From 1861 to 1865, the United States of America was entangled in the Civil War. In the early days of the war, Dakota Territory was nearly 1,000 miles from the sounds of musket and cannon fire and the sharp cracks of infantryman rifles, but it was far from unaffected.

The month before the Civil War began, William Jayne was appointed as governor of Dakota Territory by his old friend, President Abraham Lincoln. Jayne almost immediately issued proclamations calling for the organization of volunteer militias to defend and protect Dakota Territory. Because many Army troops serving in Dakota military posts were reassigned to southern states to fight in the Civil War, he believed the territory was left vulnerable and undefended.

The newly created Dakota Territorial Militia was under-funded and under-provisioned, and loosely existed until 1885 when one thousand members were formally recognized as the First Dakota Infantry Regiment. Companies were formed in Bismarck, Fargo, and Grafton, which had a much higher population than Bismarck at the time. After North Dakota became a state, it was redesignated the First Infantry Regiment, North Dakota National Guard. The unit deployed to the Philippines during the Spanish American War in 1899 and the Mexican Border War in 1916 before becoming the 164th Infantry Regiment in World War I. Perhaps most known for their efforts during World War II, North Dakotans in the 164th Infantry were the first Army units to engage enemy troops when they arrived to support Marines fighting the Japanese on Guadalcanal. The battalion also saw action during the Korean War in 1951.

Towards the beginning of the 20th century, National Guard armories began popping up across the country. Their primary purpose was to store arms, ammunition, and equipment, though they were also used as a location for training soldiers. In Grafton, the National Guard Armory building was constructed in 1954 as a dual-function building: to serve the Guard and the neighboring community. The Armory was home to the 133rd Quartermaster Detachment until 2017, when its colors were retired, closing a chapter that spans 132 years of National Guard history in North Dakota.

Even though the National Guard post in Grafton has been consolidated, the Armory building was not abandoned. It continues to serve as a community center for the city of Grafton.