Most of Rice was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Below: 5 old photos and papers from 1939 on and old-book passages.
The Rice post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1890. Two smaller post offices, Langola (1857) and Rices (1878), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 1,975137 years
How did Rice get its name?
The village of Rice was named after Massachusetts born hotelier and mill owner, George T. Rice.
How historic is Rice?
C−
More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rice is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rice’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 Rice’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 C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1890 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 →
What stands out about Rice’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Originally an Ojibwe territory, Sand Prairie, saw its first settlers of European origin in the autumn of 1844.
Under a mandate of the United States government and after the Ojibwe ceded their land in the Treaty of 1837, the Territory of Minnesota was established in 1849. Benton County became one of nine organized counties. The village of Rice was named after Massachusetts born hotelier and mill owner, George T. Rice. Rice migrated to the village of Langola in 1864 to develop the area. In 1877, the Northern Pacific Railroad came through, and George T. Rice hired F.W. Earl to build the Luther hotel. The village of Rice became officially incorporated within Benton County, on July 18, 1890, as a farming community.
Passages that mention Rice, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota1910 · page 341Read the page →
Read the text
field or East Prairie was over Front street road, fording the river, or, when conditions were favorable, following Water street down to Second street bridge. That bridge was the pioneer among bridges, being the first to span Straight river in Rice county, and was built under the direction of the late Charles Wood, better known in Faribault as Sheriff Wood, he having been elected the first sheriff after county organization. That bridge, built over a fitful stream sometimes only a little rivulet fed and barely
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Rice and Steele counties, Minnesota1910 · page 92Read the page →
Read the text
the first settler of Rice county. Leaving out the numerous relatives, friends and helpers of Faribault who came here from year to year, the next white settler was Peter Bush. In the spring of 1853 Luke Hulett, after having made a trip to the locality.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Rice County, including explorers and pioneers of Minnesota and outline history of the state of Minnesota1882 · page 545Read the page →
Read the text
This, the northwest corner township of Rice county, has Le Sneur county on the west, Scott county on the north, the town of Webster on the east, and Erin on the south. It has the regular thirty-six sections of a government township. As to the name, whether it is derived from the Wheatland which was the residence of President Buchanan, from some town further east, or from its
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Rice County, including explorers and pioneers of Minnesota and outline history of the state of Minnesota1882 · page 285Read the page →
Read the text
While Minnesota was still a Territory, iu the winter of 1855-'56, Rice connty was set apart from D.ikota county, and the first county election was held iu the fall of 1855. Prior to this, as early as 1854, the county of Rice was made a part, by common usage, of Dakota county, but this was never accepted as legal by the citizens of Rice, and they refused to recognize any proceed-
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
Rice, 1857 to 1939
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 Rice post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1890.
How does Rice rank for history?
Rice is more historic than 22% 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 Rice?
6% of Rice’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 2003.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (5), Wikipedia, 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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