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History · Hitchcock

Hitchcock’s post office opened in 1881, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1895 on and the census since 1900.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hitchcock began

When was Hitchcock founded?

1881

The Hitchcock post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Altoona (1883), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 135 in 19002020 census: 112145 years
Founding year: the first Hitchcock post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hitchcock’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 Hitchcock are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18953 editions of the USGS map, 1895 to 1985. Watch Hitchcock change.Boom and bustPeaked at 358 in 1920; 112 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hitchcock’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hitchcock’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
On the map

Hitchcock on the map, 1895 to 1985

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

Hitchcock on the 1895 USGS mapHitchcock on the 1967 USGS mapHitchcock on the 1985 USGS map1895Byron sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hitchcock.

People over time

Hitchcock, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 358

Peaked at 358 in 1920; 112 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Hitchcock came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hitchcock.

Read it all →

Hitchcock was platted in 1881. Early variant names were Clarkville and Altoona. The present name honors Charles S. Hitchcock, an original owner of the town site. A post office has been in operation in Hitchcock since 1881.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hitchcock, 1881 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Hitchcock post office opens
  3. 1883Post officeThe Altoona post office opens
  4. 1888Post officeThe Altoona post office closes
  5. 1895On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 358
By decade

Hitchcock, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Feedlot Tour August 15, 2013 Poster2013Feedlot Tour August 15, 2013 PosterSDMap-doton-Hitchcock2004SDMap-doton-Hitchcock
Famous people

Famous people close to Hitchcock

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

See all →
G
Greg BoeAmerican politician · b. 1959
B
Beda CornwallAmerican public library founder · b. 1907
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Hitchcock’s post office has been open since 1881. Another post office, Altoona, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hitchcock
1881–today
Altoona
1883–1888
18801950today

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.

Altoona Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Hitchcock’s history

What year was Hitchcock founded?

The Hitchcock post office opened in 1881, 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 (2), 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.