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History · Helgeland Township

27% of Helgeland Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1918 on.

0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Helgeland Township’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Helgeland Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Helgeland Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Helgeland Township, in brief

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

Helgeland Township is a township in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Grand Forks-ND-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 52 at the 2000 census. Helgeland Township was named after Helgeland, in Norway.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 54 to 41 (-24%).

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

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Helgeland Township on the map, 1918 to 1961

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

Helgeland Township on the 1918 USGS mapHelgeland Township on the 1961 USGS map1918Angus 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 Helgeland Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Helgeland Township

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

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P
Paul NelsonAmerican music critic · b. 1936
G
Gerome KamrowskiAmerican artist · b. 1914
J
Joseph SteffanAmerican lawyer · b. 1964
R
Rufus GilbertAmerican football, basketball, and baseball pla… · b. 1884
E
Emil R. BedardUnited States Marine Corps general · b. 1943
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Brandt TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townComstock TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNumedal TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBrislet TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townViking TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Helgeland Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.