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History · Marvin

Marvin’s post office opened in 1881, and 56% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1970 on and the census since 1920.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
56%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: TimothyMN · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Marvin began

When was Marvin founded?

1881

The Marvin post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 173 in 19202020 census: 19145 years
Founding year: the first Marvin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Marvin’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 Marvin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Marvin’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Marvin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Marvin’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

Marvin, in brief

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

Marvin is a town in Grant County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 19 at the 2020 census. Marvin was originally called Grade Siding; during the search for what residents considered a more suitable name, the presence of a Marvin brand safe in town caused the new name to be selected.

Its first post office opened in 1881. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 34 to 19 (-44%).

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

By decade

Marvin, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Marvin Post Office2020Marvin Post OfficeMarvin Fire Hall2020Marvin Fire Hall2015 Bird Tour by the SD Grassland Coalition20152015 Bird Tour by the SD Grassland CoalitionSDMap-doton-Marvin2004SDMap-doton-Marvin
On the map

Marvin on the map, 1970 to 1985

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

Marvin on the 1970 USGS mapMarvin on the 1985 USGS map1970Marvin 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 Marvin.

People over time

Marvin, census by census

0100192019401960198020002020Peak: 173

Between 19 and 173 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Marvin

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

See all →
Royce WilliamsRetired United States Navy aviator · b. 1925
E
Everett DunnCivil engineer · b. 1892
Jack MandersAmerican football player · b. 1909
M
Mary A. McClureAmerican politician in South Dakota · b. 1939
W
Wendell E. DunnAmerican educator · b. 1894
A
Alvin C. StrutzAmerican judge · b. 1903
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Marvin’s post office has been open since 1881.

Gone or out of use
Grade Siding Stationlocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Marvin
Osceola 1Osceola 2

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

Questions about Marvin’s history

What year was Marvin founded?

The Marvin post office opened in 1881, 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 (4), 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.