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History · Silver Cliff

Half of Silver Cliff’s homes were built after 1986

Most of Silver Cliff was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1972 on.

0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Silver Cliff’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 Silver Cliff are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Silver Cliff’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Silver Cliff’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

How Silver Cliff came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Silver Cliff.

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The town was originally called Rat River when it was separated from the Town of Athelstane in March 1920, but was renamed Silver Cliff in June 1920.

On June 15, 2022, the town had suffered an EF2 Tornado. This had destroyed the town's public safety building and caused an estimated $3–5 million in damage. Nobody was injured.

Famous drag queen and winner of the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Trixie Mattel, was raised in the town until the age of 18, when they relocated to Milwaukee to pursue a tertiary education.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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

Silver Cliff on the map, 1972 to 1990

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

Silver Cliff on the 1972 USGS mapSilver Cliff on the 1990 USGS map1972Roaring Rapids sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Silver Cliff.

Famous people

Famous people close to Silver Cliff

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

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Lyle MaysAmerican jazz musician · b. 1953
John A. GronouskiAmerican diplomat · b. 1919
Pete BanaszakAmerican football player · b. 1944
Russ BauersAmerican baseball player · b. 1914
Curt Berklundb. 1929
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Eagle River SchoolschoolShady Nook Schoolschool

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.

AthelstaneIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLakewood2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWabeno2 historic placesB+StephensonIts storyC−GoodmanIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBlackwellIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Silver Cliff’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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.