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–Not graded
History · Crystal

Crystal dates to 1879, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Crystal Bridge. Below: maps from 1944 on and the census since 1900.

1879founded
1on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: afiler from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Crystal began

When was Crystal founded?

1879

Crystal dates its founding to 1879 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 385 in 19002020 census: 116147 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1880.The full story ↓

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

Start Crystal’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Crystal’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
The story

How Crystal came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Crystal.

Read it all →

Crystal was laid out in 1879. A post office has been in operation at Crystal since 1880.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Crystal, 1879 to 1944

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879
    FoundingCrystal is established
  3. 1880Post officeThe Crystal post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900Born hereFern Headley is born here
  6. 1944On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Crystal, decade by decade

Today24 recent
Crystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2009Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2006Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2006Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota2006Crystal, North DakotaCrystal, North Dakota (2006)2006Crystal, North Dakota (2006)
On the map

Crystal on the map, 1944 to 1963

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

Crystal on the 1944 USGS mapCrystal on the 1963 USGS map1944Crystal 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 Crystal.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Crystal

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1997
Crystal Bridge
Crystal Bridge
Structures

Architectural styles listings

Concrete T-beam bridge1
All 1 listings
Crystal BridgeStructure · listed 1997

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Crystal, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 429

Between 116 and 429 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Crystal TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElora TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Crystal’s history

What year was Crystal founded?

In 1879, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Crystal’s post office opened in 1880, and the census of 1900 counted 385 people here.

What is on the National Register in Crystal?

One place: the Crystal Bridge (listed 1997).

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 (24), the National Register of Historic Places (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.