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History · Wellston

Wellston’s post office opened in 1884, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Captain Creek Bridge. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1900.

1884first post office
1on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Wellston began

When was Wellston founded?

1884

The Wellston post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 383 in 19002020 census: 679142 years
Founding year: the first Wellston post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Wellston’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 Wellston are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 912 in 1990; 679 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1904 to 1920, drew every building in Wellston.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wellston’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wellston’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

Wellston, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 912

Peaked at 912 in 1990; 679 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Every building

Wellston, building by building, 1904–1920

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.

Wellston fire insurance map, 1904, sheet 11904Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Wellston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wellston.

Read it all →

Wellston was named by Christian T. Wells, who established a trading post on the site in 1883. The post office officially opened September 19, 1884.

The trading post closed during the allotment of the Kickapoo Reserve. Following the Run of 95, the post office reopened June 15, 1897.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wellston, 1884 to 1990

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Wellston post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1909On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1920Born hereFrancis Tuttle is born here
  6. 1933BuiltCaptain Creek Bridge is built
  7. 1938Born hereNorma Jean is born here
  8. 1990CensusPopulation peaks at 912
By decade

Wellston, decade by decade

Today1 recent
ROUTE 66 ATCA TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH MUSEUM2017ROUTE 66 ATCA TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH MUSEUM
On the map

Wellston on the map, 1909 to 1966

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

Wellston on the 1909 USGS mapWellston on the 1966 USGS map1909Luther 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 Wellston.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Wellston

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
2004
Captain Creek Bridge
Captain Creek Bridge, built 1933
Structures

Architectural styles listings

Camelback Pony Truss Bridge1
Captain Creek BridgeCamelback Pony Truss Bridge · Built 1933

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Wellston

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Norma JeanAmerican country music singer · b. 1938
F
Francis TuttleAmerican educator · b. 1920

Questions about Wellston’s history

What year was Wellston founded?

The Wellston post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Wellston?

One place: the Captain Creek Bridge (listed 2004).

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 (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.