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History · Gennessee Township

16% of Gennessee Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1956 on.

0on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Gennessee 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 Gennessee Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Gennessee Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gennessee 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

Gennessee Township, in brief

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

Gennessee Township is a township in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 458 at the 2000 census. The township includes the city of Atwater. Gennessee Township was organized in 1858, and named after the Genesee River in New York, the home state of a share of the early settlers.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 413 to 423 (+2%).

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

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

Gennessee Township on the map, 1956 to 1982

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

Gennessee Township on the 1956 USGS mapGennessee Township on the 1982 USGS map1956Atwater 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 Gennessee Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Gennessee Township

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

See all →
Rick SwensonAmerican musher · b. 1950
E
Elmer FeigAmerican architect · b. 1897
Seth OlsenAmerican football player · b. 1985
J
Jake NordinPlayer of American football · b. 1984
M
Mary OlsonAmerican politician · b. 1958
Shane ZylstraAmerican football tight end · b. 1996
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Atwater1 historic placeBKandiyohi Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake Elizabeth Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townActon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHarrison TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Gennessee 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 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.