The story
Read it all →How Pine River Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Pine River Township.
Pine River was incorporated in 1901. Its post office began in 1877.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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History · Pine River Township
Half of Pine River Township’s homes were built after 1995
More historic than 16% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Most of Pine River Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: 4 old photos and papers from 1995 on.
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Quick answers
About Pine River Township’s history
How historic is Pine River Township?
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What drives the grade ↓More historic than 16% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Pine River Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pine River Township is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pine River Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19404.3% of homes (±3.4) · typical MN town 8.1% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical MN town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 16%
NewerOlder
Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Pine River Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Pine River Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Pine River Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pine River Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Pine River Township, 1899 to 1995
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1899Post officeThe Mildred post office opens
- 20th century
- 1954Post officeThe Mildred post office closes
- 1995
In the archivePaul Bunyan Scenic Byway - Pine River Float
By decade
Pine River Township, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
1990s4 items
1995
1995
1995
2018
2015Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Mildred, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Mildred
Gone or out of use
Mildred Post Officepost office
1cemetery inside Pine River Township
Pine River
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.
Pine River1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBarclay TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPowers TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBull Moose TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWalden TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Questions about Pine River Township’s history
How does Pine River Township rank for history?
Pine River Township is more historic than 16% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Pine River Township?
4% of Pine River Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1995.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.