Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Its Register listing is the Gosper County Courthouse. Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1890.
The Elwood post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name.
Elwood was named for Elwood Thomas, a homesteader.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elwood’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elwood. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Elwood.
From Wikipedia’s history of Elwood.
Elwood was platted in 1885 when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Elwood Thomas, a homesteader.
The Gosper County Courthouse in Elwood is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Art Deco building was designed by the Kearney architectural firm of McClure & Walker.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Between 373 and 761 people in every census since 1890.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Elwood’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in Elwood itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Elwood post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
One place: the Gosper County Courthouse (listed 1990).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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