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–Not graded
History · Hunter

Hunter’s post office opened in 1881, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1890.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.5
Quick answers

How Hunter began

When was Hunter founded?

1881

The Hunter post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Delno (1880), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 194 in 18902020 census: 332145 years
Founding year: the first Hunter post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hunter’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 Hunter are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 446 in 1960; 332 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Hunter’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hunter’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hunter’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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People over time

Hunter, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 446

Peaked at 446 in 1960; 332 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Hunter came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hunter.

Read it all →

Hunter was first called Delano, and under the latter name was platted in 1880 when the railroad was extended to that point. The name Hunter was adopted in 1881 for John Hunter, a local landowner. According to legend, John Hunter promised to help build the town a church in exchange for the naming rights.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hunter, 1880 to 1967

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880Post officeThe Delno post office opens
  3. 1881Post officeThe Delno post office closes
  4. 1881Post officeThe Hunter post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1937Born hereRoger L. Worsley is born here
  7. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 446
  8. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Hunter, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Hunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota2006Hunter, North DakotaHunter, North Dakota (2006)2006Hunter, North Dakota (2006)
On the map

Hunter on the map, 1967 to 1985

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

Hunter on the 1967 USGS mapHunter on the 1985 USGS map1967Hunter 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 Hunter.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Hunter’s post office has been open since 1881. Another post office, Delno, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Delno
1880–1881
Hunter
1881–today
18801950today
1cemetery inside Hunter
Hunter

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.

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

Questions about Hunter’s history

What year was Hunter founded?

The Hunter 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, 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.