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History · Atkinson

Atkinson’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Atkinson. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Atkinson is an unincorporated community in Atkinson Township, Carlton County, Minnesota, United States. The community is located between Cloquet and Mahtowa at the intersection of Carlton County Road 61 and County Road 144. Interstate 35 and State Highway 210 (MN 210) are nearby. Atkinson is located 8 miles southwest of Cloquet.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 406 people in 2010, 400 in 2020. Half of its homes were built before 1992.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Atkinson yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Start Atkinson’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from AtkinsonWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Atkinson.Meet them →
By decade

Atkinson, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Atkinson is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Atkinson has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Church of Sts. Joseph and Mary-Catholic in Perch Lake, 4.5 miles away.

Atkinson and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Atkinson. Tap a dot.
Church of Sts. Joseph and Mary-CatholicCarlton County CourthouseHenry C. Oldenburg HousePark Place Historic DistrictCloquet-Northern Office BuildingCloquet High School

Closest to Atkinson

Church of Sts. Joseph and Mary-CatholicPerch Lake · Built 18844.5miCarlton County CourthouseCarlton · Building10.1miHenry C. Oldenburg HouseCarlton · Building10.3miPark Place Historic DistrictCloquet · District10.3miCloquet-Northern Office BuildingCloquet · Building10.4mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Church of Sts. Joseph and Mary-Catholic’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Atkinson?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Atkinson’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Mahtowa📜 Twin Lakes📜 Skelton📜 Barnum
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Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Atkinson, MNCarlton CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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