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History · Sisseton Township

Sisseton Township dates to 1907

Most of Sisseton Township was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1953 on, and the census since 1900.

1907founded
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sisseton Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sisseton Township began

When was Sisseton Township founded?

1907

Sisseton Township dates its founding to 1907 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 928 in 19002020 census: 761119 years
Founding year: Wikidata.
The story so far

Sisseton Township, in brief

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

Sisseton is a city in Roberts County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,479 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Roberts County. Sisseton is home to several tourist attractions, including the Nicollet Tower, and is near the "Song to the Great Spirit" building on the Sisseton Wahpeton College campus. The city is named for the Sisseton division of the Sioux people. It also serves as an important part of the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation.

Sisseton Township was established in 1907. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 453 to 761 (+68%).

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

Timeline

Sisseton Township, 1907 to 1953

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1907
    FoundingSisseton Township is established
  3. 1909In the archiveSisseton, S. Dak
  4. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Sisseton Township, decade by decade

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

1900s6 items
Sisseton, S. Dak1909Sisseton, S. DakSisseton, S. Dak1909Sisseton, S. DakTen elevators1909Ten elevatorsPublic School1909Public SchoolBusiness Street1909Business StreetDepot and elevators1909Depot and elevators
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
On the map

Sisseton Township on the map, 1953 to 1970

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

Sisseton Township on the 1953 USGS mapSisseton Township on the 1970 USGS map1953Milbank sheet · 1:250,000

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

Sisseton, S. Dak
Retake this viewSisseton, S. Dak, 1909

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Sisseton Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 3,218

Between 928 and 3,218 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
School Number 1schoolSchool Number 2school
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sisseton Township
Emanuel LutheranSaint Peter's

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Sisseton Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSisseton, S. Dak: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Grant TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEnterprise TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLong Hollow TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGoodwill TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Sisseton Township’s history

What year was Sisseton Township founded?

In 1907, according to Wikidata. the census of 1900 counted 928 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 the Library of Congress (6), 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.