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–Not graded
History · Barnum

Barnum’s post office opened in 1872, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1880.

1872first post office
0on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Barnum began

When was Barnum founded?

1872

The Barnum post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 49 in 18802020 census: 620154 years
Founding year: the first Barnum post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Barnum’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 Barnum are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1890 and 1920, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Barnum’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Barnum, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020417 in 1890Low: 242

Lost a third of its people between 1890 and 1920, then more than doubled.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Barnum, in brief

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

Barnum is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 620 at the 2020 census. Interstate Highway 35, Carlton County Road 6 (Main Street), and Carlton County Road 61 (Front Street) are three of the main routes in Barnum.

Its first post office opened in 1872. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 613 in 2010, 620 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Barnum, 1872 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Barnum post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 21st century
  6. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 620
By decade

Barnum, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Water tower2024Water towerPublic Library2024Public LibraryGateway to the Northwoods2024Gateway to the NorthwoodsChrist Centered Church2024Christ Centered ChurchBridge over Moose Horn River2024Bridge over Moose Horn RiverBarnum, Minnesota-commercial area at Main Street2024Barnum, Minnesota-commercial area at Main StreetBarnum Main Street2024Barnum Main StreetBarnum Event Center, Liquor Store and City Offices2024Barnum Event Center, Liquor Store and City OfficesBig Louis2017Big Louis
On the map

Barnum on the map, 1953 to 1981

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

Barnum on the 1953 USGS mapBarnum on the 1981 USGS map1953Duluth sheet · 1:250,000

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

Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Barnum’s post office has been open since 1872.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Barnum Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
Barnumlocale
1cemetery inside Barnum
Riverside

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.

Barnum TownshipIts storyC+Skelton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Barnum’s history

What year was Barnum founded?

The Barnum post office opened in 1872, 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 (9), 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.