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History · Clifton Township

33% of Clifton Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1962 on.

0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Clifton 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 Clifton Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Clifton Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clifton 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 so far

Clifton Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Clifton Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Clifton Township is a township in Lyon County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 288 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Dudley is located within the township. Clifton Township was organized in 1876.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 249 to 263 (+6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Clifton Township, 1903 to 1962

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1903Post officeThe Dudley post office opens
  3. 1907Post officeThe Dudley post office closes
  4. 1962On 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

Clifton Township on the map, 1962 to 1986

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

Clifton Township on the 1962 USGS mapClifton Township on the 1986 USGS map1962Dudley 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 Clifton Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Clifton Township

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

See all →
S
Steve ZahnAmerican actor · b. 1967
T
Trey LanceAmerican football player · b. 2000
Leo K. ThorsnessUS Air Force officer and Medal of Honor recipie… · b. 1932
B
Bill GullicksonAmerican baseball player · b. 1959
Har Mar SuperstarAmerican singer · b. 1978
Mally JohnsonAmerican basketball player · b. 1908
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

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

Hamlets and corners on the map
Dudley
Gone or out of use
DudleylocaleDudley Post Officepost office

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.

Amiret TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake Marshall TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStanley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWestline TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Clifton Township’s history

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.