Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
“The Benson County Courthouse in Minnewaukan, North Dakota was built in 1900. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1978.”
Wikipedia article Benson County Courthouse, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 6 National Register listings published here for Benson County · listed in 1978 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 11 fires within 5 miles of Benson County Courthouse between 1995 and 2020, burning about 66 acres in total. None started naturally. 8 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 8 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 acres | Fort Totten Agency | WS2716 |
| 6 August 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Fort Totten Agency | PINE |
| 11 August 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Fort Totten Agency | ROUND LAKE |
| 30 May 2019 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Fort Totten Agency | VOLLY |
| 19 May 2019 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | HWY 19 POLE FIRE |
| 9 April 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Fort Totten Agency | COW YARD |
| 17 April 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Fort Totten Agency | LD1006 |
| 30 March 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Fort Totten Agency | TH3203 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Benson County Courthouse: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benson County Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Minnewaukan, the town this property stands in, in 39 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 21 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 3 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | $240,000 | A deputy reported 18 to 20 power poles snapped along the highway west of Minnewauken. An accompanying photo showed a damage pattern associated with an apparent microburst with very strong outflow. Peak winds were estimated at 110 mph. |
| July 2020 | Flood | Minnewaukan | $100,000 | Portions of highway 281 and highway 2 were flooded, along with local county and township roads. Basement flooding was reported in Leeds, Minnewaukan, and Maddock. |
| August 1994 | Hail | Minnewaukan | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | $5,000 | Numerous trees were uprooted in Minnewaukan. One tree fell on a porch roof. Power was out for 5 hours. |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | $500 | Trees and power lines were blown down. Some customers lost power for 10 hours. |
| July 2024 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | Emergency Manager reports quarter sized hail. Time estimated from radar. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | - | A mile-long stretch of power poles were snapped along east to west running Hwy 19 in central Eldon Township. Time estimated based on power outage at nearby wind sensors. Report received via social media. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | - | This report corrects the previous thunderstorm wind gust report from Minnewaukan. A large evergreen was uprooted. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | - | Two cottonwood trees were broken in half onto a driveway by the strong winds. |
| July 2011 | Tornado (EF0) | Minnewaukan | - | This tornado tracked into the northern portion of Long Lake and became quite visible as it pulled up lake water. The tornado tracked for roughly 3 miles and became rain wrapped. Peak winds were estimated at 75 mph. |
| June 2006 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | The hail covered the ground. |
| June 2005 | Flash Flood | Minnewaukan | - | Training bands of heavy rain caused street flooding and sewer system backups. Emergency pumping operations were required, which resulted in raw sewage being pumped into Devils Lake. |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F1) | Minnewaukan | - | A tornado briefly touched down in a shelterbelt north of the intersection of county roads 19 and 30. The tornado formed in a "bookend vortice" off the south edge of a developing downburst wind core. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | - | An older barn roof was torn off. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | - | Many large trees were snapped off. The roof was torn off a shed. |
| July 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Minnewaukan | - | The tornado tracked across Big Coulee, just south of highway 19. The tornado then continued into Ramsey county. |
| September 2005 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | A few golfball to baseball sized hailstones fell after the rain passed by. |
| September 2005 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | Dime to nickel sized hail covered the ground. |
| June 2002 | Flash Flood | Minnewaukan | - | Five inches of rain fell quickly and sent Devils Lake surging into the town of 300. A local church was surround by water. |
| August 2002 | Flash Flood | Minnewaukan | - | Several farms and numerous fields were flooded. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Minnewaukan | - | Intermittent touchdowns were reported. |
| June 2016 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Minnewaukan | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Episcopal Church | 0.2 miles | 1994 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 78001988 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Benson County | All 6 listed properties in this county. |
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