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History · Clifton

24% of Clifton’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1902 on.

0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Clifton’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 Clifton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19024 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1984. Watch Clifton change.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Clifton, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Clifton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clifton’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

Clifton on the map, 1902 to 1984

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

Clifton on the 1902 USGS mapClifton on the 1952 USGS mapClifton on the 1978 USGS mapClifton on the 1984 USGS map1902Mineral Point 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 Clifton.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Martinville
1859–1886
Annaton
1861–1900
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Annaton
1cemetery inside Clifton
Rock Church

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

The story so far

Clifton, in brief

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

Clifton is a town in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 380 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Annaton is located in the town. The town was named for Bosmon Clifton, a community and religious benefactor who was born in Delaware and came north from St. Charles County, Missouri in 1834.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 385 in 2010, 380 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Clifton, 1859 to 1902

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1859Post officeThe Martinville post office opens
  3. 1861Post officeThe Annaton post office opens
  4. 1886Post officeThe Martinville post office closes
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900Post officeThe Annaton post office closes
  7. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Clifton, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Wisconsin Highway 80 - panoramio (1)2015Wisconsin Highway 80 - panoramio (1)Grain Elevator - panoramio (5)2015Grain Elevator - panoramio (5)WIMap-doton-Clifton2004WIMap-doton-Clifton
Famous people

Famous people close to Clifton

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

See all →
Herbert Spencer GasserAmerican physiologist · b. 1888
John FiedlerAmerican actor · b. 1925
Christopher C. MillerActing U.S. Secretary of Defense during the las… · b. 1965
Allen LuddenAmerican television personality, actor, emcee a… · b. 1917
John J. BlaineAmerican politician · b. 1875
Ethel WrightAmerican actress · b. 1884
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

LibertyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLivingstonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWingvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLimaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMifflinIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Clifton’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 Wikimedia Commons (3), 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.