Walsh

Formed May 2, 1881 (30^th county)

Walsh County (10,558), Grafton (4,172)                

The masonry and marble Art Deco structure was built in 1940.  There was an earlier 1886 courthouse in Grafton, the only county seat.  The county was created on May 2, 1881 as the 30^th county.  It is named for politician George H. Walsh.  Grafton is named for Grafton County, New Hampshire.  The facility is on Cooper Avenue at 6^th Street.  It was enlarged in 1980.  United States Highway 81 passes four blocks west of the courthouse.  Theodore B. Wells provided the designs.  Veteran memorials and an eagle are on the grounds. 

Walsh County government consists of a recorder, a sheriff, an attorney, and a treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Seven District Court Judges serve Walsh, Benson, Bottineau, Cavalier, McHenry, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Renville, Rolette, and Towner counties and a court clerk serves Walsh County (judicial.)  The county is on the northeast border with Minnesota.  Grand Forks, North Dakota is south and Minot, North Dakota is west of the county.  The county center is 17.8 miles West-Southwest of Grafton nearer Park River.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Pembina County and Minnesota and Grand Forks, Nelson, Ramsey, and Cavalier counties. 

The area of the county is 1282 square miles.  It is 22 out of 53 in the state.  It ranks 14 out of 53 in population in the state.  It has a density of 8.2 persons per square mile making it 13 out of 53 in the state.  Walsh County has 69.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 29 travels through the county from north to south from Pembina County to Grand Forks County.  United States Highway 81 parallels Interstate Highway 29 from Pembina to Grand Forks counties.  The county is a flat rectangle.  Grafton is located in the northeast quarter of the county.  Grafton is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 39.5% of the county population.

Pisek