A history of Columbia,
since 1821
Postcards, papers and photographs of Columbia from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Columbia's origins begin with the settlement of American pioneers from Kentucky and Virginia in an early 1800s region known as the Boonslick. Before 1815, settlement in the region was confined to small log forts due to the threat of Native American attack during the War of 1812. When the war ended, settlers came on foot, horseback, and wagon, often moving entire households along the Boone's Lick Road and often bringing enslaved African Americans. By 1818, the increased population clearly would necessitate a new county be created from territorial Howard County. The Moniteau Creek on the west and Cedar Creek on the east were obvious natural boundaries.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Columbia’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewBird's eye view of the city of Co…, 1869: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Columbia
See all 55 →
Columbia, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Bird's eye view of the city of Columbia, Boone Co., Missouri 1869 (1869) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (5) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.