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History · Wilton

Wilton’s post office opened in 1903, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1880.

1903first post office
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Myotus · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Wilton began

When was Wilton founded?

1903

The Wilton post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Selkce (1900), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 87 in 18802020 census: 263123 years
Founding year: the first Wilton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Wilton’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 Wilton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1910 and 1950, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wilton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wilton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Wilton, census by census

010020018801900192019401960198020002020215 in 1910Low: 108

Lost half of its people between 1910 and 1950, then more than doubled.

13 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Wilton, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Wilton yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Wilton is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, Wilton had a population of 263. Wilton is considered a bedroom community of Bemidji.

Its first post office opened in 1903. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 204 to 263 (+29%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Wilton, 1900 to 2020

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1900Post officeThe Selkce post office opens
  3. 1903Post officeThe Selkce post office closes
  4. 1903Post officeThe Wilton post office opens
  5. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 21st century
  7. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 263
By decade

Wilton, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Wilton Church2026Wilton ChurchWelcome sign for Rognlien Park, Beltrami County Park2026Welcome sign for Rognlien Park, Beltrami County ParkLooking south on Main Street SW to Grand Avenue SW2026Looking south on Main Street SW to Grand Avenue SWLooking north on Main Street SW to Sunset Avenue SW2026Looking north on Main Street SW to Sunset Avenue SW
On the map

Wilton on the map in 1954

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wilton.

Wilton on the 1954 USGS map1954Bemidji 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 Wilton.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Wilton’s post office has been open since 1903. Another post office, Selkce, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Selkce
1900–1903
Wilton
1903–today
19001960today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Wilton
Sacred Heart CatholicWilton

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Eckles TownshipIts storyD

Questions about Wilton’s history

What year was Wilton founded?

The Wilton post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 (4), 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.