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History · Mantador

Mantador dates to 1886, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1950.

1886founded
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Mantador began

When was Mantador founded?

1886

Mantador dates its founding to 1886 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 138 in 19502020 census: 67140 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1893.The full story ↓

What stands out about Mantador’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 Mantador are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19044 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1998. Watch Mantador change.Old housesHalf of Mantador’s homes were built before 1942.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mantador’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mantador’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
On the map

Mantador on the map, 1904 to 1998

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

Mantador on the 1904 USGS mapMantador on the 1964 USGS mapMantador on the 1985 USGS mapMantador on the 1998 USGS map1904Wahpeton sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Mantador came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Mantador.

Read it all →

Mantador was established in 1886 by the Soo Line Railroad as a depot under the so-called "Long Length Law." The law required that depots must be placed at nine-mile intervals along the track in order to provide fuel and water for trains and to provide postal service for settlers. The town developed around the depot.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Mantador, 1886 to 1904

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1886
    FoundingMantador is established
  3. 1893Post officeThe Mantador post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Mantador, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Mantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaMantador, North Dakota2009Mantador, North DakotaNDMap-doton-Mantador2004NDMap-doton-Mantador
People over time

Mantador, census by census

01001960198020002020Peak: 138

Between 64 and 138 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Mantador

Nobody well known was born in Mantador itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
J
John Kenneth HilliardAmerican engineer · b. 1901
Orin D. HaugenUS Army officer · b. 1907
J
Jason HeitkampAmerican politician

Questions about Mantador’s history

What year was Mantador founded?

In 1886, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Mantador’s post office opened in 1893, and the census of 1950 counted 138 people here.

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, 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.