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History · Alamo

Alamo dates to 1916, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1977 on, and the census since 1930.

1916founded
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Alamo’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Alamo began

When was Alamo founded?

1916

Alamo dates its founding to 1916 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 211 in 19302020 census: 53110 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1907.

What stands out about Alamo’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Alamo’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Alamo’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewThe Hall family living near Alamo, Nort…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Alamo, in brief

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

Alamo is a city in Williams County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 53 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 56 in 2025.

Alamo was established in 1916. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 57 to 53 (-7%).

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

Timeline

Alamo, 1907 to 1977

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1907Post officeThe Cottonwood Lake post office opens
  3. 1916
    FoundingAlamo is established
  4. 1917Post officeThe Cottonwood Lake post office closes
  5. 1917Post officeThe Alamo post office opens
  6. 1937In the archiveThe Hall family living near Alamo, North Dakota
  7. 1973Post officeThe Alamo post office closes
  8. 1977On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Alamo, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s2 items
The Hall family living near Alamo, North Dakota1937The Hall family living near Alamo, North DakotaChildren of the Hall family. Near Alamo, North Dakota1937Children of the Hall family. Near Alamo, North Dakota
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today13 recent
Alamo, North Dakota-132009Alamo, North Dakota-13Alamo, North Dakota-122009Alamo, North Dakota-12Alamo, North Dakota-112009Alamo, North Dakota-11Alamo, North Dakota-102009Alamo, North Dakota-10Alamo, North Dakota-092009Alamo, North Dakota-09Alamo, North Dakota-082009Alamo, North Dakota-08Alamo, North Dakota-072009Alamo, North Dakota-07Alamo, North Dakota-062009Alamo, North Dakota-06Alamo, North Dakota-052009Alamo, North Dakota-05Alamo, North Dakota-042009Alamo, North Dakota-04Alamo, North Dakota-032009Alamo, North Dakota-03Alamo, North Dakota-022009Alamo, North Dakota-02Alamo, North Dakota-012009Alamo, North Dakota-01
On the map

Alamo on the map, 1977 to 1984

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

Alamo on the 1977 USGS mapAlamo on the 1984 USGS map1977Alamo sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Alamo.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

The Hall family living near Alamo, North Dakota
Retake this viewThe Hall family living near Alamo, North Dakota, 1937

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Alamo’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Alamo, census by census

010020019401960198020002020Peak: 214

Between 51 and 214 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Alamo’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Alamo had its own post office from 1917 to 1973. Another post office, Cottonwood Lake, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Cottonwood Lake
1907–1917
Alamo
1917–1973
19001960today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Alamo’s history

What year was Alamo founded?

In 1916, according to Wikidata. Alamo’s post office opened in 1907, and the census of 1930 counted 211 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 Wikimedia Commons (13), the Library of Congress (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.