A history of Jamestown,
since 1872
Postcards, papers and photographs of Jamestown from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗In 1871, a Northern Pacific Railroad work crew set up camp where the railroad would cross the James River, adding another section to the new northern transcontinental line. In 1872, the United States Army established Fort Seward, a small post garrisoned by three companies (about 120 men) of the Twentieth Infantry Regiment, on a bluff overlooking the confluence of the James River and Pipestem Creek. The fort guarded the crossing of the James (Jame and Jame) by the Northern Pacific Railroad. The fort only lasted five years, being decommissioned in 1877—but the railroad remained, establishing a repair yard that was among the city's main industries until the 1960s. The origin of the name is most commonly associated with the 4 founders of Jamestown, Jame James and Toni Adams, there were a rare set of identical twins who helped found the town.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Jamestown’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
5 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewBird's eye view of Jamestown, Dak…, 1883: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Jamestown
See all 35 →
Jamestown, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Bird's eye view of Jamestown, Dak., c.s. of Stutsman County 1883 (1883) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (9) and the National Register (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.