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B−History
History · Creighton

Creighton’s post office opened in 1871, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns. What drives it

1871first post office
0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Creighton began

When was Creighton founded?

1871

The Creighton post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,147155 years

How historic is Creighton?

B−

More historic than 49% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Creighton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Creighton’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Creighton is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Creighton’s overall grade.
Founding era1871, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194039.7% of homes (±7.1) · typical NE town 17.8% · U.S. 8.4%ANational RegisterNo listings counted · typical NE town 16.3 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 49%
NewerOlder

Nebraska towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Nebraska town has 16.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Creighton’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (11% of Nebraska towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Creighton’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 Creighton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Creighton’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Creighton’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Creighton.

Read it all →

The City of Creighton developed as a result of the “Bruce Colony” settlement in 1871. A charter was obtained in 1874 to plat the north side of what is now the mile-long Main Street. Some say the town was named for Edward Creighton, while others claim it was for John, for whom Creighton University was named. The most plausible explanation is “the Creighton family of Omaha.”

In those early years, food staples and supplies were brought in by wagon from Yankton or West Point, being transported mainly during the winter so the rivers might be crossed while frozen. When the railroad arrived in 1881, insuring the existence of Creighton, it resulted in the near-demise of Bazile Mills to the north.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Creighton, 1871 to 1979

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Creighton post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1943Born hereAl Closter is born here
  5. 1958Born hereJoseph G. Hanefeldt is born here
  6. 1962Born herePaul Thomas is born here
  7. 1979Born hereTony Wragge is born here
By decade

Creighton, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Creighton, Nebraska Main Street 32013Creighton, Nebraska Main Street 3Creighton, Nebraska Main Street 22013Creighton, Nebraska Main Street 2Creighton, Nebraska Main Street 12013Creighton, Nebraska Main Street 1Creighton, Nebraska N side Main St W from Chase Av2010Creighton, Nebraska N side Main St W from Chase AvNEMap-doton-Creighton2005NEMap-doton-Creighton
Famous people

5 famous people were born in Creighton

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

See all →
J
Joseph G. HanefeldtEighth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of … · b. 1958
Tony WraggeAmerican football player · b. 1979
A
Al ClosterBaseball player · b. 1943
Paul ThomasAmerican basketball player-coach · b. 1962
T
Tim GragertAmerican politician · b. 1959
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Creighton’s post office has been open since 1871.

Gone or out of use
Creightonlocale

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

Questions about Creighton’s history

What year was Creighton founded?

The Creighton post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Creighton rank for history?

Creighton is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Creighton?

40% of Creighton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 18% for a Nebraska town; the median home was built in 1953.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.