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–Not graded
History · Cromwell

Cromwell’s post office opened in 1882, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

1882first post office
0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Lorie Shaull · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Cromwell began

When was Cromwell founded?

1882

The Cromwell post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 240144 years
Founding year: the first Cromwell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Cromwell’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 Cromwell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cromwell’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Cromwell.

Read it all →

The post office was established at Cromwell in 1882. Cromwell was organized in 1891, receiving its name from the Northern Pacific Railway. Cromwell was incorporated in 1903.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Cromwell, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Bar2025BarWelcome to Cromwell sign in2021Welcome to Cromwell sign inThe Crow's Nest in2021The Crow's Nest inHometown Family Foods in2021Hometown Family Foods inCity of Cromwell City Office in2021City of Cromwell City Office inMNMap-doton-Cromwell2005MNMap-doton-Cromwell
Famous people

Famous people close to Cromwell

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

See all →
Dale Eugene WayrynenUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1947
M
Mark VichorekAmerican ice hockey defenceman · b. 1963
Chet GayAmerican football player · b. 1900
I
Irene ReedAmerican anthropologist, linguist, educator · b. 1931
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Eagle TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Cromwell’s history

What year was Cromwell founded?

The Cromwell post office opened in 1882, 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 Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.