Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Colton

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 · Colton

Colton’s post office opened in 1898, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1910.

1898first post office
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: BrianHagan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Colton began

When was Colton founded?

1898

The Colton post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 407 in 19102020 census: 738128 years
Founding year: the first Colton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Colton’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 Colton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Colton’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Colton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Colton’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
The story

How Colton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Colton.

Read it all →

The town started with a creamery in 1897, made by J. E. Colton. Other businesses started to form around the creamery, making a Main Street. In 1901, the founder started a newspaper called "The Colton Courier" that stayed in place for years. The three other shareowners were W. O. Colton and Dave Crooks, the founder of Colton's Neighboring town, Crooks. Between 1905 and 1906 a railroad was built through Colton, which used to have passenger service. J. E. Colton was 53 years old when he died in 1910.

ChaptersCreationSchools1993 Tornado

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Colton in 1899

Passages that mention Colton, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The location of a creamery at this point, with its larg-e jmtronag-e, made it a desirable location for other business enterprises. In July, 1898, a post office was established, and H. Lovald appointed postmaster. Colton has already two stores and a blacksmith shop, and is rapidly puttingon the appe…
History of Minnehaha county, South Dakota. Containing an account of its settlements, growth, development and resources ... Synopsis of public records, biographical sketches ..1899 · page 1065Read the page →
Read the text

The location of a creamery at this point, with its larg-e jmtronag-e, made it a desirable location for other business enterprises. In July, 1898, a post office was established, and H. Lovald appointed postmaster. Colton has already two stores and a blacksmith shop, and is rapidly puttingon the appearance of a lively little villag-e. The first school was taug-ht in district number 62, during the summer of 1880, in an old sod house located on the northeast quarter of section 26, where the present school house is located, and Mrs.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the map

Colton on the map, 1968 to 1985

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

Colton on the 1968 USGS mapColton on the 1985 USGS map1968Colton 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 Colton.

People over time

Colton, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 757

Between 407 and 757 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Colton

Nobody well known was born in Colton itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Larry PresslerU.S. politician · b. 1942
Karl MundtAmerican politician · b. 1900
Nils BoeAmerican politician and judge · b. 1913

Questions about Colton’s history

What year was Colton founded?

The Colton post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 Wikipedia, 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.