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Odessa, Minnesota buildings-04Photo: Crown Star Images · CC BY 2.0
–Not graded
History · Odessa Township

Odessa Township dates to 1879, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1900.

1879founded
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Crown Star Images · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Odessa Township began, and where its name came from

When was Odessa Township founded?

1879

Odessa Township dates its founding to 1879 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 204 in 19002020 census: 140147 years

How did Odessa Township get its name?

Odessa Township was named after Odesa, Ukraine.

Founding year: Wikipedia. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Odessa 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 Odessa Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 316 in 1940; 103 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Odessa Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Odessa 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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People over time

Odessa Township, census by census

01002003001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 316

Peaked at 316 in 1940; 103 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Odessa Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Odessa Township.

Read it all →

Odessa was platted in 1879 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named after Odesa, Ukraine.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Odessa Township, 1879 to 1953

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879
    FoundingOdessa Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 316
  5. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Odessa Township, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Odessa, Minnesota road sign2016Odessa, Minnesota road signOdessa, Minnesota jail2016Odessa, Minnesota jailOdessa, Minnesota buildings-052016Odessa, Minnesota buildings-05Odessa, Minnesota buildings-042016Odessa, Minnesota buildings-04Odessa, Minnesota buildings-032016Odessa, Minnesota buildings-03Odessa, Minnesota buildings-022016Odessa, Minnesota buildings-02Odessa, Minnesota buildings-012016Odessa, Minnesota buildings-011959 Plymouth Savoy20151959 Plymouth Savoy
On the map

Odessa Township on the map, 1953 to 1985

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

Odessa Township on the 1953 USGS mapOdessa Township on the 1971 USGS mapOdessa Township on the 1985 USGS map1953Ortonville 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 Odessa Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Odessa Township

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

See all →
Jack MandersAmerican football player · b. 1909
M
Mary A. McClureAmerican politician in South Dakota · b. 1939
A
Alvin C. StrutzAmerican judge · b. 1903
Phil SaundersAmerican lawyer · b. 1920
E
Eddie KienholzAmerican football, basketball, and baseball coa… · b. 1889
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
School Number 48school
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Odessa Township
Odessa Immanuel LutheranRest

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.

Agassiz TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAkron TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOtrey TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOrtonville TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townYellow Bank TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOdessa1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Odessa Township’s history

What year was Odessa Township founded?

In 1879, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1900 counted 204 people here.

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 (8), 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.