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History · Crawford

Crawford’s post office opened in 1886, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Co-operative Block Building and the US Post Office-Crawford. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1897 on, and the census since 1890.

1886first post office
2on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Crawford’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Crawford began

When was Crawford founded?

1886

The Crawford post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Crow Butte (1884), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 571 in 18902020 census: 840140 years
Founding year: the first Crawford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Crawford’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Boom and bustPeaked at 1,845 in 1940; 840 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Crawford’s homes were built before 1942.
★ What stands out · People over time

Crawford, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,845

Peaked at 1,845 in 1940; 840 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Crawford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Crawford.

Read it all →

The Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad reached Fort Robinson in 1886 on its way to Wyoming. Several miles east of the Fort, the railroad passed through a tree claim belonging to William Annin (also spelled "Annon"), who sold his claim for a new townsite. The "tent city" that sprang up around the railroad was named after Lt. Emmet Crawford, who had been formerly stationed at Fort Robinson but was killed in Mexico in January 1886.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Crawford, 1884 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Crow Butte post office opens
  3. 1886Post officeThe Crow Butte post office closes
  4. 1886Post officeThe Crawford post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1903In the archivePresident Roosevelt's western tour - a stop
  7. 1910In the archiveDowntown Crawford, Nebraska Postcard c. 1916
  8. 1920Born hereRobert L. Wheeler is born here
  9. 1938BuiltUS Post Office-Crawford is built
  10. 1940Born hereJerry D. Mahlman is born here
  11. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 1,845
  12. 1944Born hereKermit Brashear is born here
  13. 1960Born hereRoger Hughes is born here
  14. 1980On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Crawford, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s6 items
President Roosevelt's western tour - a stop1903President Roosevelt's western tour - a stopTenth U.S. Cavalry greeting their chief - attending President Roosevelt's train at Crawford, Nebraska1903Tenth U.S. Cavalry greeting their chief - attending P…President Roosevelt's western tour - Crawford (Neb.) 10th Cavalry1903President Roosevelt's western tour - Crawford (Neb.) …Downtown Crawford, Nebraska Postcard c. 19101907Downtown Crawford, Nebraska Postcard c. 1910PostcardCrawford, Nebr1909Crawford, NebrCrawford, Nebr1909Crawford, Nebr
1910s2 items
Downtown Crawford, Nebraska Postcard c. 19161910sDowntown Crawford, Nebraska Postcard c. 1916PostcardMembers of DAR Captain Christopher Robinson Chapter (Crawford, Nebraska) at unveiling of Red Cloud monument, October 27…1918Members of DAR Captain Christopher Robinson Chapter (…
1920s–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 album
Today4 recent
Crawford, Nebraska 2nd St from Main2010Crawford, Nebraska 2nd St from MainCrawford, Nebraska 2nd St from Linn 22010Crawford, Nebraska 2nd St from Linn 2Crawford, Nebraska 2nd St from Linn 12010Crawford, Nebraska 2nd St from Linn 1NEMap-doton-Crawford2005NEMap-doton-Crawford
On the map

Crawford on the map in 1980

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Crawford.

Crawford on the 1980 USGS map1980Crawford 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 Crawford.

Every building

Crawford, building by building, 1897

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.

Crawford fire insurance map, 1897, sheet 11897Sheet 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.

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.

President Roosevelt's western tour - a stop
Retake this viewPresident Roosevelt's western tour - a stop, 1903

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Crawford’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Crawford

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Co-operative Block Building
Co-operative Block BuildingUS Post Office-Crawford, built 1938
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Victorian Commercial1
Moderne1
Co-operative Block BuildingVictorian Commercial
US Post Office-CrawfordModerne · Built 1938

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Crawford

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
K
Kermit BrashearAmerican politician · b. 1944
R
Robert L. WheelerAmerican horse trainer · b. 1920
R
Roger HughesAmerican football player and coach · b. 1960
J
Jerry D. MahlmanAmerican climatologist · b. 1940
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Crawford’s post office has been open since 1886. Another post office, Crow Butte, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Crow Butte
1884–1886
Crawford
1886–today
18801950today

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

Help out

Finish Crawford’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPresident Roosevelt's western tour - a …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Crawford’s history

What year was Crawford founded?

The Crawford post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Crawford?

Two places: the Co-operative Block Building (listed 1985) and the US Post Office-Crawford (1992).

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), the Library of Congress (4), the National Register of Historic Places (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.