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History · Galesburg Township

Galesburg Township dates to 1882, and 47% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1950.

1882founded
0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Galesburg Township began

When was Galesburg Township founded?

1882

Galesburg Township dates its founding to 1882 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 169 in 19502020 census: 66144 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1874.

What stands out about Galesburg 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 Galesburg Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Galesburg Township’s homes were built before 1941.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Galesburg Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Galesburg 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 so far

Galesburg Township, in brief

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

Galesburg is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 118 at the 2020 census. Galesburg was founded in 1882. Galesburg is the home to the world's fifth tallest currently standing structure, the KRDK-TV mast, which stands at 2,060 ft (630 m) tall.

Galesburg Township was established in 1882. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 83 to 66 (-20%).

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

Timeline

Galesburg Township, 1874 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874Post officeThe Elm River post office opens
  3. 1880Post officeThe Elm River post office closes
  4. 1882
    FoundingGalesburg Township is established
  5. 20th century
  6. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Galesburg Township on the map, 1966 to 1985

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

Galesburg Township on the 1966 USGS mapGalesburg Township on the 1985 USGS map1966Galesburg 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 Galesburg Township.

People over time

Galesburg Township, census by census

01001960198020002020Peak: 169

Between 108 and 169 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

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

2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Galesburg Township
Elm RiverStordahl

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.

Greenfield TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBroadlawn TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDows TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorman TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Galesburg Township’s history

What year was Galesburg Township founded?

In 1882, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Galesburg Township’s post office opened in 1874, and the census of 1950 counted 169 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 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.