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History · Hudson

Hudson was first counted by the census in 1880, and 52% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Hudson Boy Scout Cabin. Below: maps from 1985 on and the census since 1880.

1880first census
1on the National Register
52%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hudson began

When was Hudson founded?

1880

Hudson first appears in the census in 1880. Another post office, Eden (1868), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 88 in 18802020 census: 311146 years
Founding year: the first census.

What stands out about Hudson’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 Hudson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hudson’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 500 in 1950; 311 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hudson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hudson’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 so far

Hudson, in brief

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

Hudson is a town in Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 311 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost community in South Dakota. The town takes its name from Hudson, Iowa, the native home of a large share of the early settlers.

Its first post office opened in 1880. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 296 to 311 (+5%).

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

People over time

Hudson, census by census

010020030040050018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 500

Peaked at 500 in 1950; 311 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Timeline

Hudson, 1868 to 1985

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1868Post officeThe Eden post office opens
  3. 1888Born hereAmanda Clement is born here
  4. 1892Post officeThe Eden post office closes
  5. 1892Post officeThe Hudson post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1908Born hereClyde Carpenter is born here
  8. 1940BuiltHudson Boy Scout Cabin is built
  9. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 500
  10. 1985On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hudson, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Hudson2004SDMap-doton-Hudson
On the map

Hudson on the map in 1985

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hudson.

Hudson on the 1985 USGS map1985Rock Rapids 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 Hudson.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Hudson

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
2009
Hudson Boy Scout Cabin
Hudson Boy Scout Cabin, built 1940
Buildings
Hudson Boy Scout CabinBuilt 1940

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Hudson

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
A
Amanda ClementAmerican baseball umpire · b. 1888
C
Clyde CarpenterAmerican football coach · b. 1908
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Hudson’s post office has been open since 1892. Another post office, Eden, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Eden
1868–1892
Hudson
1892–today
18601940today

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

Questions about Hudson’s history

What year was Hudson founded?

The Hudson post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Hudson?

One place: the Hudson Boy Scout Cabin (listed 2009).

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