Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Tower Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Tower Township

Tower Township dates to 1879

Most of Tower Township was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Below: maps from 1897 on and the census since 1880.

1879founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Tower Township began

When was Tower Township founded?

1879

Tower Township dates its founding to 1879 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 159 in 18802020 census: 123147 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Tower 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 Tower Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18973 editions of the USGS map, 1897 to 1986. Watch Tower Township change.Boom and bustPeaked at 468 in 1900; 268 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tower Township’s collection

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

Tower Township on the map, 1897 to 1986

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

Tower Township on the 1897 USGS mapTower Township on the 1967 USGS mapTower Township on the 1986 USGS map1897Tower 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 Tower Township.

People over time

Tower Township, census by census

010020030040050018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 468

Peaked at 468 in 1900; 268 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Tower Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tower Township.

Read it all →

Tower City was laid out in 1879. Founded as a station on the Northern Pacific Railroad, it was named for Charlemagne Tower, a railroad official. A post office has been in operation at Tower City since 1879. The city was incorporated in 1881.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tower Township, 1879 to 1900

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879
    FoundingTower Township is established
  3. 1897On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 468
By decade

Tower Township, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Tower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North DakotaTower City, North Dakota2009Tower City, North Dakota
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Wheatland Colony
1cemetery inside Tower Township
Greenwood

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Hill TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBuffalo2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTower CityIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBuffalo TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOriska TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Tower Township’s history

What year was Tower Township founded?

In 1879, according to Wikidata. the census of 1880 counted 159 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 (18), Wikipedia, 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.