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History · Farnam

Farnam’s post office opened in 1886, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1900.

1886first post office
0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: LoriLarson · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Farnam began, and where its name came from

When was Farnam founded?

1886

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

First census: 218 in 19002020 census: 182140 years

How did Farnam get its name?

Farnam was named for Henry Farnam, a railroad official.

Founding year: the first Farnam post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Farnam’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 Farnam are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 462 in 1910; 182 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Farnam’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Farnam’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Farnam’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

Farnam, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 462

Peaked at 462 in 1910; 182 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Farnam came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Farnam.

Read it all →

Farnam was founded in 1886 when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Henry Farnam, a railroad official.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Farnam, 1884 to 1910

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Keystone post office opens
  3. 1886Post officeThe Keystone post office closes
  4. 1886Post officeThe Farnam post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 462
By decade

Farnam, decade by decade

Today1 recent
NEMap-doton-Farnam2005NEMap-doton-Farnam
On the map

Farnam on the map, 1902 to 1970

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

Farnam on the 1902 USGS mapFarnam on the 1970 USGS map1902Gothenburg 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 Farnam.

Famous people

Famous people close to Farnam

Nobody well known was born in Farnam itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Clayton Keith YeutterAmerican politician · b. 1930
Bill BarrettUnited States Navy sailor and politician · b. 1929
Ralph G. BrooksAmerican politician · b. 1898
M
Mick TingelhoffPlayer of American football · b. 1940
D
Dan ChristensenAmerican painter and artist · b. 1942
D
Dickey Lee HullinghorstAmerican politician · b. 1943
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Farnam’s post office has been open since 1886. Another post office, Keystone, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Keystone
1884–1886
Farnam
1886–today
18801950today

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

Questions about Farnam’s history

What year was Farnam founded?

The Farnam post office opened in 1886, 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 (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.