Wahpeton ( ) is a city in
Richland County, in southeast
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
along the
Bois de Sioux River at its confluence with the
Otter Tail River, which forms the
Red River of the North
The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...
. Wahpeton is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of Richland County.
The population was 8,007 at the
2020 census.
Wahpeton was founded in 1869 and is the principal city of the Wahpeton
Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Richland County, North Dakota and
Wilkin County, Minnesota
Wilkin County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Wilkin County was 6,506. Its county seat is Breckenridge, Minnesota, Breckenridge. The county ...
. Wahpeton's
twin city is
Breckenridge, Minnesota, on the other side of the river. The
Bois de Sioux River and the
Otter Tail River join at Wahpeton and Breckenridge to form the
Red River of the North
The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...
.
The
North Dakota State College of Science is in Wahpeton. The local newspaper is the ''
Wahpeton Daily News''.
History
The first European explorer in the area was
Jonathan Carver in 1767. He explored and mapped the Northwest at the request of
Major Robert Rogers
Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Rogers (7 November 1731 – 18 May 1795) was a British Army officer and frontiersman. Born in Methuen, Massachusetts, he fought in King George's War, the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. During ...
, commander of
Fort Michilimackinac. This British fort at
Mackinaw City, Michigan
Mackinaw City ( ) is a village at the northernmost point of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Divided between Cheboygan and Emmet counties, Mackinaw City is located at the southern end of the Mackinac Bridge, which carries Inter ...
, protected the passage between
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
and
Lake Huron
Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is shared on the north and east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south and west by the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the lake is derived from early French ex ...
of the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...
. In 1763 the British had extended their reach in Canada and territory west of the Appalachian Mountains, taking over former French colonial territories after defeating the French in the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
.
Carver's mission was to find the
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...
, the imagined waterway to the Orient which Rogers (and many other explorers of the time) believed existed. Carver could not find what does not exist, but his account of exploration helped attract
fur trader
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...
s and other explorers to this territory.
More than 100 years after Carver's expedition, a U.S. government surveying party passed through the Wahpeton area. With the Civil War over, the government wanted to encourage development in the West. J. W. Blanding, a member of the expedition, was so impressed by the fertile river valley that he returned to his Wisconsin home determined to move his family and property to the
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...
. Blanding so influenced other Wisconsin settlers that many had reached the Wahpeton area and homesteaded there before Blanding arranged his return.
The first settler was Morgan T. Rich. His plow turned the first furrow of rich black bottomland in 1869. When other settlers arrived, they formed a tiny community and named it Richville, commemorating both its founder and the fertile quality of the soil.
In 1871, a U.S. post office opened. At the same time, the town's name was changed to ''Chahinkapa'', a
Lakota
Lakota may refer to:
*Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes
*Lakota language
Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...
Sioux word meaning "the end of the woods". Two years later, the county was organized and named Chahinkapa County.
Later that year the county was renamed Richland County and the town of Chahinkapa renamed Wahpeton. This was derived from the
Dakota name of the local band of
Dakota Indians, the ''Wakhpetonwan.'' The name in Dakota means "leaf dwellers." They adopted this name at an earlier time when they lived in the vicinity of
Lake Mille Lacs, before they were displaced by the
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...
and pushed to the west.
Growth of the village of Wahpeton was quite slow during the first few years, but it increased rapidly in 1872 with the completion of a railroad line into
Breckenridge, Minnesota, a tiny community across the
Bois de Sioux River. The St. Paul and Pacific Railway (now the
Great Northern) had entered the region. The railroad generated a booming business in
flatboat building in both communities. Flatboats could carry freight directly from the railroad downriver via the Red River of the North (which flowed north) to northern parts of the state and to
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, Manitoba, Canada.
The railroad line attracted many more settlers to the area—both migrants from the Eastern United States, Native Americans, and new European immigrants.
Germans
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
,
Bohemians,
Scandinavians
Scandinavia is a subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also refer to the Scand ...
, and Native Americans moved to Richland County to file for homesteads. In 1874, Jacob Morvin and Joseph Sittarich opened the county's first retail store in Wahpeton. By 1876 the traffic between Wahpeton and Breckenridge had grown past the ferry's capacity. A bridge was built across the Bois de Sioux River connecting the towns.
Another flurry of growth occurred in 1880 when the
St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railroad crossed the river and pushed its tracks on toward the northwest. By 1883 the population of Wahpeton was estimated to be as high as 1,400 people.
In 1888, the Northern Light Electric Company (NLEC) was organized here. It made Wahpeton among North Dakota's first cities to be electrified. In 1909, NLEC became the first customer of the newly founded
Otter Tail Power Company. In 1913, NLEC's owner, C. B. Kidder, sold his company to Otter Tail Power and became its first general manager. In 1927, Otter Tail Power built what was then its largest power plant at Wahpeton, naming it Kidder Station. The plant was removed in 1977; the site is now a park.
