Most of La Crescent Township was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1870.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, La Crescent Township is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of La Crescent Township’s overall grade.
Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so La Crescent Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1851.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about La Crescent Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lying on the west bank of the Mississippi River, the city is surrounded by bluffs with views of the river and abundant wildlife. Humans have inhabited this area for thousands of years. The most recent inhabitants before the arrival of white settlers were the Dakota people, a branch of the Sioux, and the Ho-Chunk, or Winnebago.
Following the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, Nathan Boone, youngest son of Daniel Boone, was among the early surveyors of this area. The various Indian tribes who had lived here were forced out and relocated in the 1840s to accommodate white settlement.
What they wrote about La Crescent Township in 1919
Passages that mention La Crescent Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Houston County, Minnesota1919 · page 131Read the page →
Read the text
District No. 84, La Crescent Township, was set off from District 2, in 1871, and a frame schoolhouse put up on section 6. M. Emery was the first teacher.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Houston County, Minnesota1919 · page 122Read the page →
Read the text
District 2, La Crescent Township. The earliest school in La Crescent Township, of which there is any record, was one established in section 6, in 1855. The first teacher was Jane Burton. The building was constructed of logs, and served its purpose until 1864, when a frame schoolhouse was erected, 16 by 24 feet, at a cost of $300, on the land of J. Tuininga in the same section. This latter building was in use until 1870 or 1871, when
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 La Crescent Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1956La Crescent 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 La Crescent Township.
People over time
La Crescent Township, census by census
Grew from 380 people in 1870 to 5,276 in 2020, more than tenfold.
14 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on La Crescent Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and burying grounds
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Pine Creek
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside La Crescent Township
Immanuel German LutheranPine Creek CatholicSaint Joseph's CatholicToledo
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.
In 1851, according to Wikidata. the census of 1870 counted 380 people here.
How does La Crescent Township rank for history?
La Crescent Township is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in La Crescent Township?
8% of La Crescent Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1986.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (7), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
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