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History · Bertha

Bertha’s post office opened in 1880, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

1880first post office
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Bertha began, and where its name came from

When was Bertha founded?

1880

The Bertha post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 560146 years

How did Bertha get its name?

Bertha was platted in 1891, and named for Bertha Ristau, an early settler and wife of John Ristau who established the town's first Post Office in his log cabin store in 1880.

Founding year: the first Bertha post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bertha’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 Bertha are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Bertha’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bertha’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bertha’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
The story

How Bertha came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bertha.

Read it all →

Bertha was platted in 1891, and named for Bertha Ristau, an early settler and wife of John Ristau who established the town's first Post Office in his log cabin store in 1880. Bertha was incorporated in July 1897.

During the mid 1920s, Bertha was the home of a semi-pro baseball team known as the Bertha Fishermen, which included players Elmer Brandell and John Donaldson during the 1925 season. Donaldson threw a no-hitter in Bertha on May 30, 1924, striking out 20 batters.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bertha, 1880 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880Post officeThe Bertha post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1925Born hereLester W. Milbrath is born here
  5. 1950Born hereMary Ellen Otremba is born here
By decade

Bertha, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Museum and Post Office2024Museum and Post OfficeFire Department2024Fire DepartmentCorner Super Market2024Corner Super MarketCorner Super Market and water tower2024Corner Super Market and water towerBusiness on Second Avenue2024Business on Second AvenueBertha MN2023Bertha MN
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Bertha

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
L
Lester W. MilbrathAmerican sociologist · b. 1925
M
Mary Ellen OtrembaAmerican politician · b. 1950
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Bertha’s post office has been open since 1880.

Gone or out of use
Berthalocale

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

Questions about Bertha’s history

What year was Bertha founded?

The Bertha post office opened in 1880, 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, 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.