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History · Courtenay

Courtenay dates to 1893, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1900 on and the census since 1910.

1893founded
0on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Courtenay began

When was Courtenay founded?

1893

Courtenay dates its founding to 1893 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 539 in 19102020 census: 36133 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1884.

What stands out about Courtenay’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 Courtenay are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19003 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1985. Watch Courtenay change.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Courtenay.Old housesHalf of Courtenay’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Courtenay’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Courtenay on the map, 1900 to 1985

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

Courtenay on the 1900 USGS mapCourtenay on the 1951 USGS mapCourtenay on the 1985 USGS map1900Pingree sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Courtenay.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Courtenay’s post office has been open since 1905. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Durham
1884–1887
Horn
1887–1893
Courtney
1893–1905
Courtenay
1905–today
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Courtenay Post Officepost office

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

The story so far

Courtenay, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Courtenay yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Courtenay is a city in Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 36 at the 2020 census. Courtenay was founded in 1893.

Courtenay was established in 1893. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 45 to 36 (-20%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Courtenay, 1884 to 1905

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Durham post office opens
  3. 1887Post officeThe Durham post office closes
  4. 1887Post officeThe Horn post office opens
  5. 1893
    FoundingCourtenay is established
  6. 1893Post officeThe Horn post office closes
  7. 1893Post officeThe Courtney post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1905Post officeThe Courtney post office closes
By decade

Courtenay, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Veterans Memorial2012Veterans MemorialA fine day in2012A fine day in
People over time

Courtenay, census by census

0100200300400500600192019401960198020002020Peak: 539

Between 36 and 539 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Courtenay

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

See all →
L
Lonnie LaffenAmerican politician · b. 1958
S
Stanley N. ThorupAmerican politician – Minnesota -Senate 1971-72… · b. 1929

Questions about Courtenay’s history

What year was Courtenay founded?

In 1893, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Courtenay’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1910 counted 539 people here.

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 (2), 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.