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History · Ashley Township

Ashley Township dates to 1870, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1965 on and old-book passages.

1870founded
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Ashley Township began

When was Ashley Township founded?

1870

Ashley Township dates its founding to 1870 (Wikidata).

2020 census: 258156 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

What stands out about Ashley 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 Ashley Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ashley Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ashley 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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The story so far

Ashley Township, in brief

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

Ashley Township is a township in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 262 at the 2010 census. Ashley Township was organized in 1870, and named after Ashley Creek.

Ashley Township was established in 1870. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 262 in 2010, 258 in 2020.

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Ashley Township in 1915

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

Ashley Township. — District Number 46. now called the Homm school, seven miles northwest of Sauk Centre, was the first organized in Ashley township. This is a joint district, part of which lies in Todd county. The first school was taught by Mary Parker in the house of F. Karell, across the road fro…
History of Stearns County, Minnesota1915 · page 1357Read the page →
Read the text

Ashley Township. — District Number 46. now called the Homm school, seven miles northwest of Sauk Centre, was the first organized in Ashley township. This is a joint district, part of which lies in Todd county. The first school was taught by Mary Parker in the house of F. Karell, across the road from the present location

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.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Ashley Township on the map, 1965 to 1986

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

Ashley Township on the 1965 USGS mapAshley Township on the 1986 USGS map1965Raymond Lake sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Ashley Township

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

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L
Leif EngerAmerican writer · b. 1961
A. J. RosierAmerican lawyer and politician · b. 1880
Edmund OrbeckAmerican politician · b. 1915
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

West Union TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRaymond TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSauk Centre TownshipIts storyC−Westport TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Ashley Township’s history

What year was Ashley Township founded?

In 1870, according to Wikidata.

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.