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–Not graded
History · Grandin

Grandin’s post office opened in 1881, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1952 on and the census since 1930.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Grandin began

When was Grandin founded?

1881

The Grandin post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 172 in 19302020 census: 186145 years
Founding year: the first Grandin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Grandin’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 Grandin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Grandin’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grandin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grandin’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

How Grandin came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grandin.

Read it all →

Grandin was named for Bonanza farmer John Livingston Grandin. Grandin, a native of Tidioute, Pennsylvania, along with his brother William James, purchased 99 sections of land in the Red River Valley, dividing them in 1,500 acre farms. The brothers had 14,000 acres under cultivation near Grandin, with another 600 acres near Mayville, North Dakota. Prior to the arrival of the railroad the brothers shipped wheat from their farm by barge on the Red River to Fargo, 90 miles downstream. The barges were towed by the steamers Alsop and Grandin. The Grandin brothers' bonanza farm was one of the earliest adopters of the telephone in the state. JL Grandin's great-granddaughter is Temple Grandin, an animal scientist, author and autism advocate.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Grandin, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Grandin, ND2024Grandin, NDGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaGrandin, North Dakota2007Grandin, North DakotaNDMap-doton-Grandin2004NDMap-doton-Grandin
On the map

Grandin on the map, 1952 to 1974

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

Grandin on the 1952 USGS mapGrandin on the 1966 USGS mapGrandin on the 1974 USGS map1952Grand Forks 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 Grandin.

People over time

Grandin, census by census

010020019401960198020002020Peak: 213

Between 147 and 213 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

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

Questions about Grandin’s history

What year was Grandin founded?

The Grandin post office opened in 1881, 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 (12), Wikipedia, 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.