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–Not graded
History · Forbes

Forbes’ post office opened in 1905, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1910.

1905first post office
0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Forbes began

When was Forbes founded?

1905

The Forbes post office opened in 1905, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 221 in 19102020 census: 36121 years
Founding year: the first Forbes post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Forbes’ 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 Forbes are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 293 in 1920; 36 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Forbes’ homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Forbes’s collection

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

Forbes, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 293

Peaked at 293 in 1920; 36 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Forbes came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Forbes.

Read it all →

Forbes was founded in 1905. The town was named after Mr. S. F. Forbes, a railroad agent and town merchant. Former Governor and US Senator John Hoeven spent time there at the Hoeven Ranch owned by his grandparents. Navy Rear Admiral Stuart Munsch's father taught school at the Forbes Public School. Senator Tim Flakoll (R), Senator Don Moore (R) and Rep. Jim Brokaw (D) all are, or continue to live in Forbes. The People's Store in Forbes is the source of the World-famous Forbes Sausage.

On April 23, 2019 Forbes earned "Town of The Week" from KVRR TV when it received 1,406 online votes.

In 1924, its first year, the Forbes School District graduated seven students. Their last graduating class was in 1987 when five students graduated.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Forbes, 1905 to 1954

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1905Post officeThe Forbes post office opens
  3. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 293
  4. 1931Born hereMilt Martin is born here
  5. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Forbes, decade by decade

Today24 recent
Forbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes, North Dakota2009Forbes, North DakotaForbes2009Forbes
On the map

Forbes on the map, 1954 to 1985

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

Forbes on the 1954 USGS mapForbes on the 1985 USGS map1954Aberdeen sheet · 1:250,000

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

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

Questions about Forbes’ history

What year was Forbes founded?

The Forbes post office opened in 1905, 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 (24), 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.