Montrose was laid out in 1880. Some say the town was named after the novel A Legend of Montrose by Sir Walter Scott, while others believe the name is an amalgamation of "mountain" and "rose", features near the original town site. A post office has been in operation in Montrose since 1880. Then-President George H. W. Bush visited Montrose for a political event in 1992.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Montrose Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1964Montrose 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 Montrose Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Montrose Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
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