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History · Conata Township

Conata Township’s post office opened in 1908

Below: maps from 1981 on.

1908first post office
0on the National Register
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Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Conata Township began

When was Conata Township founded?

1908

The Conata Township post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Conata (1908), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 7118 years
Founding year: the first Conata Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Conata 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 Conata Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Conata Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Conata Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Conata Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Conata Township.

Read it all →

Conata had its start in 1907 when the Milwaukee Railroad was extended to that point. A post office called Conata was established in 1908, and remained in operation until 1954.

The USGS Historical Map Explorer maps of 1950 and 1952 show the railroad line, Conata Rd and 14 structures.

A 1966 System Map of “The Milwaukee Road” does not identify Conata as a stop.

The tracks for the “Milwaukee Road” railroad have been removed East and West of Conata Basin Rd. All but one section of track still lies under the dirt road. The ends of the rails are visible on either side of the road. (See photos)

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Conata Township, 1908 to 1981

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1908Post officeThe Conata post office opens
  3. 1954Post officeThe Conata post office closes
  4. 1981On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Conata Township, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Remaining rail section in2022Remaining rail section inRemaining rail section (2nd angle)2022Remaining rail section (2nd angle)Conata, SD22022Conata, SD2Conata, SD2022Conata, SDConata Water Tower footings2022Conata Water Tower footings
On the map

Conata Township on the map in 1981

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

Conata Township on the 1981 USGS map1981Wall 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 Conata Township.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Another post office, Conata, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Conata

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Imlay TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCastle Butte TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFairview Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFlat Butte TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Conata Township’s history

What year was Conata Township founded?

The Conata Township post office opened in 1908, 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 Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.