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History · McIntosh

McIntosh’s post office opened in 1908, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1972 on, and the census since 1910.

1908first post office
0on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From McIntosh’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How McIntosh began

When was McIntosh founded?

1908

The McIntosh post office opened in 1908, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 409 in 19102020 census: 111118 years
Founding year: the first McIntosh post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about McIntosh’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 727 in 1920; 111 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of McIntosh’s homes were built before 1940.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start McIntosh’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how McIntosh’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCorson County Courthouse: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

McIntosh, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 727

Peaked at 727 in 1920; 111 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How McIntosh came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of McIntosh.

Read it all →

McIntosh was named for a sibling duo who worked for the railroad. The town was established in 1909.

McIntosh was the site of a Cold War era radar station. On April 1, 2006, the wood-frame courthouse burned to the ground. Twenty-five year old Dwight Crigger, an employee of the local weed and pest board, was arrested for the setting the fire. It was the last wood courthouse in use in South Dakota.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

McIntosh, 1908 to 1993

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1908Post officeThe McIntosh post office opens
  3. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 727
  4. 1937Born hereJoyce Cohen is born here
  5. 1963Born hereKevin R. Sweazea is born here
  6. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1993In the archiveCorson County Courthouse
By decade

McIntosh, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Corson County Courthouse1993Corson County Courthouse
Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-McIntosh2004SDMap-doton-McIntosh
On the map

McIntosh on the map, 1972 to 1980

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

McIntosh on the 1972 USGS mapMcIntosh on the 1980 USGS map1972McIntosh 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 McIntosh.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in McIntosh

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

See all →
J
Joyce CohenAmerican politician · b. 1937
K
Kevin R. SweazeaAmerican lawyer · b. 1963

Questions about McIntosh’s history

What year was McIntosh founded?

The McIntosh post office opened in 1908, 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 (2), Wikipedia, 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.