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History · Larson

Larson’s post office opened in 1907

Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 1920.

1907first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Larson began

When was Larson founded?

1907

The Larson post office opened in 1907, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 114 in 19202020 census: 9119 years
Founding year: the first Larson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Larson’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 Larson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Larson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Larson’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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The story

How Larson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Larson.

Read it all →

Larson was founded in 1907, located in the Northeast quarter of Section 3 in Keller Township. Both this town and nearby Columbus were named for Columbus Larson, an early postmaster who served the area. In 1914, located just south of the town, there were two grain elevators located on a siding of the Great Northern Railway. The early success of the community was due to its location along the railroad right-of-way providing goods and services to the settlers of Keller Township located east, south and west of town, and also settlers in Forthun Township located to the north. The town was especially important to farmers by providing cost-effective transportation of agricultural products to major markets. The Soo Line railroad ran an east-to-west beeline one-half mile north of the Keller-Forthun township border, but there were no elevators or other businesses along their right-of-way at the t…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Larson, decade by decade

Today14 recent
Larson, North Dakota22008Larson, North Dakota2Larson, North Dakota12008Larson, North Dakota1Larson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North DakotaLarson, North Dakota2008Larson, North Dakota
On the map

Larson on the map, 1947 to 1950

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

Larson on the 1947 USGS mapLarson on the 1950 USGS map1947Columbus 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 Larson.

People over time

Larson, census by census

0100192019401960198020002020Peak: 114

Between 9 and 114 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Questions about Larson’s history

What year was Larson founded?

The Larson post office opened in 1907, 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 (14), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.