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History · Burtrum

Burtrum dates to 1884, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1910.

1884founded
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Burtrum began

When was Burtrum founded?

1884

Burtrum dates its founding to 1884 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 217 in 19102020 census: 123142 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓

What stands out about Burtrum’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 Burtrum are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 297 in 1940; 123 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Burtrum’s homes were built before 1949.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Burtrum’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Burtrum’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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People over time

Burtrum, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 297

Peaked at 297 in 1940; 123 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Burtrum came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Burtrum.

Read it all →

Burtrum was platted in 1884, under the name of Hansen, and developed when the Northern Pacific Railroad came through. A post office has been in operation at Burtrum since 1888. Burtrum was incorporated in 1894, according to the third edition of Upham's Minnesota Place Names.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Burtrum, 1884 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884
    FoundingBurtrum is established
  3. 1888Post officeThe Burtrum post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 297
  6. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Burtrum on the map, 1950 to 1978

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

Burtrum on the 1950 USGS mapBurtrum on the 1978 USGS map1950Swanville sheet · 1:62,500

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Burtrum’s post office has been open since 1888.

Gone or out of use
Burtrumlocale

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

Questions about Burtrum’s history

What year was Burtrum founded?

In 1884, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Burtrum’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1910 counted 217 people here.

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 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.