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–Not graded
History · Keshena

Keshena’s post office opened in 1857, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1964 on.

1857first post office
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Keshena began

When was Keshena founded?

1857

The Keshena post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,257169 years
Founding year: the first Keshena post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Keshena’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 Keshena are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Keshena’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Keshena’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
The story so far

Keshena, in brief

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

Keshena (Menominee: Kesīqnæh) is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Menominee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located on the Menominee Indian Reservation, it had a population of 1,257 at the 2020 census. Keshena was named for an Indian chief; the Menominee name is Kesīqnaeh which means "Swift Flying".

Its first post office opened in 1857. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,262 in 2010, 1,257 in 2020.

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

By decade

Keshena, decade by decade

Today8 recent
Menominee County Courthouse and offices, Wisconsin2020Menominee County Courthouse and offices, WisconsinKeshenaLake2020KeshenaLake20140910-FNS-RBN-0050201420140910-FNS-RBN-0050KeshenaWisconsinSignCasinoSouthWIS552009KeshenaWisconsinSignCasinoSouthWIS55KeshenaWisconsinParkWIS552009KeshenaWisconsinParkWIS55KeshenaWisconsinDowntown20092009KeshenaWisconsinDowntown2009KeshenaWisconsinWIS552008KeshenaWisconsinWIS55WIMap-doton-Keshena2004WIMap-doton-Keshena
On the map

Keshena on the map, 1964 to 1982

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

Keshena on the 1964 USGS mapKeshena on the 1982 USGS map1964Shawano 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 Keshena.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Legend LakeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWescottIts storyCMenomineeIts storyD

Questions about Keshena’s history

What year was Keshena founded?

The Keshena post office opened in 1857, 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 →
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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 (8) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.