Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1960 on and the census since 1910.
The Dennison post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dennison’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Dennison.
A post office called Dennison has been in operation since 1885. The city was named for Morris P. Dennison, the original owner of the town site.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Dennison, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Dennison is a village of 170 souls situated on the. western boundary line of Warsaw township, being about one-third in Rice county. The name is derived from an early settler who originally owned considerable land where the village is now located. The population of the village is about three-fourths Scandinavian. The first men to start in business in the village were Karl A. and Gunder Bonhus, who conducted a general store.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Dennison. — This post-office, which is located on the western line of the county, on the line of the Chicago Great "Western Railway, was established in 1885, with G. A. Bonhus as postmaster. He was succeeded by K. A. Bonhus, who in turn gave way to A. K. Lockrem. Jens "Walen succeeded him, then his brother, John "Walen. then I. O. Flaten, who was succeeded by
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dennison. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dennison.
Between 152 and 262 people in every census since 1910.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dennison’s Wikipedia page.
Dennison’s post office has been open since 1885.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Dennison post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (1), Wikipedia, 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.
2005