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History · Claremont Township

Claremont Township dates to 1878, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1965 on and the census since 1880.

1878founded

0on the National Register

25%homes built before 1940

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Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0

Quick answers

How Claremont Township began

When was Claremont Township founded?

1878

Claremont Township dates its founding to 1878 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 269 in 18802020 census: 423148 years

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓

What stands out about Claremont Township’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 Claremont Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.

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Start Claremont Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Claremont Township’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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The story

How Claremont Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Claremont Township.

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Claremont, located in southeastern Minnesota, was established in the mid-19th century. Its development was initially influenced by the area’s rich agricultural potential and its proximity to major transportation routes, including railroads and highways. The Chicago and North Western Railway played a crucial role in Claremont's early economic development, helping to establish the city as a hub for agricultural trade. The city's incorporation in 1878 formalized its role in the region, and it grew steadily as a small agricultural community, serving the surrounding farming population.

ChaptersDevelopment of the Area Influence Exerted by Major Powers in Development Divisions or Partitions Resulting from Wars and Treaties Major Geographic or Political Factors to the Current Status of the Area Present Form of Government and Previous Forms of Government Extent of Political Control Over Other Areas Degree of Control Over the Population Exercised by Government Susceptibility of Existing Government Toward Major Powers

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Claremont Township, 1857 to 1965

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

19th century
1857Post officeThe Rice Lake post office opens
1878
FoundingClaremont Township is established
20th century
1903Post officeThe Rice Lake post office closes
1965On 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.

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On the map

Claremont Township on the map, 1965 to 1985

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

1965Claremont 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 Claremont Township.

People over time

Claremont Township, census by census

Between 269 and 620 people in every census since 1880.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Claremont Township

Nobody well known was born in Claremont Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

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Milton L. HumasonAmerican astronomer · b. 1891

Shirley Ardell MasonAmerican artist · b. 1923

Arnold BlanchAmerican painter · b. 1896

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Another post office, Rice Lake, opened and closed inside today’s town.

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Claremont Township

Claremont StreetHillsideRice Lake

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.

Ripley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Havana TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Wasioja Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Ellington TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Claremont Township’s history

What year was Claremont Township founded?

In 1878, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Claremont Township’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 269 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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.

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