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History · Mercer Township

Mercer Township dates to 1905

Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1950.

1905founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Mercer Township began

When was Mercer Township founded?

1905

Mercer Township dates its founding to 1905 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1950.

First census: 214 in 19502020 census: 38121 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

What stands out about Mercer 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 Mercer Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Mercer Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mercer Township’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 so far

Mercer Township, in brief

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

Mercer is a city in McLean County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 88 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 126 in 2024, Mercer was founded in 1905 along a now-abandoned branch line of the Northern Pacific Railway extending from Carrington to Turtle Lake. The name comes from William Henry Harrison Mercer, a well known rancher in the Missouri River Valley for many years and for whom Mercer County is also named.

Mercer Township was established in 1905. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 35 to 38 (+9%).

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

By decade

Mercer Township, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Mercer, North Dakota 06-14-20082008Mercer, North Dakota 06-14-2008NDMap-doton-Mercer2004NDMap-doton-Mercer
On the map

Mercer Township on the map, 1949 to 1980

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

Mercer Township on the 1949 USGS mapMercer Township on the 1961 USGS mapMercer Township on the 1980 USGS map1949Turtle Creek 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 Mercer Township.

People over time

Mercer Township, census by census

01002001960198020002020Peak: 214

Between 86 and 214 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Mercer Township

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

See all →
Bruce PetersonAmerican test pilot · b. 1933
A
Alon WielandAmerican politician in the state of North Dakota · b. 1935
Gary EminethAmerican politician · b. 1958
Homer N. WallinUnited States Navy admiral · b. 1893
F
Frank FalconerCanadian politician · b. 1883
L
Layton FreborgAmerican politician · b. 1933
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Wise TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Mercer Township’s history

What year was Mercer Township founded?

In 1905, according to Wikidata. the census of 1950 counted 214 people here.

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 (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.