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History · Mekinock Township

Mekinock Township’s post office opened in 1879

More historic than 13% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Mekinock Township was built recently: 0.5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1934 on.

1879first post office
0on the National Register
0.5%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: In memoriam afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Mekinock Township began

When was Mekinock Township founded?

1879

The Mekinock Township post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 2,152147 years

How historic is Mekinock Township?

D

More historic than 13% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Mekinock Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Mekinock Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mekinock Township is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mekinock Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1879, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19400.5% of homes (±0.9) · typical ND town 7.2% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical ND town 2.8 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 13%
NewerOlder

North Dakota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical North Dakota town has 2.8 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Mekinock Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (22% of North Dakota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

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

Start Mekinock Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mekinock Township’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

Mekinock Township, in brief

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

Mekinock is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in eastern Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. It lies northwest of the city of Grand Forks, the county seat of Grand Forks County. The population of the community was 2,152 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 2,305 in 2023. Mekinock's elevation is 860 feet (260 m). It has a post office with the ZIP code 58258. The post office was established in 1879.

Its first post office opened in 1879. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,535 to 2,152 (-15%).

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

By decade

Mekinock Township, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Mekinock, North Dakota2006Mekinock, North DakotaMekinock, North Dakota2006Mekinock, North DakotaMekinock, North Dakota2006Mekinock, North DakotaMekinock, North Dakota2006Mekinock, North DakotaMekinock, North Dakota2006Mekinock, North DakotaMekinock, North Dakota2006Mekinock, North DakotaMekinock, North Dakota2006Mekinock, North DakotaMekinock, North Dakota2006Mekinock, North DakotaMekinock, North Dakota2006Mekinock, North Dakota
On the map

Mekinock Township on the map, 1934 to 1963

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

Mekinock Township on the 1934 USGS mapMekinock Township on the 1963 USGS map1934Emerado 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 Mekinock Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Mekinock Township

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

See all →
James RosenquistAmerican artist · b. 1933
A
Alan RitchsonAmerican actor · b. 1982
Lynn AndersonAmerican country music singer · b. 1947
Doug McDermottAmerican basketball player · b. 1992
M
Mancur OlsonAmerican economist · b. 1932
C
Clint HillU.S. Secret Service agent · b. 1932
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hegton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGilby TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townChester TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGrand Forks AFBIts storyD−Blooming TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLakeville TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Mekinock Township’s history

What year was Mekinock Township founded?

The Mekinock Township post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Mekinock Township rank for history?

Mekinock Township is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Mekinock Township?

0.5% of Mekinock Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 7.2% for a North Dakota town; the median home was built in 2001.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.