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History · Montrose

Montrose’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
23recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Montrose was laid out in 1880. Some say the town was named after the novel A Legend of Montrose by Sir Walter Scott, while others believe the name is an amalgamation of "mountain" and "rose", features near the original town site. A post office has been in operation in Montrose since 1880. Then-President George H. W. Bush visited Montrose for a political event in 1992.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Montrose’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Montrose’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 Montrose

See all 7 →
Larry PresslerLarry PresslerHumboldt · 7 miKarl MundtKarl MundtHumboldt · 7 miThomas H. WerdelThomas H. WerdelEmery · 12 miDan CrippenDan CrippenCanistota · 8 miCSCecil SalmonEmery · 12 miKay SchallenkampKay SchallenkampSalem · 10 mi
By decade

Montrose, 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
Today23 photos
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National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Montrose is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Montrose has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 44-212-090 in Montrose, 1.2 miles away.

Montrose and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Montrose. Tap a dot.
South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 44-212-090Ortman HotelDowntown Salem Historic DistrictMcCook County CourthouseHenry Kuhle HouseSt. Mary's Catholic Church

Closest to Montrose

South Dakota Dept. of Transportation Bridge No. 44-212-090Montrose · Structure1.2miOrtman HotelCanistota · Building8.9miDowntown Salem Historic DistrictSalem · Commercial10.3miMcCook County CourthouseSalem · Built 193410.3miHenry Kuhle HouseSalem · Folk Victorian · Built 189710.3mi

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. 44-212-090’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Montrose?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Montrose’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
📜 Montrose📜 Greenland📜 Clear Lake📜 Humboldt

From Wikimedia Commons (1) and the Library of Congress (22). 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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