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Saum Schools from HABSPhoto: Jet Lowe · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Kelliher Township

Half of Kelliher Township’s homes were built after 1981

Most of Kelliher Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1919 on, and the census since 1910.

0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Kelliher Township’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about Kelliher 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 writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 514 in 1920; 258 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19193 editions of the USGS map, 1919 to 1971. Watch Kelliher Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Kelliher Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSaum Schools from HABS: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Kelliher Township, census by census

0100200300400500192019401960198020002020Peak: 514

Peaked at 514 in 1920; 258 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

On the map

Kelliher Township on the map, 1919 to 1971

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

Kelliher Township on the 1919 USGS mapKelliher Township on the 1924 USGS mapKelliher Township on the 1971 USGS map1919Bridgie 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 Kelliher Township.

The story so far

Kelliher Township, in brief

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

Kelliher ( KEL-ee-ər) is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 258 at the 2020 census. Minnesota State Highway 72 is the main route through Kelliher. Kelliher was named for A. O. Kelliher, a businessman in the lumber industry.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 130 to 126 (-3%).

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

Timeline

Kelliher Township, 1919 to 1990

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1919On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 514
  4. 1990In the archiveSaum Schools from HABS
By decade

Kelliher Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Saum Schools from HABS1990Saum Schools from HABS
Today1 recent
MNMap-doton-Kelliher2005MNMap-doton-Kelliher
Famous people

Famous people close to Kelliher Township

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

See all →
C
Charlie NorrisAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1963
Mal FreeburgAmerican Pilot (March 6, 1906 – May 10, 1963) · b. 1906
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Woodrow Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townShooks TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKelliherIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Kelliher Township’s history

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 (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.