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History · Donnelly

Donnelly’s post office opened in 1876, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1910 on and the census since 1900.

1876first post office
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Donnelly began

When was Donnelly founded?

1876

The Donnelly post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 164 in 19002020 census: 221150 years
Founding year: the first Donnelly post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Donnelly’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 Donnelly are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 396 in 1950; 221 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Donnelly’s homes were built before 1943.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Donnelly’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Donnelly’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Donnelly, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 396

Peaked at 396 in 1950; 221 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Donnelly came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Donnelly.

Read it all →

Donnelly was originally called Douglas, and under the latter name was laid out in 1872. The present name is in honor of Ignatius L. Donnelly, a U.S. Congressman from Minnesota. A post office called Donnelly has been in operation since 1876.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Donnelly, 1876 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1876Post officeThe Donnelly post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1917Born hereSylvester William Treinen is born here
  6. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 396
By decade

Donnelly, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Donnelly, Minnesota 042024Donnelly, Minnesota 04Donnelly, Minnesota 032024Donnelly, Minnesota 03Donnelly, Minnesota 022024Donnelly, Minnesota 02Donnelly, Minnesota 012024Donnelly, Minnesota 01Donnelly Community Hall2024Donnelly Community Hall
On the map

Donnelly on the map, 1910 to 1973

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

Donnelly on the 1910 USGS mapDonnelly on the 1973 USGS map1910Chokio sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Donnelly.

Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

Donnelly’s post office has been open since 1876.

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Donnelly
LundbergSaint TheresiaVinger

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.

Donnelly TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRendsville TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPepperton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Donnelly’s history

What year was Donnelly founded?

The Donnelly post office opened in 1876, 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 →
Start a conversation
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 (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.