In 1889, the
Red River Valley University was established in Wahpeton. It later was renamed the
North Dakota State College of Science.
On June 10, 1897, a lightning bolt struck the main pole in a Ringling Brothers Circus tent as it was being erected, breaking the pole and causing three deaths. The lives lost are commemorated with a monument in a graveyard south of Wahpeton.
In 1904, the U.S. government established the
Wahpeton Indian School here. The boarding school operated into the 1970s. It was intended to educate Native American children from reservations and tribes in northern Minnesota, North Dakota, and northern South Dakota. It was an
Indian boarding school, designed to assimilate the children to mainstream language, culture and religion. In most such schools, children were required to use English rather than their native languages (which were many among these groups), dress in Euro-American style, and practice Christianity. The school has since been transferred to an inter-tribal group, chartered under the federally recognized
Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Oyate and funded by the
Bureau of Indian Education
The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs that directs and manages education functions. Formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs ...
. The tribes renamed the school Circle of Nations School and operate it, serving children in grades 4–8.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
The
Red River forms one of the most fertile river valleys in the world. As it flows north to Canada, it forms the state boundary between
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
and
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. Wahpeton is near the river's headwaters at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail Rivers.
Climate
This
climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Wahpeton has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
Demographics
As of the 2022
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
, there are 3,299 estimated households in Wahpeton with an average of 2.02 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $51,417. Approximately 18.3% of the city's population lives at or below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
. Wahpeton has an estimated 64.8% employment rate, with 22.8% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.9% holding a high school diploma.
The top nine reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were German (43.2%), Norwegian (20.0%), Irish (7.4%), English (4.0%), Polish (2.7%), French (except Basque) (2.3%), Scottish (1.7%), Italian (0.3%), and Subsaharan African (0.1%).
The median age in the city was 34.0 years.
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 8,007 people, 3,235 households, and 1,736 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 3,597 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 85.59%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.64%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 4.17%
Native American, 1.34%
Asian, 0.22%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 2.19% from some other races and 4.86% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.77% of the population. 16.3% of residents were under the age of 18, 4.3% were under 5 years of age, and 18.4% were 65 and older.
2010 census
As of the
2010 census, there were 7,766 people, 3,151 households, and 1,717 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,482 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.65%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.26%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 3.08%
Native American, 0.78%
Asian, 0.09%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.35% from some other races, and 1.79% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.01% of the population.
There were 3,151 households, of which 26.8% had children under age 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.5% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.89.
The median age in the city was 31.1. 20.3% of residents were under 18; 22.2% were between 18 and 24; 20.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12.6% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 8,586 people, 3,254 households, and 1,867 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,492 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.47%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.62%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 2.41%
Native American, 0.43%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.12% from some other races, and 0.92% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.76% of the population.
The top six ancestry groups in the city are
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
(47.4%),
Norwegian (28.4%),
Irish (7.1%),
Swedish (5.8%),
French (4.0%),
English (4.0%).
There were 3,254 households, of which 30.4% had children under 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.6% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under 18, 24.1% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 29. For every 100 females, there were 109.8 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 112.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,471, and the median income for a family was $44,645. Males had a median income of $30,199 versus $20,089 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,293. About 7.3% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under 18 and 10.4% of those 65 or older.
Economy
Wahpeton is the home of several large manufacturing plants, including Woodcraft Industries, Inc., WCCO Belting, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative,
Cargill
Cargill, Incorporated is an American multinational food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865 by William Wallace Cargill, it is the largest privately held c ...
, ComDel Innovation, Heartland Precision, Doosan/Bobcat, Masonite and Wil-Rich.
Imation Corporation operated a production facility in Wahpeton but it closed in 2009.
On May 14, 1991, Wahpeton voters approved a 1% city sales and use tax, the proceeds of which were to be dedicated solely to economic development of the City of Wahpeton and Richland County, by means of business and industrial expansion including job creation, job retention, business and industrial diversification, and the creation, fostering and maintenance of business and trade activities and facilities. The tax would become effective July 1, 1991, and sunset in five years. On June 14, 1994, voters approved to extend the sales tax 10 years to June 30, 2006. On October 14, 2003, voters approved broadening the use and extending the 1½% sales tax to June 30, 2026.
Recreation and culture

The area attracts outdoorsmen and hunters, as it is in the midst of the
Central Flyway, thus providing excellent
migratory waterfowl hunting
Waterfowl hunting is the practice of hunting aquatic birds such as ducks, geese and other waterfowls or shorebirds for sport and meat. Waterfowl are hunted in crop fields where they feed, or in areas with bodies of water such as rivers, lakes ...
.
