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History · Goodwell

Goodwell dates to 1901, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Franklin Hall. Below: maps from 1973 on and the census since 1930.

1901founded
1on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Goodwell began

When was Goodwell founded?

1901

Goodwell dates its founding to 1901 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 501 in 19302020 census: 951125 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1903.The full story ↓

What stands out about Goodwell’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 Goodwell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,467 in 1970; 951 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Goodwell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Goodwell’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

Goodwell, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60019401960198020002020Peak: 1,467

Peaked at 1,467 in 1970; 951 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

The story

How Goodwell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Goodwell.

Read it all →

In 1901, Goodwell was established as a switch along the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. The switch was named Goodwell because a "good well" was found there. In 1903, Goodwell was established and celebrated its centennial in 2003.

In 1909, the Pan-Handle Agricultural Institute was established in Goodwell. Its name was changed to Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College (PAMC) in 1921, then to Oklahoma Panhandle State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in 1967, then to its current name of Oklahoma Panhandle State University in 1974.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Goodwell, 1901 to 1973

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1901
    FoundingGoodwell is established
  3. 1903Post officeThe Goodwell post office opens
  4. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,467
  5. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Goodwell on the map, 1973 to 1982

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

Goodwell on the 1973 USGS mapGoodwell on the 1982 USGS map1973Goodwell 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 Goodwell.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Goodwell

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2007
Franklin Hall
Franklin Hall
Buildings
Franklin HallBuilding

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Goodwell

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

See all →
T
Thane BakerAmerican sprinter · b. 1931
Jeremy SochanAmerican-Polish basketball player · b. 2003
Michael D. BrownFormer director of the U.S. Federal Emergency M… · b. 1954
Claudia BryarActress · b. 1918
Larry D. WelchUnited States Air Force general · b. 1934
Sandra GilesAmerican actress · b. 1932

Questions about Goodwell’s history

What year was Goodwell founded?

In 1901, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Goodwell’s post office opened in 1903, and the census of 1930 counted 501 people here.

What is on the National Register in Goodwell?

One place: the Franklin Hall (listed 2007).

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