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History · Napoleon

Napoleon’s post office opened in 1886, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Logan County Courthouse.

1886first post office
1on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Napoleon began

When was Napoleon founded?

1886

The Napoleon post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Paul (1884), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

2020 census: 749140 years
Founding year: the first Napoleon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

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

Start Napoleon’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Napoleon’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

How Napoleon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Napoleon.

Read it all →

Napoleon was founded in 1886 and named for Napoleon Goodsill, a realtor from Steele who promoted the site. The Logan County Courthouse was built in 1921. Napoleon was incorporated as a village on May 4, 1914 and as a city on March 18, 1947.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Napoleon, 1884 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Paul post office opens
  3. 1886Post officeThe Paul post office closes
  4. 1886Post officeThe Napoleon post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1918Born hereBen Meier is born here
  7. 1956Born hereDebra Marquart is born here
By decade

Napoleon, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Napoleon, North Dakota2008Napoleon, North DakotaNapoleon, North Dakota2008Napoleon, North DakotaNapoleon, North Dakota2008Napoleon, North DakotaNapoleon, North Dakota2008Napoleon, North DakotaNapoleon, North Dakota2008Napoleon, North DakotaNapoleon, North Dakota2008Napoleon, North Dakota
On the National Register

1 historic place in Napoleon

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Logan County Courthouse
Logan County Courthouse
Buildings
All 1 listings
Logan County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1985

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Napoleon

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

See all →
B
Ben MeierAmerican politician · b. 1918
D
Debra MarquartAmerican poet and musician · b. 1956
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Napoleon’s post office has been open since 1886. Another post office, Paul, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Paul
1884–1886
Napoleon
1886–today
18801950today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Napoleon
NapoleonSaint Philip Catholic

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

Questions about Napoleon’s history

What year was Napoleon founded?

The Napoleon post office opened in 1886, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Napoleon?

One place: the Logan County Courthouse (listed 1985).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.