–Not graded

History · Gladstone Township

Gladstone Township dates to 1882, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1940.

1882founded

0on the National Register

28%homes built before 1940

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Quick answers

How Gladstone Township began

When was Gladstone Township founded?

1882

Gladstone Township dates its founding to 1882 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1940.

First census: 278 in 19402020 census: 60144 years

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1905.The full story ↓

What stands out about Gladstone 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 Gladstone Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Gladstone Township’s homes were built before 1957.

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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gladstone 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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The story

How Gladstone Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gladstone Township.

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Gladstone was laid out in 1882, and was originally built up by a group of settlers from Ripon, Wisconsin. The group's founder James Gray Campbell was joined by about 150 pioneers who included Mrs. Ira Lawrence, May (Lawrence) Sorber, Russell Lawrence (born 1882 at Gladstone), Alice Campbell Lytle (born 1882 at Gladstone), Mrs. Birdsall, Mrs. Clarence E. Eldred, Mrs. Charles Kono, Estelle Cryne Hagburg, Orrissa Cryne Elwell, Mrs. G.S. Cryne and G.S. Cryne. The city was named for British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. Settlers made use of available resources including underground coal, clay for brick building, and agate sand deposits, in demand by the railroad companies, and raised high grade horses.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Gladstone Township, 1882 to 1953

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

19th century
1882
FoundingGladstone Township is established
20th century
1905Post officeThe Benson post office opens
1909Post officeThe Benson post office closes
1953On 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.

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On the map

Gladstone Township on the map, 1953 to 1975

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

1953Jamestown sheet · 1:250,000

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

People over time

Gladstone Township, census by census

Between 185 and 317 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Gladstone Township

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

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Milton YoungAmerican politician · b. 1897

Frank J. MagillUnited States federal judge · b. 1927

Paul SheeksAmerican football player and coach · b. 1889

Peter ReaderAmerican businessperson · b. 1913

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

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

Hamlets and corners on the map

Benson Corner

1cemetery inside Gladstone Township

High Prairie

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.

Grandview TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Prairie TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Black Loam TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Pearl Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Sheridan TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Gladstone Township’s history

What year was Gladstone Township founded?

In 1882, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Gladstone Township’s post office opened in 1905, and the census of 1940 counted 278 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 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.

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