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–Not graded
History · Frost

Frost’s post office opened in 1899, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1910.

1899first post office
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Frost began

When was Frost founded?

1899

The Frost post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 138 in 19102020 census: 216127 years
Founding year: the first Frost post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Frost’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 Frost are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 381 in 1960; 216 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Frost’s homes were built before 1944.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Frost’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Frost’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

Frost, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 381

Peaked at 381 in 1960; 216 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Frost came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Frost.

Read it all →

A post office called Frost has been in operation since 1899. The city was named for architect Charles Sumner Frost.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Frost, 1889 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889Born hereLudwig B. Erdahl is born here
  3. 1899Post officeThe Frost post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902Born hereErnest Noral Jerome Anderson is born here
  6. 1931Born hereDale Erdahl is born here
  7. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 381
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.
Add from your album
On the map

Frost on the map, 1955 to 1982

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

Frost on the 1955 USGS mapFrost on the 1982 USGS map1955Bricelyn 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 Frost.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Frost

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
D
Dale ErdahlAmerican businessman, farmer, and politician · b. 1931
E
Ernest Noral Jerome AndersonAmerican politician – Minnesota -- "Ernest J." … · b. 1902
L
Ludwig B. ErdahlAmerican politician – Minnesota -- "L.B." House… · b. 1889
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

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

Questions about Frost’s history

What year was Frost founded?

The Frost post office opened in 1899, 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 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.