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History · Balfour Township

Balfour Township dates to 1899, and 67% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1929 on and the census since 1910.

1899founded
0on the National Register
67%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Balfour Township began

When was Balfour Township founded?

1899

Balfour Township dates its founding to 1899 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 399 in 19102020 census: 30127 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓

What stands out about Balfour 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 Balfour Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Balfour Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Balfour Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Balfour 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

How Balfour Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Balfour Township.

Read it all →

Balfour was founded in 1899 when the Soo Railroad was extended to that point. The city was named for Arthur Balfour, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The post office in Balfour was founded in 1899.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Balfour Township, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Balfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour, North Dakota2008Balfour, North DakotaBalfour Community Hall and Post Office Balfour, North Dakota 10-16-20082008Balfour Community Hall and Post Office Balfour, North…
On the map

Balfour Township on the map, 1929 to 1958

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

Balfour Township on the 1929 USGS mapBalfour Township on the 1958 USGS map1929Balfour 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 Balfour Township.

People over time

Balfour Township, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 399

Between 20 and 399 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Land Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStrege TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake George TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOdin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Balfour Township’s history

What year was Balfour Township founded?

In 1899, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1910 counted 399 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 (18), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.