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Grafton, North DakotaPhoto: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0
–Not graded
History · Grafton Township

Grafton Township dates to 1881

Most of Grafton Township was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1890.

1881founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Grafton Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Grafton Township began

When was Grafton Township founded?

1881

Grafton Township dates its founding to 1881 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 1,594 in 18902020 census: 259145 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Grafton 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 writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 5,946 in 1970; 4,170 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grafton Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grafton Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGrafton State School: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Grafton Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 5,946

Peaked at 5,946 in 1970; 4,170 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Grafton Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grafton Township.

Read it all →

Grafton was founded in 1881 and US Highway 81 and North Dakota Highway 17 are the two major highways that run through the city.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Grafton Township, 1881 to 1999

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881
    FoundingGrafton Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1903In the archiveGrafton State School
  5. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 5,946
  7. 1999In the archiveGraceLikeWinterinGrafton1999
By decade

Grafton Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s1 item
Grafton State School1903–1919Grafton State School
1910s–1980snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1990s1 item
GraceLikeWinterinGrafton19991999GraceLikeWinterinGrafton1999
Today4 recent
Grafton, North Dakota2001Grafton, North DakotaGrafton, North Dakota2001Grafton, North DakotaBell Telephone Logo, Grafton, North Dakota2001Bell Telephone Logo, Grafton, North DakotaBarber Shop, Grafton, North Dakota2001Barber Shop, Grafton, North Dakota
On the map

Grafton Township on the map, 1943 to 1985

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

Grafton Township on the 1943 USGS mapGrafton Township on the 1960 USGS mapGrafton Township on the 1985 USGS map1943Grafton sheet · 1:62,500

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

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Grafton State School
Retake this viewGrafton State School, 1903–1919

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Grafton Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Grafton5 historic placesBFarmington TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOakwood TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFertile TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Grafton Township’s history

What year was Grafton Township founded?

In 1881, according to Wikidata. the census of 1890 counted 1,594 people here.

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 (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.