Minatare was originally established in 1887 as an agricultural settlement called Tabor; when the railroad bypassed the site around 1900, the community relocated and took the name Minatare, from a Hidatsa-derived word associated with the Minnataree people. It was incorporated as a city in 1900.

Minatare, population 715 in 2020, lay directly in the path of the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse, and each August hosts “Tabor Days” — a nod to the town's original name. It is the hometown of Thoroughbred horse-racing Hall of Famer John A. Nerud, and is distinct from nearby Lake Minatare, a separate reservoir and recreation area.