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Nelson County, North Dakota

47 topographic sheets cover 14 settlements here, and 6 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

6 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

North Dakota within the United States
Nelson County within North Dakota

What the record shows

  • 122 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 6 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 5 buildings and 1 structure.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 14 populated places in this county; 14 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

6

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard-Lakotabuilding2017100001743
Nesheim Bridgestructure199797000185
Old Settler's Pavilionbuilding201010000366
Nels Ophaug Barnbuilding2024100010902
Petersburg Auditoriumbuilding2025100012309
Tofthagen Library Museumbuilding199191001467

Wildfire, 1992 to 2019

35 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 35 of them, burning about 3,677 acres. None started naturally and 10 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning14
Arson/incendiarism10
Missing data/not specified/undetermined5
Smoking3
Equipment and vehicle use2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
3 May 2018Debris and open burning1,440 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service2018-4
4 May 2018Debris and open burning800 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service2018-5
23 April 2018Debris and open burning320 acresNorth Dakota State Forest ServiceRETZLAFF RESEVOUR
23 April 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined300 acresNorth Dakota State Forest ServiceMAVIS NAAS CRP
4 April 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined160 acresNorth Dakota State Forest ServiceKIEFAT
21 May 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined160 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service2018-9
10 May 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined140 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service2019-6
20 October 2018Equipment and vehicle use100 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service2018-18

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1971 to 2025

60 of 425 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 425 reports for this county, causing no deaths, no injuries and about $17,187,900 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Hail187
Thunderstorm Wind139
Tornado41
Flood30
Flash Flood15
Funnel Cloud11
Heavy Rain2

