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History · Howard City (Boelus)

50% of Howard City (Boelus)’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1899 on.

0on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Howard City (Boelus)’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 Howard City (Boelus) are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18994 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1985. Watch Howard City (Boelus) change.Old housesHalf of Howard City (Boelus)’s homes were built before 1940.
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Start Howard City (Boelus)’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Howard City (Boelus)’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Howard City (Boelus) on the map, 1899 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Howard City (Boelus). Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Howard City (Boelus) on the 1899 USGS mapHoward City (Boelus) on the 1953 USGS mapHoward City (Boelus) on the 1978 USGS mapHoward City (Boelus) on the 1985 USGS map1899Loup 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 Howard City (Boelus).

The story so far

Howard City (Boelus), in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Howard City (Boelus) yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 189 to 181 (-4%).

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Boelus
Gone or out of use
Boeluslocale

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

Questions about Howard City (Boelus)’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.