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History · Francis

Francis’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Francis Township is a township in Burleigh County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 17 at the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 26 to 17 (-35%). Half of its homes were built before 1990.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Francis yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

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Start Francis’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Francis’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from FrancisWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Francis.Meet them →
By decade

Francis, 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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National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Francis is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Francis has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Depression Era Work Relief Construction Features at Menoken State Historic Site in Menoken, 6.8 miles away.

Francis and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Francis. Tap a dot.
Depression Era Work Relief Construction Features at Menoken State Historic SiteTowne-Williams HouseFred and Gladys Grady HouseSt. George's Episcopal Memorial ChurchFormer North Dakota Executive MansionBismarck Civic Auditorium

Closest to Francis

Depression Era Work Relief Construction Features at Menoken State Historic SiteMenoken · Building6.8miTowne-Williams HouseBismarck · Building15.2miFred and Gladys Grady HouseBismarck · Building15.2miSt. George's Episcopal Memorial ChurchBismarck · Building15.4miFormer North Dakota Executive MansionBismarck · Building15.4mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Depression Era Work Relief Construction Features at Menoken State Historic Site’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Francis?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Francis’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Naughton📜 Menoken📜 Cromwell📜 Sibley Butte
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Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Francis, NDBurleigh CountyView boundary

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