A history of Smithland,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Smithland from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Smithland is one of the oldest settlements in Woodbury County. In 1857, clashes between settlers and Native Americans began at what is now Smithland which would afterward culminate in the Spirit Lake Massacre.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Smithland’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewChristmas dinner in home of Earl …, 1936: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Smithland
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Smithland, decade by decade
CommonsChristmas dinner in home of Earl Pauley, near Smithland, Io…1936
CommonsChristmas dinner in home of Earl Pauley, near Smithland, Io…1936
LOCEarl Pauley's home near Smithland, Iowa1936
LOCBaby in crib, Earl Pauley's home near Smithland Iowa1936
LOCChildren of Earl Pauley in doorway, near Smithland, Iowa1936
LOCBlind and thin horse on Glen Cook's farm near Smithland, Io…19361990s
Nothing in Smithland is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Smithland has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Combination Depot-Hornick in Hornick, 8.5 miles away.
Smithland and the nearest listed places
Closest to Smithland
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Christmas dinner in home of Earl Pauley, near Smithland, Iowa, 8b30046 (1936) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2) and the Library of Congress (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.