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History · Indianola

Indianola’s post office opened in 1873, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

1873first post office
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Indianola began

When was Indianola founded?

1873

The Indianola post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 524153 years
Founding year: the first Indianola post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Indianola’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 Indianola are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Indianola’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Indianola’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Indianola’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
The story

How Indianola came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Indianola.

Read it all →

Indianola was platted in 1873. The community was named after Indianola, Iowa, the former hometown of an early settler. In its early days, Indianola was the county seat of Red Willow County. After the railroad opted to locate its midpoint terminal on the Omaha to Denver route in McCook rather than in Indianola, the seat was moved there and Indianola declined.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Indianola, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Indianola, Nebraska Main Street 42010Indianola, Nebraska Main Street 4Indianola, Nebraska Main Street 32010Indianola, Nebraska Main Street 3Indianola, Nebraska Main Street 22010Indianola, Nebraska Main Street 2Indianola, Nebraska Main Street 12010Indianola, Nebraska Main Street 1NEMap-doton-Indianola2005NEMap-doton-Indianola
Famous people

Famous people close to Indianola

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

See all →
Ben Nelson37th Governor of Nebraska · b. 1941
B
Brun CampbellAmerican ragtime composer · b. 1884
Gil DoddsAmerican middle distance runner and former worl… · b. 1918
M
Michael A. SchneiderAmerican politician · b. 1950
D
Dickey Lee HullinghorstAmerican politician · b. 1943
Elden AukerAmerican baseball player · b. 1910
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Indianola’s post office has been open since 1873.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Youngs Trailer Court
1cemetery inside Indianola
Saint Catherine

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

Questions about Indianola’s history

What year was Indianola founded?

The Indianola post office opened in 1873, 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 →
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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 Wikimedia Commons (5), 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.