The story
Read it all →How Bonesteel came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Bonesteel.
Bonesteel was laid out in 1902. The city named for H. E. Bonesteel, who operated as a freight forwarder in the area.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Bonesteel
Bonesteel’s post office opened in 1892, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1964 on and the census since 1910.
1892first post office
0on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Bonesteel began
When was Bonesteel founded?
1892
The Bonesteel post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1902. Another post office, Huston (1890), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 563 in 19102020 census: 258134 years
Founding year: the first Bonesteel post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1902.The full story ↓
What stands out about Bonesteel’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Bonesteel’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bonesteel’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Bonesteel, census by census
Peaked at 652 in 1920; 258 people lived here in 2020.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bonesteel’s Wikipedia page.
Timeline
Bonesteel, 1890 to 1964
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
By decade
Bonesteel, decade by decade
Today1 recent
2004On the map
Bonesteel on the map, 1964 to 1986
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bonesteel. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1964Bonesteel sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bonesteel.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Bonesteel
Nobody well known was born in Bonesteel itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
D
Donald O. CliftonAmerican doctor of educational sciences, profes… · b. 1924
Places that used to be
Lost post offices
Bonesteel’s post office has been open since 1892. Another post office, Huston, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Huston
Bonesteel
18901960today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Bonesteel’s history
What year was Bonesteel founded?
The Bonesteel post office opened in 1892, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1902.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), 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.