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DHistory
History · Babbitt

Babbitt’s post office opened in 1920

More historic than 8% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Babbitt was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1959. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1951 on, and the census since 1960.

1920first post office
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Babbitt’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Babbitt began

When was Babbitt founded?

1920

The Babbitt post office opened in 1920, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1944.

First census: 2,587 in 19602020 census: 1,397106 years

How historic is Babbitt?

D

More historic than 8% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Babbitt post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1944.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Babbitt’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Babbitt is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Babbitt’s overall grade.
Founding era1920, from the first post office: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19402.5% of homes (±2.8) · typical MN town 8.1% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical MN town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 8%
NewerOlder

Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Babbitt’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1944 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Babbitt’s past

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

Boom and bustPeaked at 3,076 in 1970; 1,397 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Babbitt’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · People over time

Babbitt, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0001960198020002020Peak: 3,076

Peaked at 3,076 in 1970; 1,397 people lived here in 2020.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

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

The story

How Babbitt came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Babbitt.

Read it all →

The city grew out of the formation of a taconite mine built by Armco and Republic Steel starting in 1944. The company town was built near the eastern edge of the Mesabi Iron Range. The city of Silver Bay was built simultaneously along Lake Superior (60 miles to the southeast), and connected by train, for transportation of iron ore to cities along the Great Lakes. Babbitt is named after Judge Kurnal R. Babbitt of New York City. Judge Babbitt, who died on February 15, 1920, was general counsel for and a director of several mining companies. Before removing to New York in 1908, he practiced law in Colorado at Aspen, Cripple Creek and Colorado Springs.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Babbitt, 1920 to 1970

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1920Post officeThe Babbitt post office opens
  3. 1937In the archiveOld store. Babbitt, Minnesota
  4. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 3,076
By decade

Babbitt, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s8 items
Old store. Babbitt, Minnesota1937Old store. Babbitt, MinnesotaAbandoned miners' houses at Babbitt, Minnesota1937Abandoned miners' houses at Babbitt, MinnesotaConcentrating plant and mine at Babbitt, Minnesota1937Concentrating plant and mine at Babbitt, MinnesotaPart of concentrating plant at iron mine. Babbitt, Minnesota1937Part of concentrating plant at iron mine. Babbitt, Mi…Cash register and empty shelves in closed store. Babbitt, Minnesota, "bust" iron mining town1937Cash register and empty shelves in closed store. Babb…Interior of old closed store. Babbit, Minnesota, iron ore "bust" town1937Interior of old closed store. Babbit, Minnesota, iron…Abandoned houses once occupied by miners at Babbitt, Minnesota. A few are now occupied by workmen who keep the plant in…1937Abandoned houses once occupied by miners at Babbitt, …Abandoned miners' houses at Babbitt, Minnesota. Mine has not operated since about 1925, but still is kept in repair wit…1937Abandoned miners' houses at Babbitt, Minnesota. Mine …
1940s–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
Today10 recent
Babbitt Municipal Center2026Babbitt Municipal CenterBabbitt History Center sign2026Babbitt History Center signBabbitt Municipal Center2025Babbitt Municipal CenterExtreme Fire Danger2021Extreme Fire DangerIce Road on Frozen Birch Lake - Babbitt, Northern Minnesota2018Ice Road on Frozen Birch Lake - Babbitt, Northern Min…Babbitt, Minnesota - Commerce Road2018Babbitt, Minnesota - Commerce RoadFinnish-emigrant-communityhouse-Babbitt2011Finnish-emigrant-communityhouse-BabbittBabbitt, Minnesota2011Babbitt, MinnesotaBabbitt, Minnesota, field2011Babbitt, Minnesota, fieldBabbitt, Minnesota, busineess center2011Babbitt, Minnesota, busineess center
On the map

Babbitt on the map, 1951 to 1984

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

Babbitt on the 1951 USGS mapBabbitt on the 1962 USGS mapBabbitt on the 1984 USGS map1951Babbitt 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 Babbitt.

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.

Old store. Babbitt, Minnesota
Retake this viewOld store. Babbitt, Minnesota, 1937

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Babbitt

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

See all →
Jessica BielAmerican actress · b. 1982
Francine YorkAmerican actress, showgirl · b. 1936
Daniel BerriganAmerican Catholic priest, peace activist, and p… · b. 1921
Mark PavelichAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1958
Matt CullenAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1976
Nick BegichAmerican politician · b. 1932
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Babbitt’s post office has been open since 1920.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Ridge
1cemetery inside Babbitt
Argo

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Babbitt’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewOld store. Babbitt, Minnesota: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Bassett TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStony River TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWaasa Township4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHoyt Lakes1 historic placeD

Questions about Babbitt’s history

What year was Babbitt founded?

The Babbitt post office opened in 1920, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1944.

How does Babbitt rank for history?

Babbitt is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Babbitt?

3% of Babbitt’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1959.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (10), the Library of Congress (8), 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.