–Not graded

History · Stanwood

Stanwood’s post office opened in 1870, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1958 on, and the census since 1880.

1870first post office

0on the National Register

42%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

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Quick answers

How Stanwood began

When was Stanwood founded?

1870

The Stanwood post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 146 in 18802020 census: 194156 years

Founding year: the first Stanwood post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Stanwood’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 278 in 1920; 194 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Stanwood’s homes were built before 1951.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Stanwood’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

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People over time

Stanwood, census by census

Peaked at 278 in 1920; 194 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Stanwood, in brief

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

Stanwood is a village in Mecosta Township, Mecosta County, State of Michigan, USA. The population was 194 at the 2020 Census. Stanwood holds the record for the hottest recorded temperature in the state of Michigan along with Mio when it reached 112 °F (44 °C) on July 13, 1936.

Its first post office opened in 1870. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 211 to 194 (-8%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Stanwood in 1883

Passages that mention Stanwood, cut from the printed page as they were published.

lowed this occupation eight years, four of which were on the F. & P. M. railroad. He came to Mecosta County in 1877, entering into the mercantile business at Stanwood, which enterprise he still follows. He was elected Supervisor of Mecosta Tp., in 1876, which position he still holds and fills accep… — Portrait and biographical album, Mecosta county, Mich., containing portraits and biographical sketches of ... citizens ... also ... a complete history of the county, from its earliest settlement to the present time1883 · page 492Read the page →
Read the text
lowed this occupation eight years, four of which were on the F. & P. M. railroad. He came to Mecosta County in 1877, entering into the mercantile business at Stanwood, which enterprise he still follows. He was elected Supervisor of Mecosta Tp., in 1876, which position he still holds and fills acceptably. He was appointed Postmaster in 1877, and is the present incumbent ; is also a Notary Public.
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

Stanwood, 1900 to 1958

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

20th century
1900In the archiveMap of Stanwood, Michigan (1900)
1920CensusPopulation peaks at 278
1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

By decade

Stanwood, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s1 item

1900Map of Stanwood, Michigan (1900)Map

1910s–1990snothing yet

Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Add from your album

On the map

Stanwood on the map, 1958 to 1985

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

1958Big Rapids sheet · 1:62,500

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Stanwood

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

See all →

Rick OutmanAmerican politician · b. 1963

J.C. HarringtonAmerican archaeologist · b. 1901

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Mecosta TownshipIts storyC⁻Austin TownshipIts storyC⁻

Questions about Stanwood’s history

What year was Stanwood founded?

The Stanwood post office opened in 1870, 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 →

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

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