General Info
The first people to inhabit the area that is now Grand Forks County, ND were nomadic Native American tribes. In the early 1800s explorers visited the area and believed it had great potential to become a permanent homestead. The city of Grand Forks was the first platted in the county in 1875 by Alexander Griggs. Grand Forks county saw the first railroad, The Great Northern Railway, come through its borders in 1880. In 1887 another railway, the Northern Pacific Railway, came through the county. These railways brought many new settlers to the area. The first post office was established in Grand Forks in 1871. That same year the construction of the first government office was complete and the first telegraph line connected Grand Forks County to the outside world. In the early 1880s many of the towns which are now in Grand Forks County were platted and incorporated. Today Grand Forks County is home to approximately 66,414 residents.
