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History · Wellfleet

Wellfleet’s post office opened in 1887, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1956 on, and the census since 1930.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Wellfleet began, and where its name came from

When was Wellfleet founded?

1887

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

First census: 178 in 19302020 census: 72139 years

How did Wellfleet get its name?

Wellfleet was named after the town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

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

What stands out about Wellfleet’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.Old housesHalf of Wellfleet’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wellfleet’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Wellfleet came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wellfleet.

Read it all →

Wellfleet was platted circa 1887 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named after the town of Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Wellfleet, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Advance report on the sedimentation survey of Wellfleet Reservoir, Wellfleet, Nebraska : May 10 to 19, 1937Date?Advance report on the sedimentation survey of Wellfle…Book
Today4 recent
Aerial view northwest over Lincoln County, Nebraska2022Aerial view northwest over Lincoln County, NebraskaWellfleet, Nebraska from E2011Wellfleet, Nebraska from EWellfleet, Nebraska downtown 22011Wellfleet, Nebraska downtown 2Wellfleet, Nebraska downtown 12011Wellfleet, Nebraska downtown 1
On the map

Wellfleet on the map in 1956

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wellfleet.

Wellfleet on the 1956 USGS map1956Wellfleet 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 Wellfleet.

People over time

Wellfleet, census by census

010019401960198020002020Peak: 178

Between 51 and 178 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Wellfleet’s post office has been open since 1887.

Gone or out of use
Wellfleet Schoolschool

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

Questions about Wellfleet’s history

What year was Wellfleet founded?

The Wellfleet 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 (5), 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.