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The name of the county is attributed to Dakota Territorial legislator, Erastus A. "General" Williams for his esteemed friend, John Piatt Dunn, Jr., one of the earliest mayors of Bismarck and pioneers of Dakota Territory. The county was established in 1883 from a portion of Howard County. In 1885 Dunn County gained borders from a portion of McKenzie County, Stark County, and the old Williams County while losing some portions to Billings County and Villard County. In 1896 the county became Stark County but then in 1901, it regained all that was lost to Stark (the 1885 organization). In 1908 Dunn County gained some from the Unorganized Territory which is how it remains today [2022]. Genealogy research should include the counties mentioned above relative to the year(s) being researched.
Dunn County in western North Dakota was created in 1883 but was not fully organized until 1908, with Manning as the seat. From 1908-1915 nearby Kenmare grew significantly larger than Manning and began to feel they deserved the seat. In early 1915 Kenmare residents saw the door opened when the original courthouse burned. When county commissioners took steps to secure a modest replacement Kenmare citizens challenged that action by seeking an injunction to keep county funds from being used to build a new courthouse. Their bid was unsuccessful, though, and the courts did not uphold their petition. Consequently, a replacement courthouse was built in Manning, a town of 42, which today still owns the seat. |
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GENERAL COUNTY
DAUNTLESS DUNN - 1970
A history of the county published by the Dunn County Early Settlers Association. The Index to this history book is located here. It contains mainly biographies and articles on early Dunn County individuals/families. Browse or Search the index and provide the family name(s) and the page number(s) to County Coordinator Mike Peterson at this eMail address - lineage40@cox.net . Any biography or article posted in the book will be provided at no cost to the requestor.
Dunn County Formation History Includes Two Different Sources 1. Link to Maps, Dates, Descriptions 2. Date Changes With Applicable Laws County Atlas-Directory - 1934 County Townships County Towns and Places Dunn County on National Register of Historic Places |
TOWN HISTORIES
Dodge Dunn Center Halliday Killdeer Killdeer Mountain Roundup Manning Oakdale |