Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Denton

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Denton

Denton dates to 1871, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1897 on and the census since 1920.

1871founded
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Denton began, and where its name came from

When was Denton founded?

1871

Denton dates its founding to 1871 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 145 in 19202020 census: 189155 years

How did Denton get its name?

Denton was named for Daniel M. Denton, the original owner of the town site.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1877. 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.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1920 and 1960, then more than doubled.On the map since 18974 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1986. Watch Denton change.
★ 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
People over time

Denton, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020145 in 1920Low: 94

Lost a third of its people between 1920 and 1960, then more than doubled.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

On the map

Denton on the map, 1897 to 1986

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

Denton on the 1897 USGS mapDenton on the 1964 USGS mapDenton on the 1972 USGS mapDenton on the 1986 USGS map1897Lincoln sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Denton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Denton.

Read it all →

Denton was established in 1871 when the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad was extended to that point. It was named for Daniel M. Denton, the original owner of the town site. Denton was incorporated in 1913. In 1930, a fire burned down many buildings in the village, creating an even worse environment for the already-struggling businesses following the stock market crash a year prior.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Denton, 1871 to 2010

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871
    FoundingDenton is established
  3. 1877Post officeThe Denton post office opens
  4. 1897On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 21st century
  6. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 190
By decade

Denton, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center2026Spring Creek Prairie Audubon CenterHarrisSparrow-18OCT20172017HarrisSparrow-18OCT2017Denton, NE2014Denton, NENEMap-doton-Denton2005NEMap-doton-Denton

Questions about Denton’s history

What year was Denton founded?

In 1871, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Denton’s post office opened in 1877, and the census of 1920 counted 145 people here.

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 Wikimedia Commons (4), 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.