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History · Marquette

Marquette’s post office opened in 1881, and 52% of its homes were built before 1940

1881first post office
0on the National Register
52%homes built before 1940
3famous people
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Quick answers

How Marquette began, and where its name came from

When was Marquette founded?

1881

The Marquette post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Avon (1875), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 236145 years

How did Marquette get its name?

Marquette was named for Thomas M. Marquette, a railroad official.

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

What stands out about Marquette’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 Marquette are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Marquette’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Marquette’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Marquette’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 Marquette came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Marquette.

Read it all →

Marquette was platted in 1882 when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Thomas M. Marquette, a railroad official. Marquette was incorporated as a village in 1889.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Marquette, 1875 to 1918

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1875Post officeThe Avon post office opens
  3. 1877Born hereHenry Orton Wiley is born here
  4. 1881Post officeThe Avon post office closes
  5. 1881Post officeThe Marquette post office opens
  6. 1897Born hereJ. P. Guilford is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1918Born hereDale Jones is born here
By decade

Marquette, decade by decade

Today4 recent
NEMap-doton-Marquette2017NEMap-doton-MarquetteMarquette, Nebraska grain elevators 12012Marquette, Nebraska grain elevators 1Marquette, Nebraska downtown 22012Marquette, Nebraska downtown 2Marquette, Nebraska downtown 12012Marquette, Nebraska downtown 1
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Marquette

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
J. P. GuilfordAmerican psychologist · b. 1897
H
Henry Orton WileyAmerican theologian · b. 1877
D
Dale JonesAmerican baseball player · b. 1918
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Marquette’s post office has been open since 1881. Another post office, Avon, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Avon
1875–1881
Marquette
1881–today
18701950today

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

Questions about Marquette’s history

What year was Marquette founded?

The Marquette post office opened in 1881, 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 (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.