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History · Richland Township

44% of Richland Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1967 on.

0on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Richland 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 Richland Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Richland Township’s homes were built before 1956.
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Start Richland Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Richland 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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The story

How Richland Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Richland Township.

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In 1861, the community was founded by and named after Milton M. Rich of Chicago. Mr. Rich was reported to have dreamed of building a community below the bluffs. However, it was also reported that Mr. Rich disagreed with railroad officials on how to divide the site of the town. The dispute was never resolved; and as a result, the railroad was deflected to Sioux City, Iowa after reaching Le Mars, Iowa.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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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On the map

Richland Township on the map, 1967 to 1985

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

Richland Township on the 1967 USGS mapRichland Township on the 1985 USGS map1967Lake Benton SW 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 Richland Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Richland Township

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

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Harold Koch BoysenAmerican flying ace · b. 1891
W
William L. McKnightAmerican businessman and philanthropist · b. 1887
Donald R. AldworthAmerican football player and coach · b. 1889
I
Ivan HinderakerAmerican academic administrator · b. 1916
T
T. Loren ChristiansonAmerican politician · b. 1926
Places that used to be

Old corners

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

Hamlets and corners on the map
Newdale Colony

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.

Alton Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElkton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake Hendricks Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSherman TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Richland Township’s history

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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.