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History · Claremont

Claremont’s post office opened in 1856, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

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

1856first post office

0on the National Register

35%homes built before 1940

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Photo: Jon Platek · CC BY-SA 3.0

Quick answers

How Claremont began

When was Claremont founded?

1856

The Claremont post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 269 in 18802020 census: 513170 years

Founding year: the first Claremont post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Claremont’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 are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Claremont’s homes were built before 1954.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Claremont’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Claremont’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 came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Claremont.

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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.

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

Claremont on the map in 1965

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Claremont.

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.

People over time

Claremont, 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’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Claremont

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

See all →

Milton L. HumasonAmerican astronomer · b. 1891

Shirley Ardell MasonAmerican artist · b. 1923

Arnold BlanchAmerican painter · b. 1896

Perry Greeley HoldenAmerican agronomist · b. 1865

Willis KienholzAmerican football player and coach · b. 1875

Cordenio SeveranceAmerican lawyer · b. 1862

Places that used to be

Old corners

Claremont’s post office has been open since 1856.

Hamlets and corners on the map

Claremont Mobile Homes

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

Questions about Claremont’s history

What year was Claremont founded?

The Claremont post office opened in 1856, 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 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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