Most of Little Falls Township was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1948 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1922.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Little Falls Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Little Falls Township is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Little Falls 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 Little Falls 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 1848.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.2 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 Little Falls Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town developed at falls on the Mississippi River and was named after them. Several different dams have been built over the falls during the town's history, some of which powered sawmills in the 19th century. Today, the Little Falls Dam is a hydroelectric station that generates power for the surrounding area.
According to the obituary of the Ojibwe war chief Mou-zoo-mau-nee, the people of Little Falls asked the Ojibwe for protection in 1862 during the Sioux Uprising. The Ojibwe sent 150 warriors.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Little Falls Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1948Little Falls 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 Little Falls Township.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewBroadway, 1910
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Little Falls Township’s page.
In 1848, according to Wikidata. Little Falls Township’s post office opened in 1922, and the census of 1880 counted 508 people here.
How does Little Falls Township rank for history?
Little Falls Township is more historic than 45% 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 Little Falls Township?
8% of Little Falls Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (4), Wikipedia, 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.
1910
