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History · Mellette Township

Mellette Township dates to 1881, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1895 on and the census since 1890.

1881founded
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Mellette Township began

When was Mellette Township founded?

1881

Mellette Township dates its founding to 1881 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 241 in 18902020 census: 106145 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.

What stands out about Mellette 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 Mellette Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18953 editions of the USGS map, 1895 to 1985. Watch Mellette Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 507 in 1920; 199 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Mellette Township’s homes were built before 1943.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mellette Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mellette Township’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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On the map

Mellette Township on the map, 1895 to 1985

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

Mellette Township on the 1895 USGS mapMellette Township on the 1954 USGS mapMellette Township on the 1985 USGS map1895Aberdeen sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Mellette Township.

People over time

Mellette Township, census by census

01002003004005001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 507

Peaked at 507 in 1920; 199 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story so far

Mellette Township, in brief

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

Mellette is a city in Spink County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 199 at the 2020 census. Mellette was laid out in 1881, and named in honor of Governor Arthur C. Mellette.

Mellette Township was established in 1881. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 130 to 106 (-18%).

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

Timeline

Mellette Township, 1881 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881
    FoundingMellette Township is established
  3. 1895On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 507
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Duxbury
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Mellette Township
CalvaryMellette

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.

Tetonka TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLa Prairie TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorthville TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJefferson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Mellette Township’s history

What year was Mellette Township founded?

In 1881, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1890 counted 241 people here.

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 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.