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History · Voltaire

Voltaire’s post office opened in 1901

Most of Voltaire was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: maps from 1948 on and the census since 1930.

1901first post office
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Voltaire began

When was Voltaire founded?

1901

The Voltaire post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 61 in 19302020 census: 46125 years
Founding year: the first Voltaire post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Voltaire’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 Voltaire are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 101 in 1940; 46 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Voltaire’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Voltaire’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

Voltaire, census by census

010019401960198020002020Peak: 101

Peaked at 101 in 1940; 46 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

The story

How Voltaire came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Voltaire.

Read it all →

Voltaire was founded in 1901. The city was most likely named after a local pioneer. A post office has been in operation at Voltaire since 1901.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Voltaire, 1901 to 1948

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1901Post officeThe Voltaire post office opens
  3. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 101
  4. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Voltaire, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Voltaire, North Dakota2008Voltaire, North DakotaVoltaire, North Dakota2008Voltaire, North DakotaVoltaire, North Dakota2008Voltaire, North DakotaVoltaire, North Dakota2008Voltaire, North DakotaVoltaire, North Dakota2008Voltaire, North DakotaVoltaire, North Dakota2008Voltaire, North DakotaUS Post office in Voltaire North Dakota 10-16-20082008US Post office in Voltaire North Dakota 10-16-2008
On the map

Voltaire on the map, 1948 to 1951

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

Voltaire on the 1948 USGS mapVoltaire on the 1951 USGS map1948Voltaire 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 Voltaire.

Famous people

Famous people close to Voltaire

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

See all →
Eric SevareidAmerican journalist · b. 1912
C
Cordell VolsonAmerican football player · b. 1998
P
Paul ThomasAmerican politician
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Voltaire TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBrown TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLebanon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Voltaire’s history

What year was Voltaire founded?

The Voltaire post office opened in 1901, 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 →
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 (7), Wikipedia, 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.