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History · Motley Township

Motley Township dates to 1874

Most of Motley Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: maps from 1963 on and the census since 1880.

1874founded
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Motley Township began

When was Motley Township founded?

1874

Motley Township dates its founding to 1874 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 199 in 18802020 census: 244152 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

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

Start Motley Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Motley 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 Motley Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Motley Township.

Read it all →

Motley was laid out in 1874. A post office has been in operation at Motley since 1873.

In 1881, the Northern Pacific Railway built a 20-by-40-foot (6.1 by 12.2 m) passenger station on the east side of 2nd Street (between Front Street and Main Street) and a 24-by-60-foot (7.3 by 18.3 m) freight depot on the west side of 2nd Street. A spur line ran south from the mainline along 4th Avenue to a planing mill on the bank of the Long Prairie River (just south of Cemetery Road). The spur line was removed by 1920.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Motley Township, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Water tower2024Water towerPost Office2024Post OfficeHwy 10 at Beaulieu Street, looking south2024Hwy 10 at Beaulieu Street, looking southFire Department2024Fire DepartmentCatholic Church of St. Michael2024Catholic Church of St. MichaelSt. Michael's Catholic Church2018St. Michael's Catholic Church
On the map

Motley Township on the map, 1963 to 1986

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

Motley Township on the 1963 USGS mapMotley Township on the 1986 USGS map1963Motley SE 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 Motley Township.

People over time

Motley Township, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020680

Grew from 199 people in 1880 to 680 in 2020, 3 times over.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Morey's Airportairport

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.

May TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMotley1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townScandia Valley Township1 historic placeBVillard TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRosing TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFawn Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Motley Township’s history

What year was Motley Township founded?

In 1874, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1880 counted 199 people here.

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 (6), Wikidata (1), 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.