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–Not graded
History · Russell

15% of Russell’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1954 on.

0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

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

Start Russell’s collection

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

Russell, in brief

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

Russell is a town in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 704 in 2025. The unincorporated communities of Gleason and Dudley are located in the town. The unincorporated community of Bloomville is also located partially in the town.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 677 to 693 (+2%).

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

Timeline

Russell, 1880 to 1954

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880Post officeThe Dudley post office opens
  3. 1881Post officeThe Dudley post office closes
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902Post officeThe Gleason post office opens
  6. 1954On 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.
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On the map

Russell on the map, 1954 to 1990

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

Russell on the 1954 USGS mapRussell on the 1990 USGS map1954Iron Mountain 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 Russell.

Famous people

Famous people close to Russell

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

See all →
W
Wendy BoglioliAmerican swimmer · b. 1955
D
Dale WassermanAmerican playwright · b. 1914
Jay LeggettAmerican actor, improvisational comedian, produ… · b. 1963
Mike WebsterAmerican football player · b. 1952
J
Justin Orvel SchmidtAmerican entomologist · b. 1947
Carl R. EklundAmerican ornithologist · b. 1909
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Dudley, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Dudley
1880–1881
Gleason
1902–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
DudleyGleason
Gone or out of use
Axen Lake Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Russell
GleasonLuther Memorial

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

BirchIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSchleyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSummitIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHarrisonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Russell’s history

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 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.