

Polo, building by building, 1916

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 sheet.

Polo fire insurance map, 1916, sheet 11916Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

People over time

Polo, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 606

Between 72 and 606 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Questions about Polo’s history

What year was Polo founded?

In 1867, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Polo’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1880 counted 72 people here.

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 (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.