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History · Grainola

Grainola dates to 1909, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1930.

1909founded
0on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Grainola began

When was Grainola founded?

1909

Grainola dates its founding to 1909 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 197 in 19302020 census: 31117 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1910.The full story ↓

What stands out about Grainola’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 Grainola are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grainola’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Grainola came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grainola.

Read it all →

Grainola was originally named Salt Creek for a nearby tributary of the Arkansas River. The Salt Creek post office opened in November 1906, and the townsite was officially organized in 1909. The name was changed to Grainola in March 1910. The town supported nearby farmers and cattle ranchers, but has experienced a prolonged decline since 1920, when it had an estimated population of 500.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Grainola, 1909 to 1974

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1909
    FoundingGrainola is established
  3. 1910Post officeThe Grainola post office opens
  4. 1916On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1974Post officeThe Grainola post office closes
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.

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On the map

Grainola on the map, 1916 to 1964

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

Grainola on the 1916 USGS mapGrainola on the 1964 USGS map1916Foraker 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 Grainola.

People over time

Grainola, census by census

010020019401960198020002020Peak: 197

Between 31 and 197 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Grainola

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

See all →
Ben JohnsonAmerican film actor · b. 1918
Maria TallchiefAmerican ballerina · b. 1925
Lionel HollinsAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1953
L
Larry SellersAmerican actor · b. 1949
F
Frank Marshall DavisUnited States writer, political and labor movem… · b. 1905
C
Cal WorthingtonAmerican businessman · b. 1920
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Grainola had its own post office from 1910 to 1974.

Grainola
1910–1974
19101970today

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

Questions about Grainola’s history

What year was Grainola founded?

In 1909, according to Wikidata. Grainola’s post office opened in 1910, and the census of 1930 counted 197 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 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.