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History · Mahtowa Township

Mahtowa Township’s post office opened in 1889, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1880.

1889first post office
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Mahtowa Township began

When was Mahtowa Township founded?

1889

The Mahtowa Township post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 143 in 18802020 census: 553137 years
Founding year: the first Mahtowa Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Mahtowa 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 Mahtowa Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mahtowa Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mahtowa 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 so far

Mahtowa Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mahtowa Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Mahtowa ( MAH-toh-wə) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mahtowa Township, Carlton County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 332. The community is located between Cloquet and Moose Lake, near the junction of Interstate 35 and Carlton County Road 4. County Road 4 and County Road 61 are two of the main routes in Mahtowa. Mahtowa is located 13 miles southwest of Cloquet. Mahtowa is located 11 miles northeast of Moose Lake, 32 miles southwest of Duluth.

Its first post office opened in 1889. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 613 to 553 (-10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Mahtowa Township on the map, 1956 to 1981

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

Mahtowa Township on the 1956 USGS mapMahtowa Township on the 1981 USGS map1956Barnum 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 Mahtowa Township.

People over time

Mahtowa Township, census by census

010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 370

Between 143 and 370 people in every census since 1880.

3 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Mahtowa Township

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

See all →
Jessica LangeAmerican actress · b. 1949
Barbara PaytonAmerican actress · b. 1927
Clay WilsonAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1983
Karson KuhlmanAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1995
D
Derek PlanteAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1971
C
Corey MillenAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1964
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Mahtowa
Gone or out of use
Mahtowalocale

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Atkinson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBlackhoof TownshipIts storyC−Barnum TownshipIts storyC+Skelton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Mahtowa Township’s history

What year was Mahtowa Township founded?

The Mahtowa Township post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 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.