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 1997HailMichigan$10,000,000Most of the 190 homes in Michigan suffered roof damage and broken windows. Many vehicles were also dented. The two implement dealers in Michigan suffered extensive damage to their inventories.
June 2000Flash FloodPetersburg$2,000,000After 10 to 15 inches of rain fell across portions of east central Nelson county, flash flooding occurred. Part of the road shoulder washed out at the US Highway 2 overpass near Petersburg, reducing the traffic to one lane. Several farmsteads were surrounded by water. 45 percent of the cropland in Nelson county was destroyed.
June 2009FloodPelto$2,000,000no account filed
July 2009FloodPelto$2,000,000no account filed
July 1987Tornado (F0)not stated$250,000no account filed
July 2001Tornado (F3)Pekin$200,000A tornado hit the home of the Nelson county sheriff, who was out of town at the time. The tornado tore the roof off the house and destroyed the barn. A piece of farm machinery was thrown through the bedroom wall and a tractor was hurled 75 yards. The sheriff's squad car was crushed.
September 2019Flash FloodMc Ville$125,000Streets, low spots, rivers, and basements were flooded by 4 to 9 inches of rain over a short duration of time. Cars that got stuck in the flood waters were abandoned where they stalled. Farm fields and access roads were also flooded.
September 2019Flash FloodAneta$125,000Streets, low spots, rivers, and basements were flooded by 4 to 9 inches of rain over a short duration of time. Cars that got stuck in the flood waters were abandoned where they stalled. Farm fields and access roads were also flooded.
June 1999Tornado (F1)Lakota$100,000A barn, quonsets, and garages were destroyed by a tornado. Trees were uprooted and grain bins and a camper were destroyed. Power lines were also downed.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindPekin$60,000One steel grain bin was popped off its foundation and rolled, while a second one was tipped over.
July 2011FloodPelto$50,000no account filed
August 2011FloodPelto$50,000no account filed
June 2011FloodPelto$50,000no account filed
August 1994Thunderstorm WindTolna$30,000Strong winds blew two mobile homes into each other and also damaged 100 to 150 trees.
May 2010Flash FloodMichigan City$25,000Heavy rains of three to five inches produced runoff which inundated city sewer lift stations and flooded several basements.
August 1987Tornado (F0)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 1977Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
June 2009Flash FloodPelto$20,000Fields and farm roads were flooded across northern Nash and eastern Dahlen Townships. County roads were washed out in numerous locations.
May 2010Flash FloodMichigan City$15,000Heavy afternoon rains combined with earlier runoff to cause localized flooding near the community.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindMichigan City$5,000Large branches were blown down and a tin roof was blown off a pole barn.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindMichigan City$5,000Many trees were blown down and some building damage occurred.
March 2009FloodPelto$5,000no account filed
April 2009FloodPelto$5,000no account filed
May 2009FloodPelto$5,000no account filed
July 1991Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
July 2011Flash FloodLakota$2,000Several sections of county and farm access roads across southern Illinois and Dodds townships were made impassable due to water flowing over the roads.
July 2011Flash FloodPekin$1,000Flooding occurred along a farm access road and several sections of farmland in eastern Osage and western Hamlin townships. Ditches flowing into Silver Creek overflowed.
June 2002HailMichigan City$1,000Hail punched 12 holes in a fiberglass porch roof.
September 2000Thunderstorm WindLakota$1,000Large branches were blown down and a grain elevator was damaged.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindMichigan City$1,000Trees were blown down across a county road.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindLakota$1,000Tree damage was also reported in Lakota.
June 2010Flash FloodLakota$500A rapid 2 to 3 inch downburst of rain produced street flooding in Lakota. Water spread a foot or more deep across several streets and stretched from sidewalk to sidewalk.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindLakota$500Tree branches were blown down.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindMichigan City$500A large tree was blown down.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindMc Ville$500Trees were blown down.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindTolna$500Branches were downed southwest of Tolna.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindDahlen$500Strong wind blew several trees down.
August 2002Thunderstorm WindPekin$200Tree limbs were blown down.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindLakota$200Tree branches were blown down.
June 2025HailPetersburg-Largest hail was quarter size.
June 2025HailAneta-Report of quarter size hail.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindMichigan City-NDAWN station 3W of Michigan reported a wind gust of 67 mph. Mesonet station 325769 Michigan ND NDAWN.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindPekin-NDAWN station 1NNE Pekin reported a 62 mph wind gust at the 10 meter sensor. Mesonet station 325765 Pekin ND NDAWN.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindPekin-NDAWN site 2 northeast of Pekin reports a 59 MPH wind gust.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindAneta-Peak gust from a Davis personal weather station.
June 2023HailMapes-Public reports 20 minutes of quarter sized hail. Also reports crop damage occurred with 100% loss.
June 2022Tornado (EF0)Tolna-A persistent wall cloud with brief funnel and tornado was noted and filmed by chasers located in Tolna. The tornado likely lasted for a minute or less as it tracked eastward, well behind the initial storm outflow, for a half mile or less. Peak winds estimated to 75 mph, with a maximum width to 100 yards.
June 2022Tornado (EF0)Tolna-Persistent wall cloud, with brief funnel and large and dusty ground swirl reported over an open field. Tornado lasted less than a minute and was viewed from near Pekin. Peak winds estimated to 75 mph. Maximum width to 100 yards.
June 2022Tornado (EF0)Mc Ville Arpt-A brief touchdown was noted in central Hamline Township by spotters located approximately 1 nw of McVille. Touchdown lasted less than a minute. Peak winds were estimated to 75 mph, with a maximum width to 100 yards.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindMc Ville-Several trees snapped or uprooted around town. Time estimated based on radar.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindPetersburg-A semi truck-trailer combination was flipped on Highway 2. Time estimated based on radar and nearby wind sensor reports.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindAneta-Several, large 3 to 5-inch diameter tree branches were broken. Winds were estimated to be 60 mph.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindPekin-An NDAWN station measured a 10 meter wind gust to 58 mph.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindPetersburg-A large tree was blown down at a farmstead. Report and photo was posted via social media. Time estimated based on radar and nearby wind sensor reports.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindPekin-Peak wind gust was measured at an NDAWN station at the 10 meter height. Several large trees were snapped or uprooted in the nearby community of Pekin. Empty steel grain bins were also partially caved in near Pekin.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindLakota Muni Arpt-Large tree branches were blown down at the northern Lakeview campground. Boats and boat dock flipped on northern stump lake. One small metal storage shed was blown down.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindLakota-Several large, 4 to 8 inch tree branches were broken down, and large spruce trees were snapped.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindMc Ville-Numerous mature cottonwood, ash, and spruce trees were snapped or uprooted around town.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindAneta-Several large cottonwood, ash and spruce trees were snapped or uprooted. Shingles and roof trim was torn from the roofs of several homes.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindWhitman-Peak wind was measured at a personal weather station.

Mines and quarries

3 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 3 workings inside this county. All of them still produce. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction3

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Hegge PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hulstrand Const PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Soper Brothers Const PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every populated place in the county

14

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

The vanished settlements of Nelson County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.