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History · Hamilton

Hamilton’s post office opened in 1879, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1941 on and the census since 1890.

1879first post office
0on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Hamilton began

When was Hamilton founded?

1879

The Hamilton post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1882.

First census: 257 in 18902020 census: 46147 years
Founding year: the first Hamilton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1882.The full story ↓

What stands out about Hamilton’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 Hamilton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Hamilton’s homes were built before 1950.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hamilton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hamilton’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 Hamilton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hamilton.

Read it all →

Hamilton was platted in 1882, when the railroad was extended to that point. The city took its name from Hamilton, Ontario, the native land of a large share of the early settlers. A post office has been in operation at Hamilton since 1879. Hamilton is the home of the Pembina County Fair, the oldest continuously running county fair in North Dakota since 1894. Hamilton is also the home of The Bank of Hamilton, the oldest state bank in North Dakota, founded in 1886.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Hamilton, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Hamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaHamilton, North Dakota2007Hamilton, North DakotaNDMap-doton-Hamilton2004NDMap-doton-Hamilton
On the map

Hamilton on the map, 1941 to 1985

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

Hamilton on the 1941 USGS mapHamilton on the 1971 USGS mapHamilton on the 1985 USGS map1941Bathgate 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 Hamilton.

People over time

Hamilton, census by census

01002001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 257

Between 46 and 257 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Hamilton

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

See all →
B
Brent GouletAmerican soccer player and coach · b. 1964
F
Fern HeadleyAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1900
R. G. FergusonCanadian physician · b. 1883
A
Austin BriggsCartoonist · b. 1908
J
John KobsAmerican sports coach · b. 1898
R
Rob HuntPlayer of American football · b. 1981

Questions about Hamilton’s history

What year was Hamilton founded?

The Hamilton post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1882.

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.