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History · Elk Creek

Elk Creek’s post office opened in 1872, and 49% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1965 on and the census since 1880.

1872first post office
0on the National Register
49%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Elk Creek began

When was Elk Creek founded?

1872

The Elk Creek post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 139 in 18802020 census: 69154 years
Founding year: the first Elk Creek post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Elk Creek’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 Elk Creek are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 347 in 1900; 69 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Elk Creek’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Elk Creek’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elk Creek’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
People over time

Elk Creek, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 347

Peaked at 347 in 1900; 69 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Elk Creek came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Elk Creek.

Read it all →

Elk Creek got its start circa 1873, following construction of the Atchison and Nebraska Railroad through the territory. It took its name from nearby Elk Creek, which was named for the elk once seen there.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Elk Creek, 1872 to 1965

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Elk Creek post office opens
  3. 1882Born hereHarley J. Overturf is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 347
  6. 1965On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Elk Creek, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Elk Creek, Nebraska post office2012Elk Creek, Nebraska post officeElk Creek, Nebraska downtown 32012Elk Creek, Nebraska downtown 3Elk Creek, Nebraska downtown 22012Elk Creek, Nebraska downtown 2Elk Creek, Nebraska downtown 12012Elk Creek, Nebraska downtown 1NEMap-doton-Elk Creek2005NEMap-doton-Elk Creek
On the map

Elk Creek on the map, 1965 to 1986

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

Elk Creek on the 1965 USGS mapElk Creek on the 1986 USGS map1965Tecumseh 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 Elk Creek.

Questions about Elk Creek’s history

What year was Elk Creek founded?

The Elk Creek post office opened in 1872, 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 (5), 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.