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History · Eureka Township

Eureka Township dates to 1887, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1986 on and the census since 1890.

1887founded
0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Eureka Township began

When was Eureka Township founded?

1887

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

First census: 552 in 18902020 census: 67139 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Eureka 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 Eureka Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,576 in 1950; 813 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eureka Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Eureka 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

Eureka Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,576

Peaked at 1,576 in 1950; 813 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Eureka Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Eureka Township.

Read it all →

Eureka was laid out in 1887, and named "Eureka", a Greek exclamation meaning "I have found it!" The area attracted German-Russian immigrants, who referred to the original settlement as “St. Petersburg.” The arrival of the railroad in 1887 spurred the town’s growth, and it became a major regional hub for wheat production. From 1887 to 1902, Eureka was known as the world’s wheat capital.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Eureka Township, 1887 to 1986

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887
    FoundingEureka Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,576
  5. 1986On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Eureka Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Eureka2004SDMap-doton-Eureka
On the map

Eureka Township on the map in 1986

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

Eureka Township on the 1986 USGS map1986Mitchell 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 Eureka Township.

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Genes Spray Stripairport

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.

Plankinton Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWhite Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCooper TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCrystal Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Eureka Township’s history

What year was Eureka Township founded?

In 1887, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1890 counted 552 people here.

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), Wikipedia, 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.