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History · Lawton

Lawton’s post office opened in 1899, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1972 on and the census since 1920.

1899first post office
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andrew Filer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Lawton began

When was Lawton founded?

1899

The Lawton post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1902.

First census: 227 in 19202020 census: 15127 years
Founding year: the first Lawton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1902.

What stands out about Lawton’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 Lawton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Lawton’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lawton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lawton’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

Lawton, in brief

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

Lawton is a city in Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 15 as of the 2020 census, and was estimated at 18 in 2025.

Its first post office opened in 1899. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 30 to 15 (-50%).

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

Timeline

Lawton, 1899 to 1972

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1899Post officeThe Lawton post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1914Born hereHarlan Hagen is born here
  5. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Lawton, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Lawton, North Dakota2006Lawton, North Dakota
On the map

Lawton on the map, 1972 to 1993

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

Lawton on the 1972 USGS mapLawton on the 1985 USGS mapLawton on the 1993 USGS map1972Lawton 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 Lawton.

People over time

Lawton, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 233

Between 15 and 233 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Questions about Lawton’s history

What year was Lawton founded?

The Lawton post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1902.

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 (1), 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.