Peaked at 1,292 in 1900; 870 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Big Creek Township’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Big Creek Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Big Creek Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Big Creek Township is one of twelve townships in White County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 870 and it contained 356 housing units. Big Creek Township was established in 1834, and named after Big Creek.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 819 to 870 (+6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Big Creek Township in 1915
Passages that mention Big Creek Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A standard history of White County, Indiana1915Read the page →
Read the text
laud in the immediate viciuitj of Monticello, as it was all taken by residents soon alter the eounty seat was located. There was one notable exception.* Jacob Walker and William M. Jenners, of Lafayette, and Benjamin Reynolds, of Big Creek Township, succeeded in purchasing a considerable trad of Ceorge R. Bartley adjoining the original plat of the town, on the south and west, and laid out Monticello 's first addition in October, 1836. Barr's addition followed in April, 1837. Notwithstanding that residents, as a rule, controlled the site, they did not become
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A standard history of White County, Indiana1915Read the page →
Read the text
Increase of Real Settlers All of the foregoing entries (and the statement applies to those which have preceded the immediate list) were made by White County settlers, but not all of them were by residents of Big Creek Township. A few of them relinquished their interests and migrated to other parts, but the majority improved their properties, founded homesteads and added to their holdings, either by the purchase of adjoining Government lands or of tracts which had been thrown upon the market by non-residents.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Big Creek Township, 1880 to 1962
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Big Creek Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1962Monticello South sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Big Creek Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Big Creek Township
Nobody well known was born in Big Creek Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
