The story
Read it all →How Hazard came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Hazard.
Hazard was established in 1886 when the Grand Island & Wyoming Central Railroad was extended to that point.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Hazard
Hazard dates to 1886, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1920.
1886founded
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Hazard began
When was Hazard founded?
1886
Hazard dates its founding to 1886 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.
First census: 167 in 19202020 census: 57140 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓
What stands out about Hazard’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Hazard’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hazard’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Hazard, 1882 to 1951
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1882Post officeThe Bentora post office opens
- 1886FoundingHazard is established
- 1887Post officeThe Bentora post office closes
- 1887Post officeThe Hazard post office opens
- 20th century
- 1951
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Hazard, decade by decade
2010
2010
2005On the map
Hazard on the map, 1951 to 1978
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hazard. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1951Hazard sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hazard.
People over time
Hazard, census by census
Between 57 and 167 people in every census since 1920.
11 censuses, 1920–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hazard’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Hazard
Nobody well known was born in Hazard itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices
Hazard’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Bentora, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Bentora
Hazard
18801950today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Hazard’s history
What year was Hazard founded?
In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hazard’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1920 counted 167 people here.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (3), 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.