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History · Coleharbor

Coleharbor dates to 1904, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1929 on and the census since 1950.

1904founded
0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Coleharbor began

When was Coleharbor founded?

1904

Coleharbor dates its founding to 1904 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 315 in 19502020 census: 59122 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1883.The full story ↓

What stands out about Coleharbor’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 Coleharbor are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Coleharbor’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Coleharbor’s collection

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

From Wikipedia’s history of Coleharbor.

Read it all →

Coleharbor was founded in 1904 when the railroad was extended to that point. The name combines that of a Soo Railroad official (W. A. Cole) and a reference to an older site on the Missouri River a few miles to the southwest (Coal Harbor). In July 2006, three storms converged above the town, unleashing a derecho that resulted in significant damage around town, even blowing down part of the former school building (made of brick), while leaving the nearby grain elevator intact.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Coleharbor, 1883 to 1929

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Coal Harbor post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1904
    FoundingColeharbor is established
  5. 1922Post officeThe Coal Harbor post office closes
  6. 1923Post officeThe Coleharbor post office opens
  7. 1929On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Coleharbor, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Coleharbor, North Dakota 7-17-20092009Coleharbor, North Dakota 7-17-2009
On the map

Coleharbor on the map, 1929 to 1980

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

Coleharbor on the 1929 USGS mapColeharbor on the 1972 USGS mapColeharbor on the 1980 USGS map1929Coleharbor 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 Coleharbor.

People over time

Coleharbor, census by census

01002003001960198020002020Peak: 315

Between 59 and 315 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Coleharbor

Nobody well known was born in Coleharbor itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Bruce PetersonAmerican test pilot · b. 1933
A
Alon WielandAmerican politician in the state of North Dakota · b. 1935
E
Edward Arthur SteinhausAmerican insect pathologist · b. 1914
Gary EminethAmerican politician · b. 1958
H
Harold SchaferAmerican businessman · b. 1912
Homer N. WallinUnited States Navy admiral · b. 1893
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Coleharbor’s post office has been open since 1923. Another post office, Coal Harbor, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Coal Harbor
1883–1922
Coleharbor
1923–today
18801950today

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

Questions about Coleharbor’s history

What year was Coleharbor founded?

In 1904, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Coleharbor’s post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1950 counted 315 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 (1), Wikipedia, 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.