Thomson Township dates to 1870, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 61% of U.S. towns · #74 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Cooke, Jay, State Park CCC/Rustic Style Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, and three historic districts with 5 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1954 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1896.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Thomson Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Thomson Township is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #74 of 273 in Minnesota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Thomson Township’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 Thomson Township’s 9.0 sits above most of its state (75% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1870.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.7 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Thomson Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Thomson was founded in 1870, and named for David Thompson, a Canadian explorer and surveyor. A post office was established at Thomson in 1870, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1955.
On November 5, 2013, a referendum was held to authorize the consolidation of Thomson and the nearby city of Carlton, which is also the county seat. 94% of voters in Carlton and 82% of Thomson voters approved, and the cities merged in 2015, retaining the name of Carlton.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Thomson Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Esko 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 Thomson 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.
Retake this viewJay Cooke State Park, Pedestrian Suspension Bridge, Minnesota Highway 210, crossing St. Louis River
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Thomson Township’s page.
In 1870, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Thomson Township’s post office opened in 1896, and the census of 1900 counted 207 people here.
How does Thomson Township rank for history?
Thomson Township is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #74 of 273 in Minnesota. 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.
What is on the National Register in Thomson Township?
4 listings: 3 historic districts, the Cooke, Jay, State Park CCC/Rustic Style Historic District, the Cooke, Jay, State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Picnic Grounds and the Cooke, Jay, State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Service Yard, with 5 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 5 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Thomson Township?
15% of Thomson Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via 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.
★ Landmark
Date?
2021
2017
2003
