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History · Benson Township

Benson Township dates to 1870, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 5 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1968 on, and the census since 1880.

1870founded
1on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Benson Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Benson Township began

When was Benson Township founded?

1870

Benson Township dates its founding to 1870 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 456 in 18802020 census: 306156 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓
The story

How Benson Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Benson Township.

Read it all →

Benson was platted in 1870 when the railroad was extended to that point. As the end of the tracks, Benson became a lively trading center. Benson was the market for a 100-mile area in almost all directions.

The city was named for Ben H. Benson, a Norwegian settler. Benson was incorporated as a city in 1908.

The town's early history included many tragedies, such as an 1872 smallpox epidemic, an 1876 grasshopper plague, and a fire in 1880 that wiped out a whole city block.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Benson Township, 1870 to 1968

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1870
    FoundingBenson Township is established
  3. 1887BuiltChristian F. Uytendale Farmstead is built
  4. 20th century
  5. 1908In the archiveHigh School, Benson, Minn
  6. 1939In the archivePostmaster
  7. 1968On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Benson Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1930s5 items
High School, Benson, Minn1908High School, Benson, MinnHigh School, Benson, Minn1908High School, Benson, MinnPacific Avenue, Benson, Minn., looking west1908Pacific Avenue, Benson, Minn., looking westPacific Avenue, Benson, Minn., looking west1908Pacific Avenue, Benson, Minn., looking westPostmaster1939Postmaster
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
Today12 recent
Pilgrim Congregational UCC2024Pilgrim Congregational UCCPacific Avenue and 13th Street2024Pacific Avenue and 13th StreetPacific Avenue and 12th Street2024Pacific Avenue and 12th StreetMunicipal Building2024Municipal BuildingBusinesses on Pacific Avenue2024Businesses on Pacific AvenueBenson Public Library2024Benson Public LibraryBenson High School sign2024Benson High School signAtlantic Avenue and 13th Street2024Atlantic Avenue and 13th StreetAtlantic Avenue and 12th Street2024Atlantic Avenue and 12th StreetCity of Benson, Minnesota - Water Tower2016City of Benson, Minnesota - Water Tower1968 Plymouth Barracuda20161968 Plymouth BarracudaMNMap-doton-Benson2005MNMap-doton-Benson
On the map

Benson Township on the map, 1968 to 1986

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

Benson Township on the 1968 USGS mapBenson Township on the 1986 USGS map1968Benson 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 Benson Township.

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.

High School, Benson, Minn
Retake this viewHigh School, Benson, Minn, 1908

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 5 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Christian F. Uytendale Farmstead
Christian F. Uytendale Farmstead, built 1887
Districts
All 1 listings
Christian F. Uytendale FarmsteadDistrict · listed 1985

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Benson Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 3,678

Between 456 and 3,678 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Help out

Finish Benson Township’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewHigh School, Benson, Minn: 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.

Benson3 historic placesB+Clontarf TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLanghei TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTorning TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCamp Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Benson Township’s history

What year was Benson Township founded?

In 1870, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1880 counted 456 people here.

What is on the National Register in Benson Township?

One place: the Christian F. Uytendale Farmstead (listed 1985).

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 (16), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.