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History · Coyle

Coyle dates to 1899

Most of Coyle was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1957. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1910.

1899founded
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Coyle’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Coyle began

When was Coyle founded?

1899

Coyle dates its founding to 1899 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 413 in 19102020 census: 350127 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1900.The full story ↓

What stands out about Coyle’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 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Coyle’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Coyle’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFree Museum: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Coyle came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Coyle.

Read it all →

Coyle began as an agricultural community in 1899 when the Eastern Oklahoma Railway, a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway built a branch line from Guthrie to Cushing. William H. Coyle, a Guthrie entrepreneur, and U. C. Guss were employed as purchasing agents by the railroad company to acquire right of way, and were awarded an opportunity to select a townsite as a bonus for their successful work. They chose a location 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Iowa City, a community previously established on the Cimarron River. Almost all of the Iowa City residents moved to the new location as soon as they became aware that the railroad route would bypass Iowa City. The Iowa City post office remained at the old location, while a new post office was established in the new town, which was named Coyle after its founder. The Coyle post office opened May 5, 1900. Iowa City became a ghost to…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Coyle, 1899 to 1996

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1899
    FoundingCoyle is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1900Post officeThe Coyle post office opens
  5. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1996In the archiveFree Museum
By decade

Coyle, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s4 items
Free Museum1996Free MuseumFree Museum1996Free MuseumFree Museum1996Free MuseumFree Museum1996Free Museum
Today1 recent
OKMap-doton-Coyle2004OKMap-doton-Coyle
On the map

Coyle on the map, 1909 to 1978

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

Coyle on the 1909 USGS mapCoyle on the 1978 USGS map1909Perkins 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 Coyle.

Every building

Coyle, building by building, 1905–1911

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Coyle fire insurance map, 1905, sheet 11905Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Coyle, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 440

Between 289 and 440 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Langston5 historic placesB+

Questions about Coyle’s history

What year was Coyle founded?

In 1899, according to Wikidata. Coyle’s post office opened in 1900, and the census of 1910 counted 413 people here.

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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.