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History · Denton

Denton’s post office opened in 1888, and 63% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1920.

1888first post office
0on the National Register
63%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Denton began, and where its name came from

When was Denton founded?

1888

The Denton post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 431 in 19202020 census: 205138 years

How did Denton get its name?

Denton was named after the Missouri county where the postmaster previously lived.

More on the name

Another source says the name came from the Dent brothers who owned the land where the town was founded.

Founding year: the first Denton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Denton’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 Denton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Denton’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Denton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Denton’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
The story

How Denton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Denton.

Read it all →

A post office called Denton has been in operation since 1888. It was named after the Missouri county where the postmaster previously lived. Another source says the name came from the Dent brothers who owned the land where the town was founded. The town was established at its present site when the railroad was extended to that point.

The fast-moving West Wind Fire swept through the town in December 2021. Twelve families lost their homes. The wildfire destroyed or damaged many structures including garages, barns and grain elevators. There were no serious injuries as the town was evacuated minutes before the fire, which burned 10,000 acres (4,000 ha), reached the town.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Denton, 1888 to 1979

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Denton post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1916Born hereJames A. Shelton is born here
  5. 1925Born hereDon Koehler is born here
  6. 1979On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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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On the map

Denton on the map in 1979

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

Denton on the 1979 USGS map1979Denton sheet · 1:24,000

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

Every building

Denton, building by building, 1916

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Denton fire insurance map, 1916, sheet 11916Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Denton, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 435

Between 205 and 435 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Denton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
D
Don KoehlerAmerican 'giant' · b. 1925
J
James A. SheltonUnited States Navy officer · b. 1916
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Denton’s post office has been open since 1888.

Gone or out of use
Gallatin Valley Milling Company ElevatorlocaleWestern Lumber and Grain Company Elevatorlocale

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

Questions about Denton’s history

What year was Denton founded?

The Denton post office opened in 1888, 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 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.