Willow River’s post office opened in 1889, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
Most of Willow River was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Its Register listing is the Willow River Rutabaga Warehouse and Processing Plant.
How Willow River began
When was Willow River founded?
The Willow River post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1891.
1 historic place in Willow River
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Willow River’s post office has been open since 1889.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Willow River’s history
What year was Willow River founded?
The Willow River post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1891.
What is on the National Register in Willow River?
One place: the Willow River Rutabaga Warehouse and Processing Plant (listed 1990).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.