Dickinson’s post office opened in 1881, and 5 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 44% of U.S. towns · #11 of 23 in North Dakota. What drives it
Most of Dickinson was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Dickinson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1882.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dickinson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dickinson is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #11 of 23 in North Dakota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dickinson’s overall grade.
North Dakota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical North Dakota town has 2.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Dickinson’s 2.8 sits near the middle of its state (47% of North Dakota towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1882 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Dickinson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Dickinson was founded in 1881. Dickinson was named for its founder, W. S. Dickinson, a native of Malone, New York.
In 1924, Dickinson was the site of a tornado that killed nine people, making it the fourth deadliest tornado in North Dakota's recorded history. Dickinson was the site of an EF3 tornado in 2009 that damaged more than 450 homes and businesses, with 100 beyond repair, but with no injuries or casualties.
The rapid growth of the city due to an oil boom led to an increase in crime and homelessness within the city limits in the 2010s.
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.
The Dickinson post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1882.
How does Dickinson rank for history?
Dickinson is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #11 of 23 in North Dakota. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Dickinson?
5 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Stark County Courthouse (listed 1985, the first), and 1 historic district, the Dickinson State Normal School Campus District, with 3 contributing buildings. 7 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Dickinson?
8% of Dickinson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 7.2% for a North Dakota town; the median home was built in 1987.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1914
1914
1936
1936
1936
1936
