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History · Eureka

Eureka’s post office opened in 1887, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1890.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Eureka began

When was Eureka founded?

1887

The Eureka post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 552 in 18902020 census: 813139 years
Founding year: the first Eureka post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Eureka’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 Eureka are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,576 in 1950; 813 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1921, drew every building in Eureka.Old housesHalf of Eureka’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eureka’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Eureka’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

Eureka, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,576

Peaked at 1,576 in 1950; 813 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Every building

Eureka, building by building, 1893–1921

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.

Eureka fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 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.

The story

How Eureka came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Eureka.

Read it all →

Eureka was laid out in 1887, and named "Eureka", a Greek exclamation meaning "I have found it!" The area attracted German-Russian immigrants, who referred to the original settlement as “St. Petersburg.” The arrival of the railroad in 1887 spurred the town’s growth, and it became a major regional hub for wheat production. From 1887 to 1902, Eureka was known as the world’s wheat capital.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Eureka, 1887 to 1978

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Eureka post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1924Born hereAl Neuharth is born here
  5. 1934Born hereMarlene Hagge is born here
  6. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,576
  7. 1961Born hereBill Scherr is born here
  8. 1966Born hereCalvin Jones is born here
  9. 1978On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Eureka, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Eureka2004SDMap-doton-Eureka
On the map

Eureka on the map, 1978 to 1985

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

Eureka on the 1978 USGS mapEureka on the 1985 USGS map1978Eureka East 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 Eureka.

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Eureka

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

See all →
B
Bill ScherrOlympic wrestler · b. 1961
Al NeuharthAmerican journalist · b. 1924
Marlene HaggeProfessional golfer · b. 1934
Calvin JonesAmerican musician, record producer, composer, s… · b. 1966
Alice BauerGolfer · b. 1927
J
Jim ScherrAmerican amateur wrestler · b. 1961

Questions about Eureka’s history

What year was Eureka founded?

The Eureka post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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), 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.