History · Elgin

Elgin’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Elgin. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

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The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Elgin was platted in 1910 when the railroad was extended to that point. The town was originally known as Shanley, but when the Northern Pacific Railroad came through town, they objected to the name as it was too similar to Stanley (the seat of Mountrail County), so the citizens were asked to choose a new name. At one point, one committee member checked the time on his Elgin pocket watch and suggested the brand name, which was found to be acceptable. A post office has been in operation at Elgin since 1910.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Elgin, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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Then & now

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Historic places

National Register · via Wikidata

From the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Elgin

North Dakota · ND · Cavalier County
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01