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History · Oshkosh

Oshkosh’s post office opened in 1889, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Garden County Courthouse and the Oshkosh Water Tower. Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1920.

1889first post office
2on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Oshkosh began, and where its name came from

When was Oshkosh founded?

1889

The Oshkosh post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1910.

First census: 707 in 19202020 census: 809137 years

How did Oshkosh get its name?

Oshkosh was named after the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Founding year: the first Oshkosh post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1910. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Oshkosh’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 Oshkosh are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19003 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1985. Watch Oshkosh change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,124 in 1950; 809 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Oshkosh’s homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Oshkosh’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Oshkosh’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

Oshkosh on the map, 1900 to 1985

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

Oshkosh on the 1900 USGS mapOshkosh on the 1971 USGS mapOshkosh on the 1985 USGS map1900Chappell 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 Oshkosh.

People over time

Oshkosh, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,124

Peaked at 1,124 in 1950; 809 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story

How Oshkosh came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Oshkosh.

Read it all →

Oshkosh was founded in the 1880s by cattlemen who found the surrounding area ideal for livestock grazing. It was named after the city of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The first post office in Oshkosh was established in 1889.

The railroad was extended to Oshkosh in 1908, and Oshkosh was designated county seat in 1909 of the new Garden County.

On April 26, 1938, an estimated F5 tornado struck near the city, disintegrating a school and killing 3 children; the tornado also destroyed two farms.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Oshkosh, 1889 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889Post officeThe Oshkosh post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1920BuiltOshkosh Water Tower is built
  6. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,124
By decade

Oshkosh, decade by decade

Today5 recent
NEMap-doton-Oshkosh2017NEMap-doton-OshkoshOshkosh, Nebraska Main St 42010Oshkosh, Nebraska Main St 4Oshkosh, Nebraska Main St 32010Oshkosh, Nebraska Main St 3Oshkosh, Nebraska Main St 22010Oshkosh, Nebraska Main St 2Oshkosh, Nebraska Main St 12010Oshkosh, Nebraska Main St 1
On the National Register

2 historic places in Oshkosh

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
Garden County Courthouse
Garden County CourthouseOshkosh Water Tower, built 1920
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Garden County CourthouseClassical Revival
Oshkosh Water TowerBuilt 1920

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Oshkosh

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

See all →
Fred DuttonRecipient of the Purple Heart medal · b. 1923
L. Steven GraszUnited States Circuit Judge for the Eighth Circ… · b. 1961
J
James PappasAmerican politician · b. 1944
R
Richard N. CabelaEntrepreneur · b. 1936

Questions about Oshkosh’s history

What year was Oshkosh founded?

The Oshkosh post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1910.

What is on the National Register in Oshkosh?

Two places: the Garden County Courthouse (listed 1990) and the Oshkosh Water Tower (2019).

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 (5), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.