WESTPORT Township and its city in sections 14 and 23, which was incorporated as a village on March 13, 1926, have a name that is borne by townships and villages in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Wisconsin, and ten other states. The city was first platted in 1866 by D. M. Durkey on the northeast bank of Lake Westport, where he built a log two-story way station for travelers on the Red River trail; the city was replatted in October 1882; growth of the village was encouraged when the Little Falls and Dakota Railroad came through. The post office began as Belcher, 1883-88, changing its name in 1888, and serving as a rural branch, 1966-1970.