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CantonCarnegieLibraryPhoto: Kaethesson · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
History · Canton Township

Canton Township’s post office opened in 1874, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1880.

1874first post office
1on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Kaethesson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Canton Township began

When was Canton Township founded?

1874

The Canton Township post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1879.

First census: 396 in 18802020 census: 976152 years
Founding year: the first Canton Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1879.The full story ↓

What stands out about Canton Township’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 Canton Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18894 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1985. Watch Canton Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 926 in 1980; 685 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Canton Township’s homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Canton Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Canton Township on the map, 1889 to 1985

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

Canton Township on the 1889 USGS mapCanton Township on the 1894 USGS mapCanton Township on the 1971 USGS mapCanton Township on the 1985 USGS map1889Newton sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Canton Township, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 926

Peaked at 926 in 1980; 685 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Canton Township’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Canton Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Canton Township.

Read it all →

From the 1820s to the 1870s, one of the most significant land routes in the United States was the Santa Fe Trail. It was located southeast of Canton. Two DAR markers were located on the trail near Canton, one at the Jones Cemetery east of Canton, and another south of Canton. The trail was active across McPherson County from 1821 to 1866.

In 1854, the Kansas Territory was organized, then in 1861 Kansas became the 34th U.S. state. In 1867, McPherson County was established within the Kansas Territory, which included the land for modern day Canton.

ChaptersEarly history19th century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Canton Township, decade by decade

Today3 recent
CantonCarnegieLibrary2013CantonCarnegieLibraryDetailed map of2010Detailed map ofMapKSMap-doton-Canton2004KSMap-doton-Canton
On the National Register

1 historic place in Canton Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Canton Township

Nobody well known was born in Canton Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Shirley KnightAmerican actress · b. 1936
W
Wendell JohnsonAmerican psychologist · b. 1906
E
E. T. KlassenAmerican Postmaster general · b. 1908
B
Bill McGillAmerican baseball player · b. 1880
Duane D. ThiessenUnited States Marine Corps general · b. 1951
I
Ira AndersAmerican politician · b. 1942
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Jenday Oil Fieldoilfield
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Canton Township
Canton TownshipJones

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Lehigh TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpring Valley Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBattle Hill TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEmpire TownshipIts storyC+

Questions about Canton Township’s history

What year was Canton Township founded?

The Canton Township post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1879.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.