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History · Wetmore Township

Wetmore Township dates to 1866, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1880.

1866founded
0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Wetmore Township began

When was Wetmore Township founded?

1866

Wetmore Township dates its founding to 1866 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 340 in 18802020 census: 455160 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓

What stands out about Wetmore 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 Wetmore Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18885 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1990. Watch Wetmore Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 522 in 1890; 348 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Wetmore Township’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wetmore Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wetmore 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

Wetmore Township on the map, 1888 to 1990

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

Wetmore Township on the 1888 USGS mapWetmore Township on the 1894 USGS mapWetmore Township on the 1961 USGS mapWetmore Township on the 1985 USGS mapWetmore Township on the 1990 USGS map1888Hiawatha 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 Wetmore Township.

People over time

Wetmore Township, census by census

010020030040050018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 522

Peaked at 522 in 1890; 348 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Wetmore Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wetmore Township.

Read it all →

Wetmore was founded in 1866 by the railroad company. It was named to honor W.T. Wetmore, a vice president of the Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad. Wetmore was incorporated in 1882.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wetmore Township, 1866 to 1941

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1866
    FoundingWetmore Township is established
  3. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 522
  5. 1891Post officeThe Bancroft post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1941Post officeThe Bancroft post office closes
By decade

Wetmore Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
KSMap-doton-Wetmore2005KSMap-doton-Wetmore
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Bancroft, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
BancroftOntario
1cemetery inside Wetmore Township
Ontario

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Granada TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townReilly TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Wetmore Township’s history

What year was Wetmore Township founded?

In 1866, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Wetmore Township’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 340 people here.

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 (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.