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History · Bristol Township

Bristol Township dates to 1921

Most of Bristol Township was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1968. Below: maps from 1985 on and the census since 1890.

1921founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: TimothyMN · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Bristol Township began

When was Bristol Township founded?

1921

Bristol Township dates its founding to 1921 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 199 in 18902020 census: 61105 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

What stands out about Bristol 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 Bristol Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 675 in 1940; 288 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bristol Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bristol Township’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

Bristol Township, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 675

Peaked at 675 in 1940; 288 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story so far

Bristol Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bristol Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Bristol is a city located in western Day County, South Dakota, United States. It lies in Section 25 of Bristol Township, on the main line of what is now the BNSF Railway alongside U.S. Route 12. The population was 288 at the 2020 census.` Similar to many towns of the area and of the Midwest in general, Bristol came into being as a result of railroad expansion. The railroad, which first came through the area in the 1870s, identified the site which would become Bristol as Station #70. C.P. Prior, a district railroad surveyor and townsite agent, was given credit for naming Bristol in 1881. He named the town after Bristol, England.

Bristol Township was established in 1921. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 58 to 61 (+5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Bristol Township, 1921 to 1985

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1921
    FoundingBristol Township is established
  3. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 675
  4. 1985On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bristol Township, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Bristol South Dakota Post Office2020Bristol South Dakota Post OfficeBristol South Dakota Mural2020Bristol South Dakota MuralBristol South Dakota Haunted Warehouse2020Bristol South Dakota Haunted WarehouseBristol South Dakota Gas Station Signs2020Bristol South Dakota Gas Station SignsSDMap-doton-Bristol2007SDMap-doton-Bristol
On the map

Bristol Township on the map in 1985

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

Bristol Township on the 1985 USGS map1985Webster sheet · 1:100,000

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Andover TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKidder TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townValley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townUnion TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Bristol Township’s history

What year was Bristol Township founded?

In 1921, according to Wikidata. the census of 1890 counted 199 people here.

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 (5), 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.