On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Stanley is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Stanley’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 Stanley’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% 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 (±3.9 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 Stanley’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Stanley yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Stanley is a town in Barron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 census, up from 2,546 at the 2010 census. The town surrounds the village of Cameron but is separate from it.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,546 in 2010, 2,570 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Stanley in 1922
Passages that mention Stanley, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Barron County Wisconsin1922 · page 1054Read the page →
Read the text
Stanley Township embraces Township 34, Range 11. The name came into existence May 11, 1882, when the board ordered that the old town of Rice Lake, created March 30, 1874, should henceforth be known as Stanley. Later another Rice Lake Township was created. The first town meeting after the name of Stanley was adopted was held in the Wold Schoolhouse in School District 1, on April 3, 1883. The officers elected were: Supervisors, S. E. Washburn (chair¬ man), Ole Jorstad and H. W. Snashall; clerk, R. A. Wheeler; assessor, Hans Lunde; treasurer, John P. Tester. The present officers are: Supervisors, Oscar
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Barron County Wisconsin1922 · page 1051Read the page →
Read the text
created. The name of the original town of Dallas, as noted, was changed to Barron, the name of the original town of Lakeland was changed to Cumberland, and the name of the original town of Rice Lake was changed to Stanley, and the present towns of Dallas, Lakeland and Rice Lake were created later. In the early days, townships were created by the county board, and boun¬ daries shifted by the board upon petition by the voters. The more recent towns were created by the board upon petition, after a favorable vote by the inhabi¬ tants of the territory affected.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Stanley, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Stanley is more historic than 29% 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.
How old are the homes in Stanley?
10% of Stanley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 Library of Congress (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1912
