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BHistory
History · Ogallala

Ogallala dates to 1868, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #30 of 57 in Nebraska. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.

1868founded
5on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Ogallala’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Ogallala began

When was Ogallala founded?

1868

Ogallala dates its founding to 1868 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 114 in 18802020 census: 4,878158 years

How historic is Ogallala?

B

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1873.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Ogallala’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ogallala is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #30 of 57 in Nebraska. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ogallala’s overall grade.
Founding era1868, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194019.8% of homes (±4.3) · typical NE town 17.8% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register5 listings, 7 historic buildings, 14.7 per 10,000 residents · typical NE town 16.3 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 62%
NewerOlder
Nebraska towns of 2,500+ (57)Ahead of 48%

Nebraska towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Nebraska town has 16.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ogallala’s 14.7 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Nebraska towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points). Two sources give 1868.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Ogallala’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18974 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1985. Watch Ogallala change.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1920, drew every building in Ogallala.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ogallala’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ogallala’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewWelsh Motor Court on Highway 30 (NBY 92…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Ogallala on the map, 1897 to 1985

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

Ogallala on the 1897 USGS mapOgallala on the 1900 USGS mapOgallala on the 1971 USGS mapOgallala on the 1985 USGS map1897Ogallala 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 Ogallala.

Every building

Ogallala, building by building, 1893–1920

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Ogallala fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Ogallala came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ogallala.

Read it all →

Ogallala first was founded as a terminus for cattle drives that traveled from Texas to the Union Pacific railhead located there. These trails are known as the Western or Great Western trails. The Union Pacific Railroad reached Ogallala on May 24, 1867. The city itself was not laid out until 1875 and not incorporated until 1884 The town's name comes from the Oglala Sioux tribe. Rowdy cowboys made this a dangerous place to be during the cattle drive months resulting in Ogallala getting a reputation as both "The Town Too Tough For Texas" and "Gomorrah of the West".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ogallala, 1868 to 1987

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868
    FoundingOgallala is established
  3. 1873Post officeThe Ogalalla post office opens
  4. 1882Post officeThe Ogalalla post office closes
  5. 1882Post officeThe Ogallala post office opens
  6. 1887BuiltLeonidas A. Brandhoefer Mansion is built
  7. 1890Born hereJames Theodore Richmond is born here
  8. 1897On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 20th century
  10. 1941In the archiveWelsh Motor Court on Highway 30 (NBY 9295)
  11. 1943Born hereJohn Lanigan is born here
  12. 1987Born hereJacie Hoyt is born here
By decade

Ogallala, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s1 item
Welsh Motor Court on Highway 30 (NBY 9295)1941Welsh Motor Court on Highway 30 (NBY 9295)
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today16 recent
Robert Summers's "Trail Boss" sculpture that honors those who drove cattle across the U.S. western frontier stands on a…2021Robert Summers's "Trail Boss" sculpture that honors t…Vintage sign for the Lazy K Motel2021Vintage sign for the Lazy K MotelIn Ogallala, a small city in southwest Nebraska that was once on the Oregon Trail and, later, the line of the Transcont…2021In Ogallala, a small city in southwest Nebraska that …Guest units of the Lazy K Motel2021Guest units of the Lazy K MotelFront Street, a manufactured Old West-style street of shops2021Front Street, a manufactured Old West-style street of…Spruce Street Station, a vintage gas station that is now (as of 2022) the visitors' bureau office2021Spruce Street Station, a vintage gas station that is …Spruce Street Station, a vintage gas station that is now (as of 2022) the visitors' bureau office2021Spruce Street Station, a vintage gas station that is …The welcome sign to Ogallala, a small city in southwest Nebraska that was once on the Oregon Trail and, later, the line…2021The welcome sign to Ogallala, a small city in southwe…Welsch Motor Court2011Welsch Motor CourtOgallala Gas Station2011Ogallala Gas StationGainsforth HS Ogallala 12011Gainsforth HS Ogallala 1OGALLALA,NEBRASKA,USA. - panoramio - Roman Eugeniusz (1)2009OGALLALA,NEBRASKA,USA. - panoramio - Roman Eugeniusz …Ogallala tourist photo op2008Ogallala tourist photo opOGALLALA.NEBRASKA.USA2006OGALLALA.NEBRASKA.USANEMap-doton-Ogallala2005NEMap-doton-OgallalaNebraska2002Nebraska
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Welsh Motor Court on Highway 30 (NBY 9295)
Retake this viewWelsh Motor Court on Highway 30 (NBY 9295), 1941

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Ogallala’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

5 historic places in Ogallala

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

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
7
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Leonidas A. Brandhoefer Mansion
Leonidas A. Brandhoefer Mansion, built 1887US Post Office-OgallalaDr. Burdette and Myrna Gainsforth HouseStandard Oil Red Crown Service StationFront Street
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Victorian Renaissance1
Moderne1
Commercial Vernacular1
Leonidas A. Brandhoefer MansionVictorian Renaissance · Built 1887
US Post Office-OgallalaModerne
Dr. Burdette and Myrna Gainsforth HouseBuilding
Standard Oil Red Crown Service StationCommercial Vernacular
Front StreetBuilding

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

People over time

Ogallala, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 5,638

Between 114 and 5,638 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Ogallala

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

See all →
James Theodore RichmondAmerican librarian · b. 1890
J
Jacie HoytAmerican basketball coach · b. 1987
J
John LaniganAmerican radio host · b. 1943
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Ogallala’s post office has been open since 1882. Another post office, Ogalalla, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Ogalalla
1873–1882
Ogallala
1882–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
L and L Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
Camp Ogallalamilitary
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ogallala
Boot HillOgallala

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

Questions about Ogallala’s history

What year was Ogallala founded?

In 1868, according to Wikidata. Ogallala’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1880 counted 114 people here.

How does Ogallala rank for history?

Ogallala is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #30 of 57 in Nebraska. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Ogallala?

5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Leonidas A. Brandhoefer Mansion (listed 1973, the first). 7 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Ogallala?

20% of Ogallala’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 18% for a Nebraska town; the median home was built in 1969.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.