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Erie, North Dakota 6-1-2009Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
–Not graded
History · Erie

Erie’s post office opened in 1882, and 87% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1967 on.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
87%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Erie began

When was Erie founded?

1882

The Erie post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 54144 years
Founding year: the first Erie post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

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

Start Erie’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Erie’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
The story so far

Erie, in brief

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

Erie is a census-designated place in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 54 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1882. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 50 to 54 (+8%).

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

By decade

Erie, decade by decade

Today14 recent
Post office in Erie, North Dakota 6-1-20092009Post office in Erie, North Dakota 6-1-2009Erie, North Dakota 6-1-20092009Erie, North Dakota 6-1-2009Erie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North DakotaErie, North Dakota2009Erie, North Dakota
On the map

Erie on the map, 1967 to 1984

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

Erie on the 1967 USGS mapErie on the 1984 USGS map1967Ayr sheet · 1:24,000

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

Questions about Erie’s history

What year was Erie founded?

The Erie 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 →
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 (14) and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.