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History · Heron

Heron dates to 1883, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers and maps from 1966 on.

1883founded
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Heron’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Heron began

When was Heron founded?

1883

Heron dates its founding to 1883 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1884.

2020 census: 173143 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1884.

What stands out about Heron’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Heron’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewView of Heron, Montana: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Heron, in brief

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

Heron is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sanders County, Montana, named for the village of Heron which is located within it. The population of the CDP was 173 at the 2020 census. The town was built in 1883 by the Northern Pacific Railroad as a division point.

Heron was established in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 282 to 173 (-39%).

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

Timeline

Heron, 1883 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883
    FoundingHeron is established
  3. 1884Post officeThe Heron post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1903Born hereElizabeth Jacobs is born here
  6. 1910In the archiveView of Heron, Montana
  7. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Heron, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s2 items
View of Heron, Montana1910View of Heron, MontanaStation at Heron, Mont1910Station at Heron, Mont
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Heron on the map, 1966 to 1997

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

Heron on the 1966 USGS mapHeron on the 1983 USGS mapHeron on the 1997 USGS map1966Heron 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 Heron.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

View of Heron, Montana
Retake this viewView of Heron, Montana, 1910

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Heron’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Heron’s post office has been open since 1884.

Gone or out of use
Heron Methodist ChurchchurchHeron SchoolschoolKnottlocale
1cemetery inside Heron
Heron

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

Questions about Heron’s history

What year was Heron founded?

In 1883, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Heron’s post office opened in 1884.

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 the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.