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History · South Gorin

South Gorin dates to 1886, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1903 on and the census since 1900.

1886founded
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Photo: Evan Bench · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How South Gorin began

When was South Gorin founded?

1886

South Gorin dates its founding to 1886 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 319 in 19002020 census: 62140 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1887.The full story ↓

What stands out about South Gorin’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 South Gorin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 746 in 1910; 62 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19033 editions of the USGS map, 1903 to 1981. Watch South Gorin change.Old housesHalf of South Gorin’s homes were built before 1944.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Gorin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how South Gorin’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

South Gorin, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 746

Peaked at 746 in 1910; 62 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

On the map

South Gorin on the map, 1903 to 1981

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

South Gorin on the 1903 USGS mapSouth Gorin on the 1965 USGS mapSouth Gorin on the 1981 USGS map1903Edina 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 South Gorin.

The story

How South Gorin came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of South Gorin.

Read it all →

Gorin was founded in 1857 and is named for Reverend M.G. Gorin and Major J.H.M. Gorin, both early settlers to the area. The town primarily owes its growth to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, which was finishing construction in the area in the 1880s. A depot was built in the fledgling town, which began to experience steady growth. By 1913 it had grown to be Scotland County's second-largest town. The business community featured two banks, two hotels, multiple grocery drug, and hardware stores along with restaurants, a farm implement dealer and factory manufacturing wagons and buggies. A weekly newspaper, the Gorin Argus was also published for several years. The Prairie Oil & Gas Company, a division of Standard Oil, built a pumping station for their cross-country pipeline also. A new school building was built in Gorin in 1907 for elementary through tenth grade students and continu…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

South Gorin, 1877 to 1910

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1877Born hereSedona Schnebly is born here
  3. 1886
    FoundingSouth Gorin is established
  4. 1887Post officeThe Gorin post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1903On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 746
By decade

South Gorin, decade by decade

Today1 recent
South Gorin-12012South Gorin-1
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Gorin

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

Questions about South Gorin’s history

What year was South Gorin founded?

In 1886, according to Wikidata. South Gorin’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1900 counted 319 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, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.