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History · Westbrook Township

Westbrook Township dates to 1870, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1910.

1870founded
0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
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Photo: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Westbrook Township began

When was Westbrook Township founded?

1870

Westbrook Township dates its founding to 1870 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 429 in 19102020 census: 198156 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Westbrook 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 Westbrook Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,017 in 1950; 758 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Westbrook Township’s homes were built before 1947.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Westbrook Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Westbrook 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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People over time

Westbrook Township, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,017

Peaked at 1,017 in 1950; 758 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Westbrook Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Westbrook Township.

Read it all →

Westbrook was founded on September 17, 1870, and platted on June 8, 1900. The city was named from its location near the west branch of Highwater Creek.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Westbrook Township, 1870 to 1967

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1870
    FoundingWestbrook Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,017
  5. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Westbrook Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
MNMap-doton-Westbrook2005MNMap-doton-Westbrook
On the map

Westbrook Township on the map, 1967 to 1986

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

Westbrook Township on the 1967 USGS mapWestbrook Township on the 1986 USGS map1967Westbrook 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 Westbrook Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Dovray TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStorden TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRose Hill TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAnn TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Westbrook Township’s history

What year was Westbrook Township founded?

In 1870, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1910 counted 429 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (1), Wikidata (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.