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History · Marquette Township

Marquette Township’s post office opened in 1873, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1890.

1873first post office
1on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Marquette Township began, and where its name came from

When was Marquette Township founded?

1873

The Marquette Township post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1874.

First census: 367 in 18902020 census: 733153 years

How did Marquette Township get its name?

Marquette Township was named after Marquette, Michigan.

Founding year: the first Marquette Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1874. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Marquette 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 Marquette Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1990. Watch Marquette Township change.Old housesHalf of Marquette Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Marquette Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Marquette Township’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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On the map

Marquette Township on the map, 1892 to 1990

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

Marquette Township on the 1892 USGS mapMarquette Township on the 1942 USGS mapMarquette Township on the 1964 USGS mapMarquette Township on the 1979 USGS mapMarquette Township on the 1985 USGS mapMarquette Township on the 1990 USGS map1892Salina 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 Marquette Township.

The story

How Marquette Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Marquette Township.

Read it all →

In 1873, what eventually would become Marquette began on the banks of the Smoky Hill River with a flour mill. The site was surveyed and on February 9, 1874, the town was chartered. It was settled by Swedish immigrants and Civil War veterans. It was named after Marquette, Michigan. Marquette was located on the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

On the night of May 8–9, 1905, an F4 tornado destroyed much of the town, killing 34 people. Many homes in town were blown away and entire families were killed.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Marquette Township, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Marquette Kansas Railroad depot museum2008Marquette Kansas Railroad depot museumMarquette Kansas Museum and Range School museum2008Marquette Kansas Museum and Range School museumMarquette Kansas Lutheran Church2008Marquette Kansas Lutheran ChurchMarquette Kansas Library block2008Marquette Kansas Library blockKSMap-doton-Marquette2004KSMap-doton-Marquette
On the National Register

1 historic place in Marquette 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.

People over time

Marquette Township, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 780

Between 367 and 780 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Marquette Township
Elim LutheranMarquetteRiverside

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.

Falun TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSouth Sharps Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLangley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townUnion TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Marquette Township’s history

What year was Marquette Township founded?

The Marquette Township post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1874.

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 (5), 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.