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History · Eckelson Township

Eckelson Township’s post office opened in 1882, and 100% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1897 on.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
100%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Eckelson Township began

When was Eckelson Township founded?

1882

The Eckelson Township post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Eckelson (1882) and Urbana (1907), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 105144 years
Founding year: the first Eckelson Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Eckelson 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 Eckelson Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18973 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1986. Watch Eckelson Township change.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Eckelson Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eckelson Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Eckelson Township’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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On the map

Eckelson Township on the map, 1897 to 1986

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

Eckelson Township on the 1897 USGS mapEckelson Township on the 1970 USGS mapEckelson Township on the 1986 USGS map1897Eckelson sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Eckelson Township.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

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

Eckelson
1882–1966
Urbana
1907–1923
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
EckelsonUrbana

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

The story so far

Eckelson Township, in brief

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

Eckelson is an unincorporated community in Barnes County, North Dakota, United States. Eckelson is west of Sanborn and north of Interstate 94, which has an exit serving Eckelson.

Its first post office opened in 1882. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 111 to 105 (-5%).

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

Timeline

Eckelson Township, 1882 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882Post officeThe Eckelson post office opens
  3. 1897On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1907Post officeThe Urbana post office opens
  6. 1920Born hereRobert T. Huber is born here
  7. 1923Post officeThe Urbana post office closes
  8. 1966Post officeThe Eckelson post office closes
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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Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Potter TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMansfield TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBrimer TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpiritwood TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Eckelson Township’s history

What year was Eckelson Township founded?

The Eckelson Township post office opened in 1882, 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 →
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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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.