The Renville post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1878. Another post office, Renville Station (1878), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 1,301164 years
How historic is Renville?
C+
More historic than 44% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Renville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1878.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Renville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Renville is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Renville’s overall grade.
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 Renville’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1878 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). 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 →
The city and county of Renville were named for Joseph Renville, a man of French and Dakota descent who had extensive knowledge of the wilderness and served as a guide for many expeditions. Renville founded Fort Renville and served as a captain during the War of 1812. He was a courier, interpreter, and founder of the Columbia Fur Company. He earned respect that cut across the racial and ethnic boundaries of that era.
The city of Renville was platted in 1878, when the railroad reached the area. It was incorporated in 1906. It has grown from a population of 250 in 1900 to about 1,200 residents today.
Passages that mention Renville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Renville County, Minnesota1916 · page 1364Read the page →
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The postoffice at Three Mile Creek continued to be called Renville for many years. But after the village of Renville station was established, a Renville postoffice was also established there. To avoid confusion, the Three Mile creek office had its name changed to Camp.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Renville County, Minnesota1916 · page 1216Read the page →
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"The climate is much milder now than before the settlement north of Renville. In the winter of 1886 I was out with two young men as far as Clara City. When we drove back to Renville both men wanted to see an acquaintance and asked me to let them out and they would walk back to Renville. I did. Soon a snowstorm came up and I could not see anything. I did not even know in what direction the horses were going, but left it to them to find the way. which they did. I arrived at Renville
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Renville, 1862 to 1910
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Renville post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1878.
How does Renville rank for history?
Renville is more historic than 44% 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 Renville?
25% of Renville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 the Library of Congress (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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