–Not graded

History · Flaxton

Flaxton dates to 1900, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Burke County World War Memorial Hall. Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 1910.

1900founded

1on the National Register

44%homes built before 1940

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Quick answers

How Flaxton began

When was Flaxton founded?

1900

Flaxton dates its founding to 1900 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 301 in 19102020 census: 60126 years

Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1900.

What stands out about Flaxton’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 Flaxton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 436 in 1950; 60 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Flaxton’s homes were built before 1943.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Flaxton’s collection

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

Flaxton, census by census

Peaked at 436 in 1950; 60 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Flaxton, in brief

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

Flaxton is a city in Burke County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 60 at the 2020 census. Flaxton was founded in 1900 and was named because the predominant crop in the area is flax.

Flaxton was established in 1900. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 66 to 60 (-9%).

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

Timeline

Flaxton, 1900 to 1950

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

20th century
1900
FoundingFlaxton is established
1900Post officeThe Postville post office opens
1901Post officeThe Postville post office closes
1901Post officeThe Flaxton post office opens
1931BuiltBurke County World War Memorial Hall is built
1947On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1950CensusPopulation peaks at 436

By decade

Flaxton, decade by decade

Today1 recent

2007Post office in Flaxton, North Dakota 7-9-2007

On the map

Flaxton on the map, 1947 to 1950

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

1947Flaxton 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 Flaxton.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Flaxton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

2018

Burke County World War Memorial Hall

Buildings

Burke County World War Memorial HallBuilt 1931

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Flaxton

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

See all →

Les JepsenAmerican basketball player · b. 1967

Corwin HanschAmerican pharmacologist · b. 1918

Marilyn Jorgenson ReeceAmerican civil engineer · b. 1926

Doug DrewAmerican gridiron football player · b. 1920

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Flaxton’s post office has been open since 1901. Another post office, Postville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Postville

1900–1901

Flaxton

1901–today

19001960today

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.

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

Questions about Flaxton’s history

What year was Flaxton founded?

In 1900, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Flaxton’s post office opened in 1900, and the census of 1910 counted 301 people here.

What is on the National Register in Flaxton?

One place: the Burke County World War Memorial Hall (listed 2018).

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 (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.

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