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History · Hatton

Hatton’s post office opened in 1881, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Carl Ben Eielson House and the Andres O. Ness House. Its Register listings are the Carl Ben Eielson House and the Andres O. Ness House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1970 on, and the census since 1900.

1881first post office
2on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hatton’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hatton began

When was Hatton founded?

1881

The Hatton post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1884.

First census: 430 in 19002020 census: 712145 years
Founding year: the first Hatton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1884.

What stands out about Hatton’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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 991 in 1950; 712 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Hatton’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hatton’s collection

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

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

Hatton, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 991

Peaked at 991 in 1950; 712 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story so far

Hatton, in brief

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

Hatton is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 712 at the 2020 census. Hatton was founded in 1882, and was named for Frank Hatton, then Assistant Postmaster General. Hatton is the birthplace of 20th century Arctic explorer and pilot Carl Ben Eielson.

Its first post office opened in 1881. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 777 to 712 (-8%).

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

Timeline

Hatton, 1881 to 1990

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Hatton post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1908BuiltAndres O. Ness House is built
  5. 1937Born hereKermit Edward Bye is born here
  6. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 991
  7. 1970On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1990In the archiveCarlBenEielsongrave
By decade

Hatton, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
CarlBenEielsongrave1990sCarlBenEielsongrave
Today1 recent
Hatton, North Dakota2006Hatton, North Dakota
On the map

Hatton on the map, 1970 to 1985

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

Hatton on the 1970 USGS mapHatton on the 1985 USGS map1970Hatton 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 Hatton.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Hatton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1977
Carl Ben Eielson House
Carl Ben Eielson HouseAndres O. Ness House, built 1908
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Carl Ben Eielson HouseQueen Anne
All 2 listings
Andres O. Ness HouseBuilding · listed 1977

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Hatton’s history

What year was Hatton founded?

The Hatton post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1884.

What is on the National Register in Hatton?

Two places: the Carl Ben Eielson House (listed 1977) and the Andres O. Ness House (1977).

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 (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.