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History · Stamford

Stamford’s post office opened in 1887, and 66% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1910.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
66%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ammodramus · Public domain
Quick answers

How Stamford began

When was Stamford founded?

1887

The Stamford post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 301 in 19102020 census: 158139 years
Founding year: the first Stamford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Stamford’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 Stamford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18963 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1986. Watch Stamford change.Old housesHalf of Stamford’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Stamford’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Stamford’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

Stamford on the map, 1896 to 1986

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

Stamford on the 1896 USGS mapStamford on the 1958 USGS mapStamford on the 1986 USGS map1896Arapahoe 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 Stamford.

The story

How Stamford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Stamford.

Read it all →

Stamford was laid out in 1887 when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended to that point. It was likely named after Stamford, Connecticut which in turn was named after Stamford, Lincolnshire, England. Stamford was incorporated as a village in 1907.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Stamford, 1887 to 1918

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Stamford post office opens
  3. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1918Born hereEvelle J. Younger is born here
By decade

Stamford, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Stamford, Nebraska Main Ave 22013Stamford, Nebraska Main Ave 2Stamford, Nebraska Main Ave 12013Stamford, Nebraska Main Ave 1Stamford, Nebraska 12009Stamford, Nebraska 1NEMap-doton-Stamford2005NEMap-doton-Stamford
People over time

Stamford, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 302

Between 158 and 302 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Stamford’s post office has been open since 1887.

Gone or out of use
Stamford Schoolschool

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

Questions about Stamford’s history

What year was Stamford founded?

The Stamford post office opened in 1887, 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, 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.