Champlin dates to 1852, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #178 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Anoka-Champlin Mississippi River Bridge and the District No. 99 School. Most of Champlin was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Champlin’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Champlin is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #178 of 273 in Minnesota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Champlin’s overall grade.
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 Champlin’s 0.9 sits near the middle of its state (50% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1852.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Champlin’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Champlin area was first settled when Father Louis Hennepin, a Franciscan priest from whom Hennepin County gets its name, Michael Accult, and Peter Dulay were captured by Lakota Indians. An Indian trading post was later established in the area. Charles Miles created the first permanent settlement in what came to be named Marshall Township. In 1859, it was split into two towns, Champlin and Dayton.
Champlin's name came from U.S. Navy Commodore Stephen Champlin. He was active in the war against England and Canada in 1812 and in the establishment of the Canadian–United States boundary. He died in 1870 in Buffalo, New York.
Passages that mention Champlin, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Hennepin county and the city of Minneapolis, including the Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota1881 · page 299Read the page →
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Tlie first school in tlie town of Champlin, was held in an old slianty above the village, in 1855. Miss Emily Thorndyke (now Mrs. Lum of Minneapolis) was teacher. A school house was built in 1860, tlie first teacher being Cliandler B.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Hennepin county and the city of Minneapolis, including the Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota1881 · page 300Read the page →
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The nearest railway point for citizens of Champlin township, is Anoka, directly opposite the village of Champlin, and connected with it by ferry across the Mississippi ^river. At one time, steamboats plied on the river, landing at Champlin ; the river is not navigated regularly at the present time.
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History of Anoka County and the towns of Champlin and Dayton in Hennepin County, Minnesota1905 · page 262Read the page →
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sold, and on Novembr 12, 1854, moved across the river to Champlin, the next spring moving upon a claim in what is now Dayton township, which he pre-empted. In 1857 he moved into the village of Champlin, built a residence and shop ; having learned the carriage-maker's trade in early life, he carried on that business here several years. He also owned and conducted the hotel several years. He held the office of postmaster from i860 to 1867 and served several terms as assessor. Mr. Miller
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Anoka County and the towns of Champlin and Dayton in Hennepin County, Minnesota1905 · page 249Read the page →
Read the text
from St. .Anthony to meet the log drivers on Rum river. He was married Sept. 26, 1853 to Sophronia M. Smith, and the next spring took up his residence upon a farm in what is now the town of Champlin. where he lived eight years. He then moved to Anoka, where he engaged in lumbering and carpenter work until 1897, when he returned to Champlin, where he lived until his death May 9, 1501. Of three children only one daughter, Mary, is still living. For the past twelve years Mrs. Lowell
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Champlin, 1852 to 1987
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1852, according to Wikidata. Champlin’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 246 people here.
How does Champlin rank for history?
Champlin is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #178 of 273 in Minnesota. 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.
What is on the National Register in Champlin?
Two places: the Anoka-Champlin Mississippi River Bridge (listed 1979) and the District No. 99 School (2024).
How old are the homes in Champlin?
2% of Champlin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1988.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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