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History · Olivet

Olivet dates to 1871, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 1890.

1871founded
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Sdgjake · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Olivet began

When was Olivet founded?

1871

Olivet dates its founding to 1871 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 105 in 18902020 census: 64155 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1871.The full story ↓

What stands out about Olivet’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 Olivet are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1985. Watch Olivet change.Boom and bustPeaked at 242 in 1940; 64 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Olivet’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Olivet’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

Olivet on the map, 1898 to 1985

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

Olivet on the 1898 USGS mapOlivet on the 1957 USGS mapOlivet on the 1985 USGS map1898Olivet 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 Olivet.

People over time

Olivet, census by census

01002001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 242

Peaked at 242 in 1940; 64 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Olivet came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Olivet.

Read it all →

Olivet was established in 1871 as the county seat. The town was named after Olivet, Michigan, the native home of first settlers. The first county courts were housed in a Methodist church; a permanent courthouse was built in 1881.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Olivet, 1871 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871
    FoundingOlivet is established
  3. 1871Post officeThe Maxwell post office opens
  4. 1873Post officeThe Olivet post office opens
  5. 1882Post officeThe Maxwell post office closes
  6. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 20th century
  8. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 242
By decade

Olivet, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Hutchinson County Courthouse2010Hutchinson County CourthouseSDMap-doton-Olivet2004SDMap-doton-Olivet
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Olivet’s post office has been open since 1873. Another post office, Maxwell, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Maxwell
1871–1882
Olivet
1873–today
18701950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Olivet’s history

What year was Olivet founded?

In 1871, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Olivet’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1890 counted 105 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), Wikipedia, 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.