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History · Midland Township

Midland Township dates to 1890

Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1950 on, and the census since 1910.

1890founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Midland Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Midland Township began

When was Midland Township founded?

1890

Midland Township dates its founding to 1890 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 210 in 19102020 census: 45136 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Midland 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 writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 401 in 1960; 112 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Midland Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Midland Township’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 viewMidland, S. Dak: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Midland Township, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 401

Peaked at 401 in 1960; 112 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Midland Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Midland Township.

Read it all →

Midland was laid out in 1890. The town was named from its location halfway between the Missouri and Cheyenne rivers. A post office called Midland has been in operation since 1890.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Midland Township, 1890 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890
    FoundingMidland Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1909In the archiveMidland, S. Dak
  5. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 401
By decade

Midland Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s4 items
Midland, S. Dak1909Midland, S. DakMain Street looking west1909Main Street looking westMain Street looking east1909Main Street looking eastBridge over the Bad River, at Midland, S. Dak1909Bridge over the Bad River, at Midland, S. Dak
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today2 recent
MIDLAND PIONEER MUSEUM, HAAKON COUNTY SD2013MIDLAND PIONEER MUSEUM, HAAKON COUNTY SDSDMap-doton-Midland2004SDMap-doton-Midland
On the map

Midland Township on the map, 1950 to 1985

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

Midland Township on the 1950 USGS mapMidland Township on the 1985 USGS map1950Ree Heights SE 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 Midland Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Midland, S. Dak
Retake this viewMidland, S. Dak, 1909

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Midland Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Miller TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGreenleaf TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRockdale TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Midland Township’s history

What year was Midland Township founded?

In 1890, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1910 counted 210 people here.

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), the Library of Congress (4), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.