township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
. At the time of the 2000 Census, its population was 42, and estimated to be 41 as of 2009.
History
The township is named for Fred Van Hook who helped
survey
Survey may refer to:
Statistics and human research
* Statistical survey, a method for collecting quantitative information about items in a population
* Survey (human research), including opinion polls
Spatial measurement
* Surveying, the techniq ...
the area in the early 1910s. A
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , one of seven U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sa ...
station was established at Van Hook in 1914, resulting in rapid population growth. Van Hook Township's population grew from 65 in
1910
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
to 278 in
1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
, at which time it was counted as an organized civil township. The population peaked
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
.
The village of Van Hook continued to grow, reaching a population of 380 in
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
. However, the town soon declined after it was flooded by Lake Sakakawea. Most of the residents were relocated to the nearby city of
New Town
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
after the city disincorporated in 1953.
The resort community of Van Hook in Van Hook township has since been rebuilt on the old town site most of which was never flooded. It is currently a thriving community on the north shore of Lake Sakakawea with both permanent and summer residents. The community is unincorporated, and many of the homes are second homes for residents. US Census population is untabulated. The 2018 population of Van Hook township far exceeds 42, especially if summer residents are counted.
Geography
Much of the township is part of the
Fort Berthold Indian Reservation
The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation is a U.S. Indian reservation in western North Dakota that is home for the federally recognized Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. The reservation includes lands on ...
. The township covers , 10 percent () of which is underwater. The southern portion of the township was flooded when
Lake Sakakawea
Lake Sakakawea is a large reservoir in the north central United States, impounded in 1953 by Garrison Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam located in the Missouri River basin in central North Dakota. Named for the Shoshone-Hidatsa woman Saka ...
was created due to construction of
Garrison Dam
Garrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota, U.S.
Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1947 to 1953, at over in length, the dam is the fifth-largest earthen dam in the world. The res ...
in the early 1950s. Lake Sakakawea's Van Hook Arm is named for the township.
Demographics
As of the 2000 Census, there were 42 individuals, 23 households, and 13 families living in the township but this number seriously underestimates the number of people who have homes in the township. On average, the population density was . Racially, based on those who identified having only one race in their responses to the Census, the township was 31%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
and 12% were American Indians. 57.1% of the township identified themselves as being from two or more races. The 2000 Census also allowed respondents to select more than one race. When that is taken into account, 88.1% of the residents identified themselves as White and 14.3% identified themselves as American Indian.