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History · Scranton

Scranton’s post office opened in 1907, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1969 on and the census since 1910.

1907first post office
0on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Scranton began, and where its name came from

When was Scranton founded?

1907

The Scranton post office opened in 1907, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 214 in 19102020 census: 258119 years

How did Scranton get its name?

Scranton was named after Scranton, Pennsylvania because, like that city, it was located within a region of coal mining.

Founding year: the first Scranton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What stands out about Scranton’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 Scranton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 415 in 1980; 258 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Scranton’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Scranton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Scranton’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
People over time

Scranton, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 415

Peaked at 415 in 1980; 258 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Scranton, in brief

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

Scranton is a city in Bowman County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 258 at the 2020 census. Scranton was founded in 1907 along the Milwaukee Road rail line known as the Pacific Extension. It was named after Scranton, Pennsylvania because, like that city, it was located within a region of coal mining.

Its first post office opened in 1907. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 281 to 258 (-8%).

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

Timeline

Scranton, 1907 to 1980

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1907Post officeThe Scranton post office opens
  3. 1925Born hereWarren Christopher is born here
  4. 1969On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1980Born hereKat Perkins is born here
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 415
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Scranton on the map, 1969 to 1981

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

Scranton on the 1969 USGS mapScranton on the 1981 USGS map1969Scranton sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Scranton

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

See all →
Warren ChristopherU.S. Secretary of State · b. 1925
Kat PerkinsAmerican singer · b. 1980

Questions about Scranton’s history

What year was Scranton founded?

The Scranton post office opened in 1907, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 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.