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History · Knox

Knox’s post office opened in 1887, and 78% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1910.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
78%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 Knox began

When was Knox founded?

1887

The Knox post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 330 in 19102020 census: 22139 years
Founding year: the first Knox post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Knox’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 Knox are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Knox’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Knox’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Knox’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 so far

Knox, in brief

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

Knox is a city in Benson County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 22 at the 2020 census. Knox was founded in 1887.

Its first post office opened in 1887. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 25 to 22 (-12%).

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

By decade

Knox, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Knox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota 5-23-20082008Knox, North Dakota 5-23-2008Knox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota2008Knox, North DakotaKnox, North Dakota2008Knox, North Dakota
On the map

Knox on the map, 1971 to 1980

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

Knox on the 1971 USGS mapKnox on the 1980 USGS map1971Knox 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 Knox.

People over time

Knox, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 330

Between 22 and 330 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Questions about Knox’s history

What year was Knox founded?

The Knox post office opened in 1887, 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 →
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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), 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.