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History · Balta

Balta dates to 1912, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1940.

1912founded
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Photo: Kepper66 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Balta began

When was Balta founded?

1912

Balta dates its founding to 1912 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1940.

First census: 263 in 19402020 census: 66114 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1913.The full story ↓

What stands out about Balta’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 Balta are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Balta’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Balta’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 Balta came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Balta.

Read it all →

Originally, the town was named Egan, in honor of Egan Pierce, an official with the Soo Line railroad. It was renamed by the locals after the city Balta in the Russian Empire (current Ukraine), the original home of many immigrant settlers.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Balta, 1912 to 1958

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1912
    FoundingBalta is established
  3. 1913Post officeThe Balta post office opens
  4. 1914Born herePaul M. Sand is born here
  5. 1933Born hereBen Axtman is born here
  6. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Balta, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Post Office in2014Post Office inDowntown2014DowntownCatholic Church in2014Catholic Church in
On the map

Balta on the map, 1958 to 1980

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

Balta on the 1958 USGS mapBalta on the 1980 USGS map1958Balta 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 Balta.

People over time

Balta, census by census

010020019401960198020002020Peak: 263

Between 65 and 263 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Balta

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
B
Ben AxtmanAmerican politician · b. 1933
P
Paul M. SandAmerican judge · b. 1914

Questions about Balta’s history

What year was Balta founded?

In 1912, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Balta’s post office opened in 1913, and the census of 1940 counted 263 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 (3), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.