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–Not graded
History · Portal Township

Portal Township dates to 1893, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

1893founded
0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Portal Township began

When was Portal Township founded?

1893

Portal Township dates its founding to 1893 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). Its post office opened in 1907.

2020 census: 17133 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1907.
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

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

Hamlets and corners on the map
Rival

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.

Short Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSoo TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPortal2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townVale TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Portal Township’s history

What year was Portal Township founded?

In 1893, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Portal Township’s post office opened in 1907.

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.