Little Falls dates to 1848, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #5 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
10 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 36 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1852.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Little Falls’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Little Falls is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #5 of 273 in Minnesota. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Little Falls’ 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’ 48.2 sits above most of its state (93% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 44 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.3 points). Two sources give 1848.
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’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Little Falls, building by building, 1892–1915
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
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.
In 1848, according to Wikidata. Little Falls’ post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1880 counted 508 people here.
How does Little Falls rank for history?
Little Falls is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #5 of 273 in Minnesota. 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.
What is on the National Register in Little Falls?
10 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Morrison County Courthouse (listed 1978, the first), and 3 historic districts, the Weyerhaeuser, Charles A., and Musser, Richard Drew, Houses, the Lindbergh, Charles A., State Park WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources and the Little Falls Commercial Historic District, with 36 contributing buildings. 44 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Little Falls?
24% of Little Falls’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1968.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1910
