The story
Read it all →How Champion came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Champion.
Champion was named for Champion S. Chase, a Nebraska politician.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain–Not graded
History · Champion
Champion’s post office opened in 1887, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
Below: 2 old photos and papers and maps from 1973 on.
1887first post office
1on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Quick answers
How Champion began
When was Champion founded?
1887
The Champion post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Hamilton (1887), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 115139 years
Founding year: the first Champion post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Champion’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Champion’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Champion’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Champion, 1887 to 1973
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
By decade
Champion, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1920s2 items
19201930s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your albumOn the map
Champion on the map in 1973
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Champion.
1973Champion sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Champion.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewLovers' Lane, Champion, Neb, 1920
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Champion’s page.
Retake this view · +15On the National Register
1 historic place in Champion
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
Champion Mill
Districts
Architectural styles listings
Early factory type with full monitor frame and joist construction1
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Champion
Nobody well known was born in Champion itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices
Champion’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Hamilton, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Champion
Hamilton
18801950today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Champion’s history
What year was Champion founded?
The Champion post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Champion?
One place: the Champion Mill (listed 1988).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.