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History · Golden City Township

Golden City Township dates to 1866, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1886 on and the census since 1880.

1866founded
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Golden City Township began

When was Golden City Township founded?

1866

Golden City Township dates its founding to 1866 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 139 in 18802020 census: 1,017160 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1860.The full story ↓

What stands out about Golden City 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 Golden City Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18865 editions of the USGS map, 1886 to 1991. Watch Golden City Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 900 in 1980; 656 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Golden City Township’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Golden City Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Golden City 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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On the map

Golden City Township on the map, 1886 to 1991

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

Golden City Township on the 1886 USGS mapGolden City Township on the 1894 USGS mapGolden City Township on the 1962 USGS mapGolden City Township on the 1986 USGS mapGolden City Township on the 1991 USGS map1886Carthage sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Golden City Township.

People over time

Golden City Township, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 900

Peaked at 900 in 1980; 656 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Golden City Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Golden City Township.

Read it all →

Golden City was established in 1867 as a stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach Line. It takes its name from a nearby area known as Golden Grove. In reality the diggings were done by Indians mining an outcropping of exceptionally fine flint. Another rumor for its naming stems from the Indian dig sites, early settlers thought the flint mines were Spanish gold mines. It was re-platted in 1870. The Golden City Herald served the community from 1881 until Dec. 28, 1972. Dellard Surbrugg published the newspaper and ran a commercial printing business from 1940 until he sold the paper to Gene Wotkiewicz, editor and publisher of the Lockwood Luminary.

Chapters2019 tornado

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Golden City Township, 1860 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1860Post officeThe Golden Grove post office opens
  3. 1863Post officeThe Golden Grove post office closes
  4. 1866
    FoundingGolden City Township is established
  5. 1886On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 900
By decade

Golden City Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
MOMap-doton-Golden City2004MOMap-doton-Golden City
Famous people

Famous people close to Golden City Township

Nobody well known was born in Golden City Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Harlow ShapleyAmerican astronomer · b. 1885
Frank D. WilliamsAmerican cinematographer · b. 1893
Curt DavisAmerican baseball player · b. 1903
Cloyd BoyerAmerican baseball player · b. 1927
F
Floyd WooldridgeBaseball player · b. 1928
Edward Harrison DeArmondUnited States Army general · b. 1878
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Golden Grove, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Gone or out of use
Fairmount SchoolschoolForest Grove SchoolschoolGolden Grove SchoolschoolPrairie Home SchoolschoolStone SchoolschoolWest Point Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Golden City Township
Harlow - Wright

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.

Newport TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRichland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Golden City Township’s history

What year was Golden City Township founded?

In 1866, according to Wikidata. Golden City Township’s post office opened in 1860, and the census of 1880 counted 139 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), Wikipedia, 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.