Hatton, ND

Hatton is a Traill County city founded in 1882 and named for Frank Hatton, then Assistant Postmaster General. The 2020 census counted 712 residents. Its position in the Red River Valley connects the city to wheat and grain country, with Hatton about 24 miles west of Interstate 29, 35 miles southwest of Grand Forks, and roughly 75 miles northwest of Fargo. The city grew as a trading point for the surrounding farm townships.

Hatton is also the birthplace of Arctic explorer and pilot Carl Ben Eielson. His Queen Anne childhood home, built in 1900, now houses the Hatton-Eielson Museum with aviation and local history exhibits. Hatton Eielson School serves students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, while the Centennial Community Center, park district, campground, baseball fields, grain elevator, and Prairie Village senior living campus fill out the present-day civic map. Hatton's identity comes from the combination of farm service, school, and an aviation story that began in one Traill County home.