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–Not graded
History · Anderson

Anderson’s post office opened in 1863, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1955 on.

1863first post office
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Anderson began

When was Anderson founded?

1863

The Anderson post office opened in 1863, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Trade River (1879) and Randall (1885), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 408163 years
Founding year: the first Anderson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Anderson’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 Anderson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Anderson, and 3 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Anderson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Anderson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Anderson had its own post office from 1863 to 1885. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Anderson
1863–1885
Trade River
1879–1907
Randall
1885–1951
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BensonRandallTrade River
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Anderson
Logging CreekSaint Olaf

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

The story

How Anderson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Anderson.

Read it all →

Anderson was named after early settler and Wisconsin State Assembly member Canute Anderson.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Anderson, 1863 to 1955

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1863Post officeThe Anderson post office opens
  3. 1879Post officeThe Trade River post office opens
  4. 1885Post officeThe Anderson post office closes
  5. 1885Post officeThe Randall post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1907Post officeThe Trade River post office closes
  8. 1951Post officeThe Randall post office closes
  9. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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.
Add from your album
On the map

Anderson on the map, 1955 to 1983

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

Anderson on the 1955 USGS mapAnderson on the 1983 USGS map1955Rush City 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 Anderson.

Famous people

Famous people close to Anderson

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

See all →
R
Ruth DucciniAmerican actress · b. 1918
L
Lonnie HammargrenNevada neurosurgeon, politician, and collector · b. 1937
Leo ChenalAmerican football player · b. 2000
Carol MerrillAmerican game show model · b. 1941
Gus JohnsonAmerican YouTube comedian and podcast host · b. 1995
Jon RydbergAmerican wheelchair tennis and basketball player · b. 1977
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

SterlingIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGrantsburgIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTrade LakeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWood River1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Anderson’s history

What year was Anderson founded?

The Anderson post office opened in 1863, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.