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History · Valeria

Valeria’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Valeria. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Valeria got its start in the year 1883, following construction of the Chicago Great Western Railway through the territory. Valeria's population was estimated at 100 residents in 1887, was 146 in 1902, and was 92 in 1915.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Valeria’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Valeria’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Valeria

See all 20 →
Stanley B. PrusinerStanley B. PrusinerDes Moines · 18 miCloris LeachmanCloris LeachmanDes Moines · 18 miCorey TaylorCorey TaylorDes Moines · 18 miBill BrysonBill BrysonDes Moines · 18 miBrandon RouthBrandon RouthDes Moines · 18 miJoey JordisonJoey JordisonDes Moines · 18 mi
By decade

Valeria, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today2 photos
Sacred Heart ChurchCommonsSacred Heart Church2014IAMap-doton-ValeriaCommonsIAMap-doton-Valeria2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Valeria is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Valeria has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Universalist Church in Mitchellville, 4.5 miles away.

Valeria and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Valeria. Tap a dot.
Universalist ChurchColfax Spring City Commercial Historic DistrictJames Norman Hall HouseByal Orchard Historic DistrictCalamus Creek BridgeWilliam Kennison Wood House

Closest to Valeria

Universalist ChurchMitchellville · Mid 19th Century4.5miColfax Spring City Commercial Historic DistrictColfax · District5.5miJames Norman Hall HouseColfax · Built 18875.7miByal Orchard Historic DistrictMingo · District6.7miCalamus Creek BridgeMaxwell · Structure11.1mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Universalist Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Valeria?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Valeria’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Mingo📜 Mitchellville📜 Colfax📜 Bondurant

From Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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