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Bank Of Bowdle NRHP 85000183 Edmunds County, SDPhoto: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 3.0
–Not graded
History · Bowdle Township

Bowdle Township dates to 1886

Most of Bowdle Township was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1974 on, and the census since 1900.

1886founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
11old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bowdle Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bowdle Township began

When was Bowdle Township founded?

1886

Bowdle Township dates its founding to 1886 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 622 in 19002020 census: 75140 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bowdle Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Boom and bustPeaked at 818 in 1920; 470 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · People over time

Bowdle Township, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 818

Peaked at 818 in 1920; 470 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Bowdle Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bowdle Township.

Read it all →

Bowdle was platted in 1886. Bowdle most likely derives its name from C.C. Bowdle, the pioneer banker in the city. However, other sources claim the name either comes from Alexander M. Bowdle, an employee for the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad, or G.M. Bowdle, a pioneer settler of Mitchell.

On May 22nd, 2010, Bowdle was struck by an EF4 tornado. While no fatalities or injuries were reported, the tornado did damage several farms to the north of town along with tossing multiple vehicles. The tornado was part of a larger outbreak taking place from the 22nd to the 25th.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bowdle Township, 1886 to 1974

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886
    FoundingBowdle Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1909In the archiveGreetings from Bowdle, S.D
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 818
  6. 1942In the archiveSaturday afternoon
  7. 1974On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bowdle Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s2 items
Greetings from Bowdle, S.D1909Greetings from Bowdle, S.DS.W. portion of Bowdle, S. Dak1909S.W. portion of Bowdle, S. Dak
1910s–1930snothing 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
1940s9 items
Saturday afternoon1942Saturday afternoonBowdle, South Dakota. Saturday afternoon1942Bowdle, South Dakota. Saturday afternoonBowdle, South Dakota. On the main line1942Bowdle, South Dakota. On the main lineUntitled photo, possibly related to: Bowdle, South Dakota. Saturday afternoon1942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowdle, South Da…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowdle, South Dakota. On the main line1942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowdle, South Da…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowdle, South Dakota. On the main line1942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowdle, South Da…Bowdle, South Dakota. Soldier on furlough with friends in front of pool hall1942Bowdle, South Dakota. Soldier on furlough with friend…Bowdle, South Dakota. Soldier home on furlough, talking with friend in front of pool hall1942Bowdle, South Dakota. Soldier home on furlough, talki…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowdle, South Dakota. Soldier on furlough with friends in front of pool hall1942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Bowdle, South Da…
1950s–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
On the map

Bowdle Township on the map, 1974 to 1985

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

Bowdle Township on the 1974 USGS mapBowdle Township on the 1985 USGS map1974Bowdle 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 Bowdle Township.

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.

Greetings from Bowdle, S.D
Retake this viewGreetings from Bowdle, S.D, 1909

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

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Bowdle Township
KetterlingRedeemerSaint Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Bowdle Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGreetings from Bowdle, S.D: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Cottonwood Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOdessa TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townModena TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Bowdle Township’s history

What year was Bowdle Township founded?

In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1900 counted 622 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 the Library of Congress (11), Wikidata (1), 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.