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Clearwater County History CenterPhoto: Myotus · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · Shevlin Township

17% of Shevlin Township’s homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Virginia City Hall. Below: maps from 1943 on and the census since 1900.

1on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Shevlin 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 Shevlin Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 242 in 1950; 137 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Shevlin Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Shevlin Township’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
People over time

Shevlin Township, census by census

01002001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 242

Peaked at 242 in 1950; 137 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Shevlin Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Shevlin Township.

Read it all →

Shevlin was founded as a logging camp in the late 19th century. The town was named after Thomas H. Shevlin (1852-1912), a lumber baron. Shevlin resides in Clearwater County which seceded from Beltrami County. Shortly after Shevlin made a bid to be the county seat for the new county but the town's folk were defeated in the general election and the county seat went Bagley. Boasting a robust economy the streets of Shevlin were lined with shops, blacksmiths, saloons, hotels, casinos, brothels, and livery stables, a fire claimed most of these buildings in 1904 and again in 1911. Other businesses have made Shevlin their base of operations as well. They include Shevlin cooperative creamery, the locker plant, a saw mill, The co-op oil station, a box factory, several general, hardware and drug stores, three saloons a couple of restaurants, a newspaper, a millinery, barbershop, and doctors' offic…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Shevlin Township, 1924 to 1950

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1924BuiltVirginia City Hall is built
  3. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 242
By decade

Shevlin Township, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Shevlin Post office, Shevlin, Minnesota2026Shevlin Post office, Shevlin, MinnesotaBusinesses on Main Avenue at Second Street looking SE, Shevlin, Minnesota2026Businesses on Main Avenue at Second Street looking SE…Businesses at Main Avenue looking SW, Shevlin, Minnesota2026Businesses at Main Avenue looking SW, Shevlin, Minnes…Business on Main Avenue, Shevlin, Minnesota2026Business on Main Avenue, Shevlin, MinnesotaBusiness at the corner of Main Avenue and Second Street looking SE, Shevlin, Minnesota2026Business at the corner of Main Avenue and Second Stre…Shevlin Redwork - Bird Bath2010Shevlin Redwork - Bird Bath
On the map

Shevlin Township on the map, 1943 to 1985

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

Shevlin Township on the 1943 USGS mapShevlin Township on the 1972 USGS mapShevlin Township on the 1985 USGS map1943Solway 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 Shevlin Township.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Shevlin Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2004
Virginia City Hall
Virginia City Hall, built 1924
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals1
Colonial Revival1
Georgian Revival1
Virginia City HallLate 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals · Built 1924

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Shevlin Township

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

See all →
Wes WestrumAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1922
S
Steve KnutsonAmerican football player · b. 1951
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Moose Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDudley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCopley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLammers TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Shevlin Township’s history

What is on the National Register in Shevlin Township?

One place: the Virginia City Hall (listed 2004).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (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.