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History · Nisland

Nisland’s post office opened in 1909, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Ditchrider House. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1920.

1909first post office
1on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Nisland began

When was Nisland founded?

1909

The Nisland post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 173 in 19202020 census: 206117 years
Founding year: the first Nisland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Nisland’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 Nisland are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Nisland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Nisland’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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The story so far

Nisland, in brief

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

Nisland is a town in Butte County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 206 at the 2020 census. The town was named in honor of Nis Sorensen, the original owner of the town site.

Its first post office opened in 1909. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 232 to 206 (-11%).

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

Timeline

Nisland, 1905 to 1916

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1909Post officeThe Nisland post office opens
  4. 1916BuiltDitchrider House is built
By decade

Nisland, decade by decade

Today2 recent
2015 No-till Crop Tour BelleFourche20152015 No-till Crop Tour BelleFourcheSDMap-doton-Nisland2004SDMap-doton-Nisland
On the map

Nisland on the map, 1905 to 1951

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

Nisland on the 1905 USGS mapNisland on the 1951 USGS map1905Saint Onge sheet · 1:62,500

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

On the National Register

1 historic place in Nisland

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2002
Ditchrider House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Bungalow/Craftsman1
All 1 listings
Ditchrider HouseBuilding · listed 2002

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Nisland, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 232

Between 157 and 232 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Nisland

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

See all →
Amy HillAmerican character actress · b. 1953
Dorothy ProvineAmerican singer, dancer, and actress · b. 1935
John MiljanAmerican actor · b. 1892
Larry RhodenAmerican politician · b. 1959
Alfred L. WerkerAmerican film director · b. 1896
Jason KubelAmerican baseball player · b. 1982

Questions about Nisland’s history

What year was Nisland founded?

The Nisland post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Nisland?

One place: the Ditchrider House (listed 2002).

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 National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.