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History · Maddock

Maddock’s post office opened in 1898, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1910.

1898first post office
0on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Maddock’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Maddock began

When was Maddock founded?

1898

The Maddock post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1901. Another post office, North Viking (1892), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 374 in 19102020 census: 402128 years
Founding year: the first Maddock post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1901.

What stands out about Maddock’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 741 in 1950; 402 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Maddock’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Maddock’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Maddock’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 viewMaddock, N. Dak: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Maddock, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 741

Peaked at 741 in 1950; 402 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Maddock, in brief

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

Maddock is a city in Benson County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 402 at the 2020 census. Maddock was founded in 1901.

Its first post office opened in 1898. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 382 to 402 (+5%).

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

Timeline

Maddock, 1892 to 1959

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892Post officeThe North Viking post office opens
  3. 1898Post officeThe North Viking post office closes
  4. 1898Post officeThe Maddock post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1913In the archiveMaddock, N. Dak
  7. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1949Born hereLois Delmore is born here
  9. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 741
  10. 1959Born hereRick Berg is born here
By decade

Maddock, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s3 items
Maddock, N. Dak1913Maddock, N. DakMaddock, N. Dak1913Maddock, N. DakMaddock, No. Dak. as seen from the east1913Maddock, No. Dak. as seen from the east
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today9 recent
Maddock, North Dakota2008Maddock, North DakotaMaddock, North Dakota2008Maddock, North DakotaMaddock, North Dakota2008Maddock, North DakotaMaddock, North Dakota2008Maddock, North DakotaMaddock, North Dakota2008Maddock, North DakotaMaddock, North Dakota2008Maddock, North DakotaMaddock, North Dakota2008Maddock, North DakotaMaddock, North Dakota2008Maddock, North DakotaMaddock, North Dakota2008Maddock, North Dakota
On the map

Maddock on the map, 1943 to 1986

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

Maddock on the 1943 USGS mapMaddock on the 1951 USGS mapMaddock on the 1986 USGS map1943Maddock sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Maddock.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Maddock, N. Dak
Retake this viewMaddock, N. Dak, 1913

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Maddock’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Maddock

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Rick BergAmerican politician · b. 1959
L
Lois DelmoreAmerican politician · b. 1949
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Maddock’s post office has been open since 1898. Another post office, North Viking, opened and closed inside today’s town.

North Viking
1892–1898
Maddock
1898–today
18901960today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Maddock’s history

What year was Maddock founded?

The Maddock post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1901.

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 (10), the Library of Congress (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.