Wells County, North Dakota
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 8 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1977. Most listings are in or near Fessenden, Harvey, Manfred.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for North Dakota is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Wells titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP5 of 8 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
8 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Beiseker Mansion | Fessenden | 1977 |
| Harvey High School | Harvey | 2026 |
| Harvey Power Plant | Harvey | 2020 |
| Hurd Round House | Hurdsfield | 1977 |
| Manfred Historic District | Manfred | 2017 |
| Vang Evangelical Lutheran Church | Manfred | 2001 |
| Wells County Courthouse | Fessenden | 1977 |
| Wells County Fairgrounds | Fessenden | 1991 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBWells was formed in 1873 (1873-01-04) from Buffalo.
GINGRAS (now WELLS) created by Dakota Territory in present North Dakota from BUFFALO.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusWells County population from 1890 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1890 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,212 | 8,310 | 12,957 | 11,198 | 10,417 | 9,237 | 6,979 | 5,102 | 3,982 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS39 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 39 of 39 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Bethania Cemetery |
| Bethania Church Cemetery South |
| Bethel Lutheran Cemetery |
| Bowdon Country Seventh Day Adventist Cemetery |
| Bowdon Lutheran Cemetery |
| Brethren Cemetery |
| Chaseley Cemetery |
| Cheyenne River Seventh - Day Adventist Cemetery |
| Concordia Cemetery |
| Cooke Cemetery |
| Dunkard Cemetery |
| East Vang Cemetery |
| Eden Cemetery |
| Eigenheim Cemetery |
| Fuhrman Family Cemetery |
| German Baptist Cemetery |
| German Baptist Cemetery |
| Hamberg Lutheran Cemetery |
| Harvey Mennonite Brethren Cemetery |
| Heaton Cemetery |
| Hillsdale Cemetery |
| Hillside Cemetery |
| Hoff Lutheran Cemetery |
| Hope Mennonite Cemetery |
| Lake View Cemetery |
| Manfred Seventh - Day Adventist Cemetery |
| Mielke Cemetery |
| Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery |
| Peterson Cemetery |
| Pleasant Hill Cemetery |
| Saint Cecilia Catholic Cemetery |
| Saint Elizabeth Cemetery |
| Saint Josephs Catholic Cemetery |
| Sunnyside Cemetery |
| Sykeston Cemetery |
| Tolbert Cemetery |
| Trinity Cemetery |
| Vang Lutheran Cemetery |
| Wayside Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Wells County, North Dakota
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