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History · Waldron

Waldron’s post office opened in 1877, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1890.

1877first post office
0on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Waldron’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Waldron began

When was Waldron founded?

1877

The Waldron post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 365 in 18902020 census: 505149 years
Founding year: the first Waldron post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Waldron’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.Old housesHalf of Waldron’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19134 editions of the USGS map, 1913 to 1973. Watch Waldron change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Waldron’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewWaldron, MI location: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Waldron came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Waldron.

Read it all →

The first settler to the area was Russell Coman, who came from New York in 1835. In 1837, the early settlers submitted the new name of the community as Coman, but a clerical error ended up assigning the community's name as Canaan. It was renamed Wright after the township in 1844. A post office opened on November 2, 1855, and was named South Wright due to the community's southern location in the township. In 1877, portions of the community were formally platted and adopted under the name Waldron after congressman Henry Waldron of Hillsdale, who represented the area in the U.S. House of Representatives. Waldron incorporated as a village in 1905.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Waldron on the map, 1913 to 1973

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

Waldron on the 1913 USGS mapWaldron on the 1944 USGS mapWaldron on the 1961 USGS mapWaldron on the 1973 USGS map1913Alvordton 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 Waldron.

By decade

Waldron, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Waldron, MI locationDate?Waldron, MI location
Today5 recent
Waldron, Michigan (2022)2022Waldron, Michigan (2022)Waldron District Library (Waldon, MI)2022Waldron District Library (Waldon, MI)Waldron Area Schools (Michigan)2022Waldron Area Schools (Michigan)Waldon, MI village office and post office2022Waldon, MI village office and post officeMIMap-doton-Waldron2005MIMap-doton-Waldron
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Waldron, MI location
Retake this viewWaldron, MI location

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Waldron’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Waldron, census by census

01002003004005006001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 590

Between 307 and 590 people in every census since 1890.

13 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Questions about Waldron’s history

What year was Waldron founded?

The Waldron post office opened in 1877, 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 →
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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 (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.