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History · Sterling

Sterling’s post office opened in 1858, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1955 on.

1858first post office
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sterling’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sterling began

When was Sterling founded?

1858

The Sterling post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 724168 years
Founding year: the first Sterling post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Sterling’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sterling’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sterling’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewThe home of a prosperous beet grower ne…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Sterling, in brief

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

Sterling is a town in Polk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 724 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Cushing and Wolf Creek are located partially in the town.

Its first post office opened in 1858. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 790 to 724 (-8%).

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

Timeline

Sterling, 1858 to 1955

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1858Post officeThe Sterling post office opens
  3. 1860Post officeThe Sterling post office closes
  4. 20th century
  5. 1915In the archiveThe home of a prosperous beet grower near Sterling, Colorado, who moved here six years ag…
  6. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Sterling, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
The home of a prosperous beet grower near Sterling, Colorado, who moved here six years ago from South Nebraska and owns…1915The home of a prosperous beet grower near Sterling, C…
1920s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
On the map

Sterling on the map, 1955 to 1983

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

Sterling on the 1955 USGS mapSterling on the 1983 USGS map1955Rush City 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 Sterling.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

The home of a prosperous beet grower near Sterling, Colorado, who moved here six years ago from South Nebraska and owns…
Retake this viewThe home of a prosperous beet grower near Sterling, Colorado, who moved here six years ago from South Nebraska and owns…, 1915

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sterling’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Sterling

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

See all →
R
Ruth DucciniAmerican actress · b. 1918
James Breck PerkinsAmerican politician · b. 1847
Blake LizotteAmerican professional ice hockey forward · b. 1997
L
Lonnie HammargrenNevada neurosurgeon, politician, and collector · b. 1937
Leo ChenalAmerican football player · b. 2000
Carol MerrillAmerican game show model · b. 1941
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Sterling had its own post office from 1858 to 1860.

Sterling
1858–1860
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Cushing
1cemetery inside Sterling
Old Settlers

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.

AndersonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLaketownIts storyC+EurekaIts storyC+

Questions about Sterling’s history

What year was Sterling founded?

The Sterling post office opened in 1858, 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 →
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 the Library of Congress (1), 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.