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About Dunn County

The Little Badlands
A view of the Little Badlands in southern Dunn County (about 11 miles south of Manning).

Dunn County was formed in 1883 from Howard County but abolished that same year.   It was later added to Stark County in 1897 and finally formed as Dunn County from Stark and Mercer in 1908.   The county was named for John Piatt Dunn (1839-1917), an early pioneer of western North Dakota, and later mayor of Bismarck.

Mercer County:   Formed 1875, original county
Stark County:   Formed 1879 from Unorganized Territory
Government Organized:   February 10, 1908
County Seat:   Manning, 1908 - Present.

Manning sits along the Knife River.   Early speculation was that the Northern Pacific Railroad was going to follow the Knife River when it came from Mandan which was why Manning was selected as the county seat.   When the railroad eventually got to Dunn County in 1914 it ended up following Spring Creek which is 10 miles north of Manning.

Dunn County's economy is based on Agriculture and Oil.   The "Oil Boom" reached Dunn County on Christmas Day in 1976 and reached it peak in the early 1980's.   Since the late 80's the oil economy has dropped off considerably.   The Agricultural Economy is based mostly on the livestock industry and continues to be the mainstay of the County.   Dunn County ranks number two in the state with number of beef cattle.

Area 2010 square miles.
2000 County Population -- 3,600.
Time Zone - Mountain
Average County Elevation -- 2219 Feet

Cities and 2005 Population:
  • Killdeer -- 713
  • Halliday -- 227
  • Dodge -- 125
  • Dunn Center -- 122
  • Manning -- 49

    Counties Adjacent to Dunn:

    EAST McLean County ND
    EAST Mercer County ND
    SOUTH Stark County ND
    WEST Billings County ND
    NORTHWEST McKenzie County ND

    NDACo: ND Counties: Dunn County Profile

    CI County InfoSystem - Dunn County North Dakota

    Towns and Places in Dunn County



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