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History · Bristow Township

Bristow Township’s post office opened in 1891, and 65% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1951 on and the census since 1910.

1891first post office
0on the National Register
65%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Bristow Township began, and where its name came from

When was Bristow Township founded?

1891

The Bristow Township post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 175 in 19102020 census: 102135 years

How did Bristow Township get its name?

Bristow Township was named for Benjamin Bristow, United States Secretary of the Treasury during the Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant.

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

What stands out about Bristow 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 Bristow Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Bristow Township’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 255 in 1920; 70 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bristow Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bristow 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 Bristow Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bristow Township.

Read it all →

Bristow was laid out as a town in 1902 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Benjamin Bristow, United States Secretary of the Treasury during the Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Bristow Township, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 255

Peaked at 255 in 1920; 70 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

By decade

Bristow Township, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Bristow, Nebraska2012Bristow, NebraskaBristow, Nebraska2012Bristow, NebraskaBristow, Nebraska2012Bristow, NebraskaBristow, Nebraska2012Bristow, NebraskaBristow, Nebraska2012Bristow, NebraskaBristow, Nebraska2012Bristow, NebraskaBristow, Nebraska2012Bristow, NebraskaBristow, Nebraska2012Bristow, NebraskaBristow, Nebraska2012Bristow, NebraskaBristow, Nebraska post office from SE2010Bristow, Nebraska post office from SEBristow, Nebraska State Bank from SE2010Bristow, Nebraska State Bank from SEBristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 52010Bristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 5Bristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 42010Bristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 4Bristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 32010Bristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 3Bristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 22010Bristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 2Bristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 12010Bristow, Nebraska Prairie Street 1Bristow, Nebraska PNK Service2010Bristow, Nebraska PNK ServiceNEMap-doton-Bristow2005NEMap-doton-Bristow
On the map

Bristow Township on the map in 1951

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bristow Township.

Bristow Township on the 1951 USGS map1951Bristow 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 Bristow Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Paddock Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpencer TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMorton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLynch TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Bristow Township’s history

What year was Bristow Township founded?

The Bristow Township post office opened in 1891, 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 →
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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 (18), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.