–Not graded

History · Bathgate

Bathgate’s post office opened in 1881, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1941 on, and the census since 1890.

1881first post office

0on the National Register

41%homes built before 1940

2old photos & papers

2famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Bathgate’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Bathgate began

When was Bathgate founded?

1881

The Bathgate post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 377 in 18902020 census: 47145 years

Founding year: the first Bathgate post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Bathgate’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.Boom and bustPeaked at 641 in 1900; 47 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Bathgate’s homes were built before 1944.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bathgate’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewND School for the Blind: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

People over time

Bathgate, census by census

Peaked at 641 in 1900; 47 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Bathgate came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bathgate.

Read it all →

Bathgate was originally called Bayview, and was laid out under that name in 1879. The present name, after Bathgate, Scotland, was adopted in 1881. A post office called Bathgate has been in operation since that year.

In June 1909, Bathgate experienced an 11-hour thunderstorm that destroyed several buildings and killed a number of horses. Understandably, many of the citizens are still in mourning of this event, and often practice 'moments of silence' to honor the dead horses and fallen buildings.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bathgate, 1881 to 1944

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

19th century
1881Post officeThe Bathgate post office opens
1898Born hereGeorge Michael Gaethke is born here
20th century
1900CensusPopulation peaks at 641
1908In the archiveND School for the Blind
1914In the archiveEntrance to School for the Blind in Bathgate, N.D., circa 1914
1941On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1944Born hereTommy Gibb is born here

By decade

Bathgate, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1910s2 items

1908ND School for the Blind

Entrance to School for the Blind in Bathgate, N.D., circa 1914

1914Entrance to School for the Blind in Bathgate, N.D., c…

1920s–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

Today15 recent

2009Bathgate, North Dakota

On the map

Bathgate on the map, 1941 to 1985

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

1941Bathgate 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 Bathgate.

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.

Retake this viewND School for the Blind, 1908

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

Retake this view · +15

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Bathgate

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

See all →

Tommy GibbScottish footballer · b. 1944

George Michael GaethkeAmerican painter, printmaker; worked for WPA · b. 1898

Questions about Bathgate’s history

What year was Bathgate founded?

The Bathgate post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (17), 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.

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