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History · Dahlen Township

Dahlen Township’s post office opened in 1913, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1971 on.

1913first post office
0on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: afiler from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Dahlen Township began

When was Dahlen Township founded?

1913

The Dahlen Township post office opened in 1913, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Baconville (1883) and Dahlen (1913), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 70113 years
Founding year: the first Dahlen Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Dahlen Township’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 Dahlen Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Dahlen Township, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dahlen Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dahlen Township’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
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Baconville
1883–1905
Dahlen
1913–1983
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Dahlen
Gone or out of use
Baconvillelocale
1cemetery inside Dahlen Township
Zion

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

The story so far

Dahlen Township, in brief

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

Dahlen (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈdɑːɳ]) is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Nelson County, North Dakota, United States. It was not counted separately during the 2000 census, but was included in the 2010 census, where a population of 18 was reported. The population was 17 at the 2020 census. Dahlen is also the home to North Dakota's third tallest tower, the WDAZ TV Tower, which is 445.2 meters (1,461 feet) tall. The tower is used by television station WDAZ of Grand Forks. The tower was also used by KGFE of Grand Forks until an ice storm damaged equipment in 2004.

Its first post office opened in 1913. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 68 to 70 (+3%).

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

Timeline

Dahlen Township, 1883 to 1983

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Baconville post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1905Post officeThe Baconville post office closes
  5. 1913Post officeThe Dahlen post office opens
  6. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1983Post officeThe Dahlen post office closes
By decade

Dahlen Township, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Dahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota2005Dahlen, North DakotaDahlen, North Dakota (2005)2005Dahlen, North Dakota (2005)
On the map

Dahlen Township on the map, 1971 to 1985

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

Dahlen Township on the 1971 USGS mapDahlen Township on the 1985 USGS map1971Dahlen 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 Dahlen Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Sarnia TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElkmount TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCleveland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNash TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Dahlen Township’s history

What year was Dahlen Township founded?

The Dahlen Township post office opened in 1913, 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 (12), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.