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History · Bryant

Bryant dates to 1887, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Kant Hotel, the Old St. Mary's Catholic Parish House and the Bryant Masonic Lodge 118. Below: maps from 1973 on and the census since 1890.

1887founded
3on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Bryant began

When was Bryant founded?

1887

Bryant dates its founding to 1887 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 172 in 18902020 census: 471139 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1887.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bryant’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 Bryant are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 658 in 1940; 471 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Bryant’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bryant’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bryant’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

Bryant, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 658

Peaked at 658 in 1940; 471 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Bryant came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bryant.

Read it all →

Bryant was laid out in 1887, and named for an agent of the town company.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bryant, 1887 to 1973

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887
    FoundingBryant is established
  3. 1887Post officeThe Underwood post office opens
  4. 1888Post officeThe Underwood post office closes
  5. 1888Post officeThe Bryant post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1908BuiltOld St. Mary's Catholic Parish House is built
  8. 1912BuiltKant Hotel is built
  9. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 658
  10. 1949Born hereDebra R. Anderson is born here
  11. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bryant, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Bryant2004SDMap-doton-Bryant
On the map

Bryant on the map, 1973 to 1985

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

Bryant on the 1973 USGS mapBryant on the 1985 USGS map1973Bryant 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 Bryant.

On the National Register

3 historic places in Bryant

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Kant Hotel
Kant Hotel, built 1912Old St. Mary's Catholic Parish House, built 1908Bryant Masonic Lodge 118
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

American Foursquare1
All 3 listings
Kant HotelBuilding · listed 1985Old St. Mary's Catholic Parish HouseBuilding · listed 1988Bryant Masonic Lodge 118Building · listed 2020

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Bryant’s post office has been open since 1888. Another post office, Underwood, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Underwood
1887–1888
Bryant
1888–today
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Bryant’s history

What year was Bryant founded?

In 1887, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bryant’s post office opened in 1887, and the census of 1890 counted 172 people here.

What is on the National Register in Bryant?

Three places: the Kant Hotel (listed 1985), the Old St. Mary's Catholic Parish House (1988) and the Bryant Masonic Lodge 118 (2020).

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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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) 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.