The
Bois de Sioux Golf Course is the nation's only golf course with half the course in one state and half in another. Near the golf course is Chahinkapa Park, which houses playgrounds, baseball, softball, football fields, and tennis. During the summer the large swimming pool is open. Chahinkapa Park is also home to
Chahinkapa Zoo. In May 2018, Chahinkapa Zoo became home to two white rhinos.
The Richland County Historical Society Museum features
Native American artifacts and displays of pioneer life. Near Wahpeton is
Fort Abercrombie
Fort Abercrombie, in North Dakota, was a United States Army fort established by authority of an Act of Congress, March 3, 1857. The act allocated twenty-five square miles of land on the Red River of the North in Dakota Territory to be used for ...
and the Circus Monument, erected in memory of circus workers killed by lightning there in 1897. Circus performers hold a memorial service at the monument whenever they perform in the area.
The
Carmelite
The Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (; abbreviated OCarm), known as the Carmelites or sometimes by synecdoche known simply as Carmel, is a mendicant order in the Catholic Church for both men and women. Histo ...
Monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
, in the bend of the Wild Rice River, is a few miles from Wahpeton.
On Thursday afternoons from June through October, the Twin Towns Gardeners' Market is held near the Sears/Family Dollar building in Wahpeton.
Other Wahpeton area attractions include
"Wahpper" the World's Largest Catfish, at Kidder Dam, and the
Bagg Bonanza Farm, a historic
bonanza farm with farm buildings and machinery. There is a mural at the corner of Dakota Avenue and 4th Street. Also downtown is the
Red Door Art Gallery/Visitor's Center.
Education
Colleges
*
North Dakota State College of Science
K–12
Wahpeton is served by two elementary schools, Wahpeton Middle School and Wahpeton Senior High School. There is also a private school, St. John's Elementary.
The
Circle of Nations School (formerly Wahpeton Indian School), an off-reservation tribal boarding school for Native American children in grades 4 to 8, is affiliated with the
Bureau of Indian Education
The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior under the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs that directs and manages education functions. Formerly known as the Office of Indian Education Programs ...
(BIE).
;High school championships
*
State Class 'A' football: 1930, 1971
*
State Class 'A' boys basketball: 1941, 1944, 1954, 1979
*
State Class 'A' girls basketball: 1986
*
State Class 'A' volleyball: 1985, 1986
*
State Class 'A' girls golf: 1991
*
State Class 'A' wrestling: 2007
*
State Class 'A' girls indoor track and field: 1999
Transportation
Wahpeton has two railroads, a bus line, five truck lines, and an airport with runways approximately 3,000 and in length.
Transit
Valley Senior Services provides
dial-a-ride
Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...
transit service to residents of Wahpeton on weekdays.
Main Highways and Roads
*
*
* (works as a bypass for Wahpeton. Crosses the river just north of
Breckenridge, MN, becomes and then intersects .
Notable people
*
Art Anderson, former NFL football player
*
Sam Anderson
Sam Anderson (born c. 1946/1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his character roles such as Sam Gorpley on '' Perfect Strangers'', Principal Willis DeWitt on '' Growing Pains'', Holland Manners on ''Angel'', dentist Bernard Nadler o ...
, actor
*
Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte, Armenian-American writer
*
Louise Erdrich (Chippewa), author, lived here as a child when her parents taught at the Indian boarding school
*
Sidney Hinds, Brigadier General and Olympian
*
Rose Thompson Hovick, inspired "Rose" character of musical ''
Gypsy
{{Infobox ethnic group
, group = Romani people
, image =
, image_caption =
, flag = Roma flag.svg
, flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress
, po ...
''
*
Woodrow W. Keeble, World War II and Korean War era
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...
recipient
*
Colin Masica, linguist
*
Porter J. McCumber, former senator
*
Jerome G. Miller, correctional institution reformer
*
Steve Myhra
Steve Myhra (pronounced "MY-ruh") (April 2, 1934 – August 4, 1994) was a professional American football player who played as a Placekicker, kicker, Guard (gridiron football), guard, and linebacker for five seasons for the Baltimore Colts of th ...
, former placekicker for the
Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...
*
William E. Purcell, former senator
*
David Richman, North Dakota State men's basketball head coach
*
Mary Shaw Shorb, research scientist
*
Ryan Smith, wide receiver, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
*
Russell T. Thane, long-time state senator
*
John Wall, North Dakota educator and politician
*
Clark Williams, state legislator
References
External links
City of Wahpeton – official websiteWahpeton Public SchoolsA history of Richland County and the city of Wahpeton, North Dakota (1938?)from th
Digital Horizons website
{{Authority control
*
Cities in North Dakota
Wahpeton micropolitan area
Cities in Richland County, North Dakota
County seats in North Dakota
Populated places established in 1871
Dakota toponyms
1871 establishments in Dakota Territory