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History · Scanlon

Scanlon’s post office opened in 1901, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

1901first post office
0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Scanlon began

When was Scanlon founded?

1901

The Scanlon post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 987125 years
Founding year: the first Scanlon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Scanlon’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 Scanlon are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Scanlon’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Scanlon’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Scanlon’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Scanlon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Scanlon.

Read it all →

A post office called Scanlon was established in 1901, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1954. The city was named for Michael Joseph Scanlon, President of the Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Scanlon, decade by decade

Today5 recent
School and Government offices2024School and Government officesSchool Memorial2024School MemorialMemorial2024MemorialScanlon Community Center2021Scanlon Community CenterMNMap-doton-Scanlon2005MNMap-doton-Scanlon
Famous people

Famous people close to Scanlon

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

See all →
Bob DylanAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1941
Jessica LangeAmerican actress · b. 1949
Oliver E. WilliamsonAmerican economist · b. 1932
Jeffrey WilliamsAmerican astronaut · b. 1958
Bill BerryAmerican musician; drummer for R.E.M. · b. 1958
D
Don LaFontaineAmerican voice actor · b. 1940
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Scanlon had its own post office from 1901 to 1954.

Scanlon
1901–1954
19001960today

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.

Thomson Township4 historic placesBCloquet7 historic placesB+

Questions about Scanlon’s history

What year was Scanlon founded?

The Scanlon post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (5), 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.