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History · Slayton Township

Slayton Township dates to 1882, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1967 on, and the census since 1890.

1882founded
0on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Slayton Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Slayton Township began

When was Slayton Township founded?

1882

Slayton Township dates its founding to 1882 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 380 in 18902020 census: 268144 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Slayton 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 writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Slayton Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMurray Theater, Broadway: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Slayton Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Slayton Township.

Read it all →

Slayton was platted in 1882 by Charles W. Slayton, and named for him.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Slayton Township, 1882 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882
    FoundingSlayton Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1980In the archiveMurray Theater, Broadway
By decade

Slayton Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s2 items
Murray Theater, Broadway1980Murray Theater, BroadwaySlayton Clinic1980Slayton Clinic
1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today6 recent
Left Bank Cafe2016Left Bank CafeSlayton, Minnesota2014Slayton, MinnesotaMurray County Museum2014Murray County MuseumMurray County Government Center2014Murray County Government Center4-H Club Building20144-H Club BuildingMNMap-doton-Slayton2005MNMap-doton-Slayton
On the map

Slayton Township on the map, 1967 to 1985

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

Slayton Township on the 1967 USGS mapSlayton Township on the 1985 USGS map1967Slayton sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Slayton Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Murray Theater, Broadway
Retake this viewMurray Theater, Broadway, 1980

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Slayton Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Slayton Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,487

Between 380 and 2,487 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Slayton Township
Restland - Slayton Memory GardensSaint AnnesSlayton

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.

Mason TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLime Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLeeds TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townIona TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Slayton Township’s history

What year was Slayton Township founded?

In 1882, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1890 counted 380 people here.

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 (8), Wikidata (2), 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.