The Wheatland Township post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Wheatland (1857) and Veseli (1908), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,261169 years
How historic is Wheatland Township?
A−
More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Wheatland Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Wheatland Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wheatland Township is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wheatland 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 Wheatland Township’s 33.3 sits above most of its state (91% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Wheatland Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Wheatland
1857–1907
Veseli
1908–1985
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
VeseliWheatland
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Wheatland Township
Calvary HillSaint Johns
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Wheatland Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Wheatland Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Wheatland is an unincorporated community in Wheatland Township, Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The community is located along Union Lake Trail, near its junctions with Jennings Avenue and Kent Avenue. Nearby places include Lonsdale, Veseli, Montgomery, New Prague, and Millersburg.
Its first post office opened in 1857. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,237 in 2010, 1,261 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Wheatland Township, 1857 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wheatland Township.
1953Saint Paul sheet · 1:250,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Wheatland Township.
On the National Register
2 historic places in Wheatland Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The Wheatland Township post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Wheatland Township rank for history?
Wheatland Township is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns. 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 Wheatland Township?
Two places: the Church of the Most Holy Trinity (Catholic) (listed 1997) and the Trondhjem Norwegian Lutheran Church (2001).
How old are the homes in Wheatland Township?
25% of Wheatland Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.2 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
