Named for nearby Wildorado Creek, the community was founded in 1900 as a railway town along the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad. It was first settled by Eugene Binford and John R. Goodman, who ranched in the area before 1900. A post office was established in 1904. In 1908, the railroad was completed and a town site was laid out. Goodman organized the Wildorado State Bank and built the Wildorado Hotel. A newspaper, the Wildorado Progress, began publication in 1909. By 1915, Wildorado had an estimated population of 100. During the 1920s and 1930s, the community endured droughts and dust storms. In 1936, Wildorado had a population of 57 with seven businesses. That figure increased to approximately 125 residents in the late 1940s. The gradual evolution of the Ozark Trail (Route 66) into Interstate 40 encouraged growth. After World War II, when travel became a popular pastime, Wildora…
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, 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.
