Sweden State Historic Site

Established April 28, 1879, the Sweden post office and general store in present-day Walsh County was housed in a log building built by John Magnus Almen, who was the original postmaster. Later that same year, the post office moved to another log building on land owned by William McKenzie, and in January 1880, McKenzie officially replaced Almen as postmaster. The McKenzie enterprise soon expanded to include a livery barn, blacksmith shop, and a new frame house in this growing rural community. In September 1881, the position of postmaster changed hands again when Charles T. Wright was appointed to that position. The Sweden and Grafton post offices were authorized through the efforts of Thomas E. Cooper, who became Grafton’s postmaster.

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Mail delivery in the late 1800s was a challenging task. Mail was brought to Kelly’s Point on the Red River by steamboat from Grand Forks. From there it was carried on horseback by Murdock McKenzie to Grafton and Sweden, a distance of twenty miles. When the Great Northern Railroad extended north from Grafton in 1882, the Sweden post office was discontinued.

All that remains of Sweden is a historical marker erected 450 yards north of its original location, which has been cultivated for many years. The marker can be seen just off North Dakota Highway 9, one and one-fourth miles west of Nash, Walsh County.

SHSND Address:
612 East Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
Get Directions

SHSND Hours:
Museum Store: 8am - 5pm M-F; Sat. & Sun. 10am - 5pm.
State Archives: 8am - 4:30pm., M-F, except state holidays, and 2nd Sat. of each month, 10am - 4:30 pm.
State Historical Society offices: 8am - 5pm M-F, except state holidays.

Contact SHSND:
phone: 701.328.2666
email: history@nd.gov