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History · Dunseith

Dunseith dates to 1882

Most of Dunseith was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1969. Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1910.

1882founded
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: In memoriam afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Dunseith began

When was Dunseith founded?

1882

Dunseith dates its founding to 1882 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 473 in 19102020 census: 632144 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1884.The full story ↓

What stands out about Dunseith’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 Dunseith are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,017 in 1960; 632 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dunseith’s collection

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

Dunseith, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,017

Peaked at 1,017 in 1960; 632 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Dunseith came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dunseith.

Read it all →

Dunseith was platted in 1882. The town was founded by William Dunseith Eaton of Chicago in 1884. A post office has been in operation in Dunseith since 1884. The city was incorporated in 1908.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Dunseith, 1882 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882
    FoundingDunseith is established
  3. 1884Post officeThe Dunseith post office opens
  4. 1889Born hereGeorge T. Cunningham is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 1,017
By decade

Dunseith, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Dunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith, North Dakota2009Dunseith, North DakotaDunseith2009Dunseith
On the map

Dunseith on the map, 1939 to 1955

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

Dunseith on the 1939 USGS mapDunseith on the 1955 USGS map1939Dunseith 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 Dunseith.

Questions about Dunseith’s history

What year was Dunseith founded?

In 1882, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Dunseith’s post office opened in 1884, and the census of 1910 counted 473 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 (12), 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.