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History · Monson

Monson’s post office opened in 1889, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1927 on.

1889first post office
0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Monson began

When was Monson founded?

1889

The Monson post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 152137 years
Founding year: the first Monson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Monson’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Monson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Monson’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Monson, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Monson yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Monson is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tulare County, California. Monson sits at an elevation of 325 feet (99 m). The 2020 United States census reported Monson's population was 152.

Its first post office opened in 1889. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 188 to 152 (-19%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Monson, 1889 to 1927

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889Post officeThe Monson post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1920Post officeThe Monson post office closes
  5. 1927On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Monson, decade by decade

Today3 recent
August 2012 - panoramio (98)2012August 2012 - panoramio (98)August 2012 - panoramio (96)2012August 2012 - panoramio (96)August 2012 - panoramio (100)2012August 2012 - panoramio (100)
On the map

Monson on the map, 1927 to 1969

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Monson. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Monson on the 1927 USGS mapMonson on the 1949 USGS mapMonson on the 1950 USGS mapMonson on the 1969 USGS map1927Monson sheet · 1:31,680

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Monson.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Monson had its own post office from 1889 to 1920.

Monson
1889–1920
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Monson’s history

What year was Monson founded?

The Monson post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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 Wikimedia Commons (3), 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.