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–Not graded
History · Drake

Drake dates to 1902, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1930 on and the census since 1910.

1902founded
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 Drake began

When was Drake founded?

1902

Drake dates its founding to 1902 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 348 in 19102020 census: 292124 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.

What stands out about Drake’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 Drake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 831 in 1950; 292 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Drake’s homes were built before 1948.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Drake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Drake’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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People over time

Drake, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 831

Peaked at 831 in 1950; 292 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Drake, in brief

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

Drake is a city in McHenry County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 292 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Minot Metropolitan Statistical Area. Drake was founded in 1902 and named after Herman Drake, a settler.

Drake was established in 1902. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 275 to 292 (+6%).

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

Timeline

Drake, 1902 to 1950

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1902
    FoundingDrake is established
  3. 1930On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 831
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Drake on the map, 1930 to 1958

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

Drake on the 1930 USGS mapDrake on the 1958 USGS map1930Drake 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 Drake.

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Drake Municipal Airportairport
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Drake
DrakeSaint Margaret Mary CatholicTrinity Lutheran

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Spring Grove TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Drake’s history

What year was Drake founded?

In 1902, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1910 counted 348 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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.