Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Wood Lake

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Wood Lake

Wood Lake’s post office opened in 1883, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1910.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Wood Lake began, and where its name came from

When was Wood Lake founded?

1883

The Wood Lake post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 198 in 19102020 census: 46143 years

How did Wood Lake get its name?

Wood Lake was named for the trees at a nearby lake, which were the source of valuable timber.

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

What stands out about Wood Lake’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 Wood Lake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 323 in 1920; 46 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Wood Lake’s homes were built before 1948.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wood Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wood Lake’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

Wood Lake, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 323

Peaked at 323 in 1920; 46 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Wood Lake came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wood Lake.

Read it all →

Wood Lake was founded in 1882 when the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for the trees at a nearby lake, which were the source of valuable timber.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wood Lake, 1883 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Wood Lake post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 323
  5. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Wood Lake, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Wood Lake, Nebraska US202012Wood Lake, Nebraska US20Wood Lake, Nebraska Main Street 22012Wood Lake, Nebraska Main Street 2Wood Lake, Nebraska Main Street 12012Wood Lake, Nebraska Main Street 1
On the map

Wood Lake on the map, 1950 to 1985

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

Wood Lake on the 1950 USGS mapWood Lake on the 1985 USGS map1950Wood Lake sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Wood Lake

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

See all →
Marvel ReaActress from the United States · b. 1901
R
Rita MeyerWyoming State Auditor · b. 1951
T
Tedd GassmanAmerican politician · b. 1943
Morris G. HallockAmerican politician · b. 1926

Questions about Wood Lake’s history

What year was Wood Lake founded?

The Wood Lake post office opened in 1883, 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 (3), 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.