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History · Eldridge Township

Eldridge Township’s post office opened in 1880, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

1880first post office
0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Eldridge Township began

When was Eldridge Township founded?

1880

The Eldridge Township post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Eldridge (1880), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 117146 years
Founding year: the first Eldridge Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Eldridge 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 Eldridge Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Eldridge Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eldridge Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Eldridge 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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The story

How Eldridge Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Eldridge Township.

Read it all →

A post office called Eldridge was established in 1880, and remained in operation until 1982. The community was named for a family of settlers. The population was 80 in 1940.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Eldridge Township, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Eldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North DakotaEldridge, North Dakota2008Eldridge, North Dakota
Famous people

Famous people close to Eldridge Township

Nobody well known was born in Eldridge Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Peggy LeeAmerican singer · b. 1920
Louis L'AmourAmerican novelist and short story writer · b. 1908
R
Rodney StarkAmerican sociologist of religion · b. 1934
Richard HiebAmerican astronaut · b. 1955
Jim RamstadAmerican lawyer and politician · b. 1946
C
Charles Lewis CampAmerican paleontologist and zoologist · b. 1893
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Eldridge, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
EldridgeNew Minneapolis
1cemetery inside Eldridge Township
Eldridge

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.

Windsor TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMidway TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLippert TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHidden TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBuchanan TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Eldridge Township’s history

What year was Eldridge Township founded?

The Eldridge Township post office opened in 1880, 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 (12), 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.