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–Not graded
History · Lyle Township

Lyle Township dates to 1854, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1907 on.

1854founded
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lyle Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lyle Township began

When was Lyle Township founded?

1854

Lyle Township dates its founding to 1854 (Wikidata).

2020 census: 369172 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Lyle Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Old housesHalf of Lyle Township’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · The story

How Lyle Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lyle Township.

Read it all →

Lyle was platted in 1870. The city was named after Robert Lyle, a farmer, territorial, and state legislator. Lyle was incorporated in 1875.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lyle Township, 1854 to 1910

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1854
    FoundingLyle Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1907In the archiveStreet Lyle Minn - old
  5. 1910In the archiveBirds Eye View Lyle RR Yards - GP Anderson
By decade

Lyle Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1910s6 items
Street Lyle Minn - old1907Street Lyle Minn - oldPostcardCity Hall Lyle Minn1908City Hall Lyle MinnPostcardElm St Lyle Minn1909Elm St Lyle MinnPostcardBirds Eye View Lyle RR Yards - GP Anderson1910Birds Eye View Lyle RR Yards - GP AndersonPostcardGrove St Lyle Minn. Photo by Anderson1910Grove St Lyle Minn. Photo by AndersonPostcardGrove St. Lyle Minn - photo by Anderson1910Grove St. Lyle Minn - photo by AndersonPostcard
1920s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
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.

Street Lyle Minn - old
Retake this viewStreet Lyle Minn - old, 1907

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Lyle Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Lyle Township

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

See all →
R
Ryan HannamAmerican football player · b. 1980
George C. MathewsAmerican economist · b. 1886
J
Jane BloomingdaleAmerican politician in the state of Iowa · b. 1956
M
Matt JohnsonAmerican politician in North Dakota · b. 1871
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
William Engle Landing Stripairport
1cemetery inside Lyle Township
Woodbury

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Lyle Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewStreet Lyle Minn - old: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

London TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLyleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAustin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lyle Township’s history

What year was Lyle Township founded?

In 1854, according to Wikidata.

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 (6), Wikipedia 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.