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History · Madelia Township

58% of Madelia Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1965 on and the census since 1880.

0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Madelia 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 writtenNo old photos of Madelia Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Madelia Township’s homes were built before 1938.
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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Madelia Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Madelia Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Madelia Township.

Read it all →

Madelia was founded in 1857, and named for the daughter of a first settler. A post office has been in operation at Madelia since 1860. Madelia was incorporated in 1872.

In 1876, the remaining members of the James-Younger Gang were captured near Madelia after their failed attempt at bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota. Madelia used to hold an event every September called Younger Brothers Day. The event included several activities including a reenactment of the bank robbery as well as the gunfight and capture of the Younger Brothers.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Madelia Township, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Pole-mounted Christmas display in Madelia, Minnesota, USA2024Pole-mounted Christmas display in Madelia, Minnesota,…Flanders' Block2022Flanders' BlockFlanders Block2012Flanders BlockMadelia2010Madelia
On the map

Madelia Township on the map, 1965 to 1991

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

Madelia Township on the 1965 USGS mapMadelia Township on the 1986 USGS mapMadelia Township on the 1991 USGS map1965Madelia sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Madelia Township.

People over time

Madelia Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,500188019001920194019601980200020202,396

Grew from 489 people in 1880 to 2,396 in 2020, 4 times over.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Madelia Township
CalvaryMadeliaOld Catholic ChurchOld Faith Lutheran

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.

Riverdale TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFieldon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLinden Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLincoln TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Madelia Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (4), Wikidata (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via 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.