Ada Township, Dickey County, North Dakota

Ada is a township in Dickey County, North Dakota, United States. Its population during the 2020 Census was 29,^[1] down from 60 in 2000.^[4] Its population in 1900 was 232.^[5]

Ada Township, North Dakota
Township
Ada Township Location within the state of North Dakota
Coordinates: 45°59′13″N 98°18′50″W
Country	United States
State	North Dakota
County	Dickey
Area
• Total	36.0 sq mi (93.2 km2)
• Land	36.0 sq mi (93.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,375 ft (419 m)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	29
• Density	0.8/sq mi (0.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	701
FIPS code	38-00300[2]
GNIS feature ID	1036744[3]

History

Ada Township was first settled in the early 1880s. Originally part of Weston Township, which at the time covered two survey townships in Townships 129 and 130N, Range 61W.^[6] Ada was organized around 1900 from the southern of the two townships and the northern one was renamed Kent Township.^[5][7]

The village of Silverleaf, built in 1887, is located 7 miles east of Ellendale, and was once the major population center in the township.^[7] The town reported around 25 residents in the late 1910s,^[8] and never seemed to exceed more than 50. It is little more than a ghost town today.^[9]

The village served a flag station for the Great Northern Railroad. Two conflicting stories exist over the origin of the name. Some say it is for the silverberry bushes found in the area,^[9] but others attribute the naming to a joke played by an early settler, Dan Keenan. Keenan reportedly removed the label from a tin of "Silverleaf" lard and nailed it to a boxcar parked at the station.^[10]

Notable person

John E. Skogland (1879 – 1940) was a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1925 to 1926.^[7][11]

References

1. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Ada township, Dickey County, North Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. U.S. Census Bureau. Census 2000. "Census Demographic Profiles, Ada Township" (PDF). CenStats Databases. Retrieved January 31, 2009.^{[dead link]}
5. U.S. Census Bureau (1901). "Population of North Dakota" (PDF). Twelfth Census of the United States: 1900. Government Printing Office. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
6. U.S. Census Bureau (1893). "Population of North Dakota" (PDF). Eleventh Census of the United States: 1890. Government Printing Office. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
7. Black, R. M., ed. (1930). A History of Dickey County, North Dakota. Ellendale, ND: Dickey County Historical Society. pp. 129–135 & 233.
8. Clason's Guide to North Dakota. Clason's Pocket Guide Maps. Denver, Colorado: The Clason Map Co. 1917. p. 30.
9. Wick, Douglas A. (1988). North Dakota Place Names. Bismarck, North Dakota: Hedemarken Collectibles. p. 179. ISBN 0-9620968-0-6. OCLC 191277027.
10. Williams, Mary Ann (Barnes) (1966). Origins of North Dakota Place Names. Bismarck, North Dakota: Bismarck Tribune, 1966. p. 89. OCLC 431626.
11. Dakota Lawmakers Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine, North Dakota Legislative Council

External links

• 2000 Census map of Ada Township, North Dakota