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History · Cowles

Cowles dates to 1878, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1920.

1878founded
0on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Cowles began, and where its name came from

When was Cowles founded?

1878

Cowles dates its founding to 1878 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 220 in 19202020 census: 21148 years

How did Cowles get its name?

Cowles was named for railroad official W. D. Cowles.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1877. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Cowles’ 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 Cowles are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1985. Watch Cowles change.Old housesHalf of Cowles’ homes were built before 1945.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cowles’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cowles’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Cowles on the map, 1898 to 1985

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

Cowles on the 1898 USGS mapCowles on the 1974 USGS mapCowles on the 1985 USGS map1898Superior 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 Cowles.

The story

How Cowles came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cowles.

Read it all →

Cowles was platted in 1878 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for railroad official W. D. Cowles. A post office was established in Cowles in 1879, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1960.

On March 1, 2026, the Cowles area experienced a 4.1 earthquake. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000s1a2/executive

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cowles, 1877 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1877Post officeThe Edna post office opens
  3. 1878
    FoundingCowles is established
  4. 1879Post officeThe Edna post office closes
  5. 1879Post officeThe Cowles post office opens
  6. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 20th century
  8. 1960Post officeThe Cowles post office closes
By decade

Cowles, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Cowles, Nebraska grain elevator 12012Cowles, Nebraska grain elevator 1Cowles, Nebraska Main Street 32012Cowles, Nebraska Main Street 3Cowles, Nebraska Main Street 22012Cowles, Nebraska Main Street 2Cowles, Nebraska Main Street 12012Cowles, Nebraska Main Street 1NEMap-doton-Cowles2005NEMap-doton-Cowles
People over time

Cowles, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 224

Between 21 and 224 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Cowles had its own post office from 1879 to 1960. Another post office, Edna, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Edna
1877–1879
Cowles
1879–1960
18701950today
Gone or out of use
Cowles Post Officepost office

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

Questions about Cowles’ history

What year was Cowles founded?

In 1878, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Cowles’ post office opened in 1877, and the census of 1920 counted 220 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 (5), Wikipedia, 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.