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History · Ypsilanti Township

Ypsilanti Township’s post office opened in 1882

Most of Ypsilanti Township was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2002. Below: maps from 1986 on.

1882first post office
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Ypsilanti Township began

When was Ypsilanti Township founded?

1882

The Ypsilanti Township post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 160144 years
Founding year: the first Ypsilanti Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

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

Start Ypsilanti Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ypsilanti 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

How Ypsilanti Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ypsilanti Township.

Read it all →

In 1879, the U.S. Government gave 621 acres of land to the Northern Pacific Railway, and part of this became Ypsilanti Township and the townsite of Ypsilanti.

The townsite of Ypsilanti was platted by William Hartley Colby and a partner by the name of Lloyd DePuy. W.H. Colby had come from Ypsilanti, Michigan, so he named the new townsite after the Michigan city by that name.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Ypsilanti Township, decade by decade

Today17 recent
Ypsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota 6-8-20082008Ypsilanti, North Dakota 6-8-2008Ypsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North DakotaYpsilanti, North Dakota2008Ypsilanti, North Dakota
On the map

Ypsilanti Township on the map in 1986

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ypsilanti Township.

Ypsilanti Township on the 1986 USGS map1986Jamestown sheet · 1:100,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Ypsilanti Township

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

See all →
Peggy LeeAmerican singer · b. 1920
Louis L'AmourAmerican novelist and short story writer · b. 1908
R
Rodney StarkAmerican sociologist of religion · b. 1934
Richard HiebAmerican astronaut · b. 1955
Jim RamstadAmerican lawyer and politician · b. 1946
C
Charles Lewis CampAmerican paleontologist and zoologist · b. 1893
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
Ypsilanti
1cemetery inside Ypsilanti Township
Valley

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Corwin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWinfield TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townManns TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMeadow Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Ypsilanti Township’s history

What year was Ypsilanti Township founded?

The Ypsilanti Township post office opened in 1882, 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 (17), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.