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History · Kranzburg

Kranzburg dates to 1878, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Holy Rosary Church and the Kranzburg School District No. 5. Below: maps from 1970 on and the census since 1960.

1878founded
2on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Jbirksd · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Kranzburg began, and where its name came from

When was Kranzburg founded?

1878

Kranzburg dates its founding to 1878 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 156 in 19602020 census: 163148 years

How did Kranzburg get its name?

Kranzburg was named in honor of the four Kranz brothers who settled there.

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1879. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Kranzburg’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 Kranzburg are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Kranzburg’s homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Kranzburg’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Kranzburg’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 Kranzburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kranzburg.

Read it all →

Kranzburg was platted in 1879. It was named in honor of the four Kranz brothers who settled there. All four of the Kranz brothers were immigrants from Vianden, Luxembourg. A post office has been in operation in Kranzburg since 1879.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Kranzburg, 1878 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1878
    FoundingKranzburg is established
  3. 1879Post officeThe Kranzburg post office opens
  4. 1898BuiltHoly Rosary Church is built
  5. 20th century
  6. 1970On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Kranzburg, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Kranzburg, South Dakota2022Kranzburg, South DakotaSDMap-doton-Kranzburg2004SDMap-doton-Kranzburg
On the map

Kranzburg on the map, 1970 to 1985

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

Kranzburg on the 1970 USGS mapKranzburg on the 1985 USGS map1970Kranzburg 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 Kranzburg.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Kranzburg

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1986
Holy Rosary Church
Holy Rosary Church, built 1898Kranzburg School District No. 5
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival1
One-Room Rectangular Pen School1
All 2 listings
Holy Rosary ChurchBuilding · listed 1986Kranzburg School District No. 5Building · listed 1991

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

People over time

Kranzburg, census by census

01002001960198020002020Peak: 185

Between 132 and 185 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

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

Questions about Kranzburg’s history

What year was Kranzburg founded?

In 1878, according to Wikidata. Kranzburg’s post office opened in 1879, and the census of 1960 counted 156 people here.

What is on the National Register in Kranzburg?

Two places: the Holy Rosary Church (listed 1986) and the Kranzburg School District No. 5 (1991).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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.