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History · Lodgepole

Lodgepole dates to 1867, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Lodgepole Opera House. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1910.

1867founded
1on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Lodgepole began

When was Lodgepole founded?

1867

Lodgepole dates its founding to 1867 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 245 in 19102020 census: 312159 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1876.The full story ↓

What stands out about Lodgepole’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 Lodgepole are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18993 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1985. Watch Lodgepole change.Boom and bustPeaked at 555 in 1950; 312 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Lodgepole’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lodgepole’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lodgepole’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
On the map

Lodgepole on the map, 1899 to 1985

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

Lodgepole on the 1899 USGS mapLodgepole on the 1972 USGS mapLodgepole on the 1985 USGS map1899Sidney 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 Lodgepole.

People over time

Lodgepole, census by census

0100200300400500600192019401960198020002020Peak: 555

Peaked at 555 in 1950; 312 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Lodgepole came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lodgepole.

Read it all →

Lodgepole was founded in 1867 when the Union Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. It took its name from Lodgepole Creek, where it was assumed the Native Americans had cut trees to make poles for their lodges.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lodgepole, 1867 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1867
    FoundingLodgepole is established
  3. 1876Post officeThe Lodgepole post office opens
  4. 1899On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1911BuiltLodgepole Opera House is built
  7. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 555
By decade

Lodgepole, decade by decade

Today5 recent
US30 East2019US30 EastLodgepole, Nebraska Sheldon 22010Lodgepole, Nebraska Sheldon 2Lodgepole, Nebraska Sheldon 12010Lodgepole, Nebraska Sheldon 1Lodgepole, Nebraska Sheldon Street2008Lodgepole, Nebraska Sheldon StreetNEMap-doton-Lodgepole2005NEMap-doton-Lodgepole
On the National Register

1 historic place in Lodgepole

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
Lodgepole Opera House
Lodgepole Opera House, built 1911
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

One-part Commercial Block with false front1
Lodgepole Opera HouseOne-part Commercial Block with false front · Built 1911

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Lodgepole’s history

What year was Lodgepole founded?

In 1867, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Lodgepole’s post office opened in 1876, and the census of 1910 counted 245 people here.

What is on the National Register in Lodgepole?

One place: the Lodgepole Opera House (listed 1988).

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), Wikidata (1), 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.