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History · Southwest City

Southwest City dates to 1870

Most of Southwest City was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1894 on and the census since 1880.

1870founded
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Southwest City began

When was Southwest City founded?

1870

Southwest City dates its founding to 1870 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 173 in 18802020 census: 922156 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1843.The full story ↓

What stands out about Southwest City’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 Southwest City are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1890 and 1970, then more than doubled.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1894 to 1914, drew every building in Southwest City.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Southwest City’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Southwest City’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

Southwest City, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020707 in 1890Low: 453

Lost a third of its people between 1890 and 1970, then more than doubled.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Every building

Southwest City, building by building, 1894–1914

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.

Southwest City fire insurance map, 1894, sheet 11894Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Southwest City came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Southwest City.

Read it all →

The area that would become Southwest City was first settled in the early 1840s by pioneers such as J. P. LaMance and Burton McGhee, who established homesteads along Honey Creek. By 1846, a general store had opened in the valley, and the settlement grew as a crossroads for travelers near the border of Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). Its location made it a hub for traders, cattlemen, and land speculators during the mid-19th century frontier period. The community was formally platted in 1870 and named for its position in the extreme southwest corner of McDonald County and the state of Missouri.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Southwest City, 1843 to 2010

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1843Post officeThe Honey Creek post office opens
  3. 1870
    FoundingSouthwest City is established
  4. 1871Post officeThe Honey Creek post office closes
  5. 1871Post officeThe South West City post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1949Born hereRod Smith is born here
  9. 21st century
  10. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 970
By decade

Southwest City, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Southwest City, MO 64863, USA2015Southwest City, MO 64863, USATwo-state concurrency near Southwest City, Missouri2013Two-state concurrency near Southwest City, MissouriStone marking tripoint, AR, MO, OK2013Stone marking tripoint, AR, MO, OKState tripoint, Arkansas side2013State tripoint, Arkansas sideFirst reassurance marker south or west, Highway 43 and State Highway 20, near Southwest City, Missouri2013First reassurance marker south or west, Highway 43 an…First reassurance marker heading north, Route 43, Southwest City, Missouri2013First reassurance marker heading north, Route 43, Sou…City limits of Southwest City, Missouri2013City limits of Southwest City, MissouriEnd Missouri 432005End Missouri 43
On the map

Southwest City on the map, 1907 to 1965

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

Southwest City on the 1907 USGS mapSouthwest City on the 1965 USGS map1907Wyandotte 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 Southwest City.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Honey Creek, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Honey Creek
1843–1871
South West City
1871–today
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
South West City
1cemetery inside Southwest City
Southwest City

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Southwest City’s history

What year was Southwest City founded?

In 1870, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Southwest City’s post office opened in 1843, and the census of 1880 counted 173 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 (8), 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.