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History · Arthur Township

Arthur Township dates to 1881, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1930.

1881founded
0on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Arthur Township began

When was Arthur Township founded?

1881

Arthur Township dates its founding to 1881 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 322 in 19302020 census: 61145 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓

What stands out about Arthur 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 Arthur Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 445 in 1980; 328 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Arthur Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Arthur 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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People over time

Arthur Township, census by census

010020030040019401960198020002020Peak: 445

Peaked at 445 in 1980; 328 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

The story

How Arthur Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Arthur Township.

Read it all →

Arthur was founded in 1881, the town was called Rosedale after the sister of a prominent settler, but was renamed Arthur in honor of Chester A. Arthur.

The post office was established on October 1, 1881, and the town was platted in 1882 by Samuel B. Johnson. Arthur was incorporated as a village on June 15, 1921 and as a city on July 1, 1967.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Arthur Township, 1881 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881
    FoundingArthur Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 445
By decade

Arthur Township, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Arthur, North Dakota2003Arthur, North DakotaArthur, North Dakota2003Arthur, North DakotaArthur, North Dakota2003Arthur, North DakotaArthur, North Dakota2003Arthur, North DakotaArthur, North Dakota2003Arthur, North DakotaArthur, North Dakota2003Arthur, North Dakota
On the map

Arthur Township on the map, 1967 to 1985

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

Arthur Township on the 1967 USGS mapArthur Township on the 1985 USGS map1967Ayr SE 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 Arthur Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Amenia TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGunkel TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHunter TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townErie TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Arthur Township’s history

What year was Arthur Township founded?

In 1881, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1930 counted 322 people here.

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 Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.