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History · Grainola

Grainola’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

1909established
0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Grainola was originally named Salt Creek for a nearby tributary of the Arkansas River. The Salt Creek post office opened in November 1906, and the townsite was officially organized in 1909. The name was changed to Grainola in March 1910. The town supported nearby farmers and cattle ranchers, but has experienced a prolonged decline since 1920, when it had an estimated population of 500.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Grainola’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grainola’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 Grainola

See all 32 →
Ben JohnsonBen JohnsonForaker · 6 miMaria TallchiefMaria TallchiefFairfax · 26 miLionel HollinsLionel HollinsArkansas City · 23 miBKBob KenneyArkansas City · 23 miLSLarry SellersPawhuska · 26 miFDFrank Marshall DavisArkansas City · 23 mi
By decade

Grainola, 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
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Grainola is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Grainola has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Chapman-Barnard Ranch Headquarters in Foraker, 14 miles away.

Grainola and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Grainola. Tap a dot.
Chapman-Barnard Ranch HeadquartersHewins Park PavilionAdam, L.C., Mercantile BuildingKaw Indian AgencyEsch's Spur BridgeKaw City Depot

Closest to Grainola

Chapman-Barnard Ranch HeadquartersForaker · District14miHewins Park PavilionCedar Vale · Built 191314.1miAdam, L.C., Mercantile BuildingCedar Vale · Built 190414.2miKaw Indian AgencyKaw City · Building15.2miEsch's Spur BridgeLiberty · Built 191315.5mi

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. Chapman-Barnard Ranch Headquarters’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Grainola?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Grainola’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
📜 Foraker📜 Grant📜 Webb City📜 Cedar
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Where to, neighbor?

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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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