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History · Bancroft

Bancroft’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
1recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Bancroft had its start in the late 1880s when the railroad was extended to that point. The town most likely was named after L. L. Bancroft, a local newspaper publisher. A post office was established at Bancroft in 1889.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Bancroft’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Bancroft

See all 11 →
Rose Wilder LaneRose Wilder LaneDe Smet · 12 miHarvey DunnHarvey DunnManchester · 8 miShantel KrebsShantel KrebsDe Smet · 12 miDADebra R. AndersonBryant · 16 miPSPhilip Edward SmithDe Smet · 12 miCFC. Dale FullerIroquois · 8 mi
By decade

Bancroft, 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.
📷 Add from your album
Today1 photo
SDMap-doton-BancroftCommonsSDMap-doton-Bancroft2004
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Bancroft is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Bancroft has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 39-006-070 in Iroquois, 5.6 miles away.

Bancroft and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Bancroft. Tap a dot.
South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 39-006-070Shady Lawn School No. 8Bank of the Iroquois BuildingSecurity State BankIngalls HouseRuth, Thomas, H. House

Closest to Bancroft

South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 39-006-070Iroquois · Structure5.6miShady Lawn School No. 8Spirit Lake · Building6miBank of the Iroquois BuildingIroquois · Built 18879.8miSecurity State BankWillow Lake · Built 190911.2miIngalls HouseDe Smet · Building12mi

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. South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 39-006-070’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Bancroft?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Bancroft’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
📜 Le Sueur📜 Spirit Lake📜 Rosedale📜 Collins

From Wikimedia Commons (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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