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History · Draper Township

Draper Township dates to 1906, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Draper Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958. Its Register listing is the Freier Round Barn. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1972 on, and the census since 1910.

1906founded
1on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Draper Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Draper Township began

When was Draper Township founded?

1906

Draper Township dates its founding to 1906 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 211 in 19102020 census: 31120 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.

What stands out about Draper Township’s past

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

Boom and bustPeaked at 252 in 1950; 46 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Draper Township’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · People over time

Draper Township, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 252

Peaked at 252 in 1950; 46 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Draper Township, in brief

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

Draper is a town in Jones County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 46 at the 2020 census. Draper was laid out in 1906, and named in honor of C. A. Draper, a railroad official.

Draper Township was established in 1906. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 33 to 31 (-6%).

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

Timeline

Draper Township, 1906 to 1972

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1906
    FoundingDraper Township is established
  3. 1940In the archiveBank
  4. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 252
  5. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Draper Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s5 items
Bank1940BankShoveling snow. Draper, South Dakota1940Shoveling snow. Draper, South DakotaDraper, South Dakota, during snow blizzard1940Draper, South Dakota, during snow blizzardUntitled photo, possibly related to: Draper, South Dakota, during snow blizzard1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Draper, South Da…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Draper, South Dakota, during snow blizzard1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Draper, 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
Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Draper2004SDMap-doton-Draper
On the map

Draper Township on the map, 1972 to 1985

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

Draper Township on the 1972 USGS mapDraper Township on the 1985 USGS map1972Draper 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 Draper 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.

Bank
Retake this viewBank, 1940

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Draper Township

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1995
Freier Round Barn
Freier Round Barn
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Round Barn1
Freier Round BarnRound Barn

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Draper Township

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

See all →
John ThuneAmerican politician · b. 1961
James AbourezkAmerican politician · b. 1931
James AbdnorAmerican congressman for South Dakota · b. 1923
Dusty JohnsonAmerican politician · b. 1976
A
Angela AamesAmerican actress · b. 1956
Clint RobertsUnited States Congressman from South Dakota · b. 1935
Help out

Finish Draper 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
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBank: 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.

Mussman TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDunkel TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townVirgil TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWilliams Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Draper Township’s history

What year was Draper Township founded?

In 1906, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1910 counted 211 people here.

What is on the National Register in Draper Township?

One place: the Freier Round Barn (listed 1995).

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 Library of Congress (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.