Its Register listing is the Bishop Stanislaus Vincent Bona Cabin. Most of Minong was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1965 on and the census since 1920.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Minong is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Minong’s overall grade.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Minong’s 18.4 sits above most of its state (82% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Minong’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Minong is a name derived from the Ojibwe language. It is generally translated as "blueberry place" or "good place". Minong is also the Ojibwe name for Isle Royale.
A post office called Minong has been in operation since 1887. The village was laid out in 1888 when the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway constructed a rail line through the area. Josiah Bond and J. J. Hohl and were the principal developers of the village.
Minong is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Minong?
One place: the Bishop Stanislaus Vincent Bona Cabin (listed 2020).
How old are the homes in Minong?
6% of Minong’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1988.
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).
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
