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–Not graded
History · Grand River Township

Half of Grand River Township’s homes were built after 1993

Most of Grand River Township was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Grand River 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 Grand River Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Grand River Township, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grand River Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grand River Township’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
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Altona
1868–1920
Mingo
1871–1872
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Altona
Gone or out of use
Altona SchoolschoolCrawford SchoolschoolMingo Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Grand River Township
Owen

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

The story so far

Grand River Township, in brief

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

Grand River Township is one of twenty-four townships in Bates County, Missouri, and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 251. Grand River Township was established in 1870, and named after the Grand River.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 312 to 297 (-5%).

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

Timeline

Grand River Township, 1868 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868Post officeThe Altona post office opens
  3. 1871Post officeThe Mingo post office opens
  4. 1872Post officeThe Mingo post office closes
  5. 20th century
  6. 1920Post officeThe Altona post office closes
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Grand River Township

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

See all →
Robert A. HeinleinAmerican author and aeronautical engineer · b. 1907
Charles O'RearAmerican photographer and author · b. 1941
Angelica BridgesAmerican actress · b. 1973
Wesley BolinAmerican politician · b. 1909
George H. ChristopherAmerican politician · b. 1888
Tyler FarrAmerican country singer · b. 1984
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Deer Creek TownshipIts storyB−Mingo TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townShawnee TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Grand River Township’s history

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 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.