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Rolette County NDGenWeb is a free genealogical site about the history of the county. It is a member of NDGenWeb, which is a member of USGenWeb®. We hope you find helpful clues for your research of Rolette County ancestors.

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State Coordinator: Michelle Savre

Assistant State Coordinator: Linda Ziemann

COUNTY FORMATION

A bill signed by President Buchanan on March 2, 1861, created Dakota Territory. In 1873 when the legislature created counties, what is now Rolette County (along with parts of Towner County and Pierce County) was originally known as Buffalo County. A portion of the county was broken off to form Towner County in 1883. The boundaries were changed in 1887 when the county name was changed to Rolette in honor of “Jolly Joe” Rolette (1820-1871), a pioneer and fur trader.

Rolette County is located along the Canadian border in north-central North Dakota. It covers over 900 square miles. The Turtle Mountain (Chippewa) Indian Reservation is located in the northern part of the county.

The original county seat was Dunseith (1884-1885). St. John was the county seat from 1885 to 1889. Rolla is now the county seat and largest town.