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History · Armour

Armour dates to 1885, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 20 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1890.

1885founded
2on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Armour’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Armour began

When was Armour founded?

1885

Armour dates its founding to 1885 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 482 in 18902020 census: 698141 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓

What stands out about Armour’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,045 in 1920; 698 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1917, drew every building in Armour.A historic districtThe Armour Historic District takes in 20 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Armour’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Armour’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 viewMain St: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Armour, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,045

Peaked at 1,045 in 1920; 698 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Every building

Armour, building by building, 1893–1917

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Armour fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Armour came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Armour.

Read it all →

Armour was founded in 1885. The city was named after Philip Danforth Armour, who was the founder of Armour and Company, a meat packing company. Contrary to popular belief, Armour was never home to a meat packing plant; the town was so named because Mr. Armour was also the chairman of the railroad that went through Armour and donated a bell to the local congregational church. The athletic teams of Armour High School were formerly known as the "Packers" in reference to the well known packing company, although today the high school plays its sports jointly with Tripp-Delmont High School as the "Armour/Tripp-Delmont Nighthawks."

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Armour, 1885 to 1982

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1885
    FoundingArmour is established
  3. 1886Post officeThe Armour post office opens
  4. 1894Born herePeirson Mitchell Hall is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1906Born hereJohn C. Flanagan is born here
  7. 1914In the archiveMain St
  8. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 1,045
  9. 1979On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1982Born hereEmily St. James is born here
  11. 1982Born hereTony Venhuizen is born here
By decade

Armour, decade by decade

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

1910s1 item
Main St1914Main St
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
Today5 recent
Armour, South Dakota, E side Main St S of 2nd St2017Armour, South Dakota, E side Main St S of 2nd StDouglas County Museum2010Douglas County MuseumDouglas County Museum 22010Douglas County Museum 2Armour, South Dakota sign2010Armour, South Dakota signSDMap-doton-Armour2004SDMap-doton-Armour
On the map

Armour on the map, 1979 to 1986

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

Armour on the 1979 USGS mapArmour on the 1986 USGS map1979Armour 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 Armour.

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.

Main St
Retake this viewMain St, 1914

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 listings protect 22 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
22
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Armour Historic District
Armour Historic DistrictDouglas County Courthouse and Auditor's Office
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Prairie Style1
Neo-Classical1
Queen Anne1
Neo-Classic Style1
Armour Historic DistrictPrairie Style
Douglas County Courthouse and Auditor's OfficeNeo-Classic Style

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Armour

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
E
Emily St. JamesAmerican writer and critic · b. 1982
J
John C. FlanaganAmerican psychologist · b. 1906
Peirson Mitchell HallUnited States federal judge · b. 1894
Tony VenhuizenAmerican politician · b. 1982
J
James E. PutnamAmerican politician · b. 1940
S
Spencer HawleyAmerican politician · b. 1953
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Independence TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townChester TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Armour’s history

What year was Armour founded?

In 1885, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Armour’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1890 counted 482 people here.

What is on the National Register in Armour?

Two places: the Armour Historic District (listed 1978) and the Douglas County Courthouse and Auditor's Office (1978).

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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.