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–Not graded
History · Edgeley

Edgeley’s post office opened in 1886, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1896 on and the census since 1900.

1886first post office
0on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Edgeley began

When was Edgeley founded?

1886

The Edgeley post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Saint George (1884), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 306 in 19002020 census: 585140 years
Founding year: the first Edgeley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Edgeley’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 Edgeley are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18963 editions of the USGS map, 1896 to 1982. Watch Edgeley change.Boom and bustPeaked at 992 in 1960; 585 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Edgeley’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Edgeley’s collection

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

Edgeley on the map, 1896 to 1982

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

Edgeley on the 1896 USGS mapEdgeley on the 1925 USGS mapEdgeley on the 1982 USGS map1896Edgeley 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 Edgeley.

People over time

Edgeley, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 992

Peaked at 992 in 1960; 585 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story

How Edgeley came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Edgeley.

Read it all →

Edgeley was founded in 1886 by Richard Sykes, a landowner from England who named it after Edgeley, Cheshire, where he was born.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Edgeley, 1884 to 1960

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Saint George post office opens
  3. 1886Post officeThe Saint George post office closes
  4. 1886Post officeThe Edgeley post office opens
  5. 1896On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1908Born hereSidney Gilliat is born here
  8. 1932Born hereJohn Berkey is born here
  9. 1948Born hereVernon R. Laning is born here
  10. 1950Born hereTim Mathern is born here
  11. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 992
By decade

Edgeley, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Edgeley, North Dakota 6-12-20082008Edgeley, North Dakota 6-12-2008NDMap-doton-Edgeley2004NDMap-doton-Edgeley
Famous people

5 famous people were born in Edgeley

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
S
Sidney GilliatBritish film director, producer and screenwriter · b. 1908
J
John BerkeyAmerican artist · b. 1932
V
Vernon R. LaningAmerican politician · b. 1948
T
Tim MathernAmerican politician · b. 1950
Steve SwiontekAmerican politician · b. 1954
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Edgeley’s post office has been open since 1886. Another post office, Saint George, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Saint George
1884–1886
Edgeley
1886–today
18801950today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Edgeley
Mount CalvaryMount Hope

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Golden Glen TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Edgeley’s history

What year was Edgeley founded?

The Edgeley post office opened in 1886, 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 (2), 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.