Wahkon was established in 1885 as "Pots Town", then its name changed to "Lawrence" in 1891 when the post office was established. A second "Pottstown" was platted next to Lawrence in 1901 by T.E. Potts. In 1907, Wahkon was platted by the Soo Line Railroad. By 1910, Pottstown and Lawrence had amalgamated into Wahkon. Wahkon was incorporated on November 6, 1912. Before the establishment of Wahkon, the site was an Ojibwe village named Sagawamick (from the Ojibwe language Zaagawaamik, meaning "Sandbar"). Prior to being an Ojibwe village, it was a Mdewakanton Dakota village.
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 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.
