Timken was named after a land speculator, Henry Timken. He bought land in which he believed that the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad would be building. When Henry Timken sold the land to the railroad, one of the requirements was that the town was named after him. After a year, lumber mill, railroad depot, grocery store, and even a bowling alley would be created in the town. The town was settled mainly by immigrants from Czechoslovakia, Bohemia and Moravia.