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History · Staples Township

16% of Staples Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1890.

0on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
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Photo: MayorMetz · CC BY-SA 3.0

What stands out about Staples 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 Staples Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Staples Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Staples Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Staples Township.

Read it all →

Staples developed around a sawmill. The settlement was originally called Staples Mill, and under the latter name was platted in 1889, and named for Samuel and Isaac Staples, businessmen in the lumber industry.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Staples Township, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Grave of George Stefoff Hadzi Tipeff from Amyntaio Florina2019Grave of George Stefoff Hadzi Tipeff from Amyntaio Fl…US10 East - Staples MN Sign2018US10 East - Staples MN SignMN210 West Sign2018MN210 West SignBatcher Opera House Block2015Batcher Opera House BlockStaples MN Downtown2013Staples MN DowntownStaples City Hall2013Staples City Hall
On the map

Staples Township on the map, 1966 to 1986

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

Staples Township on the 1966 USGS mapStaples Township on the 1986 USGS map1966Staples 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 Staples Township.

People over time

Staples Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 3,104

Between 585 and 3,104 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Staples2 historic placesA−Villard TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBartlett TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMoran TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townThomastown TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGermania Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Staples Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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), Wikidata (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.