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History · Belden

Belden’s post office opened in 1890, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1900.

1890first post office
0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Belden began, and where its name came from

When was Belden founded?

1890

The Belden post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 197 in 19002020 census: 113136 years

How did Belden get its name?

Belden was named for Scott Belden, a railroad official.

Founding year: the first Belden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Belden’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 Belden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Belden’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 285 in 1920; 113 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Belden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Belden’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 Belden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Belden.

Read it all →

Belden got its start following construction of the railroad through the territory. It was named for Scott Belden, a railroad official.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Belden, census by census

01002003001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 285

Peaked at 285 in 1920; 113 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Timeline

Belden, 1890 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890Post officeThe Belden post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1918Born hereDale Alderson is born here
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 285
  6. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Belden, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Belden, Nebraska from E2010Belden, Nebraska from EBelden, Nebraska downtown 22010Belden, Nebraska downtown 2Belden, Nebraska downtown 12010Belden, Nebraska downtown 1NEMap-doton-Belden2005NEMap-doton-Belden
On the map

Belden on the map, 1971 to 1985

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

Belden on the 1971 USGS mapBelden on the 1985 USGS map1971Belden 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 Belden.

Questions about Belden’s history

What year was Belden founded?

The Belden post office opened in 1890, 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, 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) 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.