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History · Walthill

Walthill’s post office opened in 1906, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Picotte, Dr. Susan, Memorial Hospital, a National Historic Landmark. Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1910.

1906first post office
2on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Walthill began, and where its name came from

When was Walthill founded?

1906

The Walthill post office opened in 1906, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Quinton (1890), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 810 in 19102020 census: 682120 years

How did Walthill get its name?

Walthill was named for Walter "Walt" Hill, son of railroad executive James J. Hill.

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

What stands out about Walthill’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 Walthill are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,204 in 1940; 682 people lived here in 2020.A National Historic Landmark2 places on the National Register, including Picotte, Dr. Susan, Memorial Hospital, a National Historic Landmark.Old housesHalf of Walthill’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Walthill’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Walthill’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
People over time

Walthill, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,204

Peaked at 1,204 in 1940; 682 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

On the National Register

2 historic places in Walthill

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
Picotte, Dr. Susan, Memorial Hospital
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
Picotte, Dr. Susan, Memorial Hospital
Susan La Flesche Picotte House, built 1907Picotte, Dr. Susan, Memorial Hospital★
Buildings★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Bungalow/Craftsman1
Late Victorian1
Folk Victorian1
★ Landmark
Picotte, Dr. Susan, Memorial HospitalBungalow/Craftsman
Susan La Flesche Picotte HouseLate Victorian · Built 1907

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

The story

How Walthill came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Walthill.

Read it all →

Walthill was platted in 1906 when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Walter "Walt" Hill, son of railroad executive James J. Hill.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Walthill, 1890 to 1993

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890Post officeThe Quinton post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1906Post officeThe Quinton post office closes
  5. 1906Post officeThe Walthill post office opens
  6. 1907BuiltSusan La Flesche Picotte House is built
  7. 1939Born hereMike Broderick is born here
  8. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 1,204
  9. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1993LandmarkPicotte, Dr. Susan, Memorial Hospital named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Walthill, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Walthill, Nebraska from E2010Walthill, Nebraska from EWalthill, Nebraska downtown 32010Walthill, Nebraska downtown 3Walthill, Nebraska downtown 22010Walthill, Nebraska downtown 2Walthill, Nebraska downtown 12010Walthill, Nebraska downtown 1
On the map

Walthill on the map, 1966 to 1986

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

Walthill on the 1966 USGS mapWalthill on the 1977 USGS mapWalthill on the 1986 USGS map1966Walthill sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Walthill.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Walthill’s post office has been open since 1906. Another post office, Quinton, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Quinton
1890–1906
Walthill
1906–today
18901960today

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

Questions about Walthill’s history

What year was Walthill founded?

The Walthill post office opened in 1906, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Walthill?

Two places: the Picotte, Dr. Susan, Memorial Hospital (listed 1988) and the Susan La Flesche Picotte House (2009).

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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.