Quirky Names, Rich Histories: Exploring Some of North Dakota’s Unique Town Names

We all know about the things that make North Dakota unique. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Enchanted Highway, and the North Dakota State Capital Building. Each is iconic in its own way.

The same can be said for some of the town names in our state. There's Fargo, Bismarck, Minot, and Williston. They all sound good, even normal. None of these names are different. Then there are these. Whether they're still around today or remain unincorporated, these are some of the strangest town names in North Dakota.

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Bonetraill, North Dakota

Bonetraill, North Dakota, is a small, unincorporated community located in Williams County. Digital Horizons has everything you need to know about the origins of North Dakota place names, and published this about Bonetraill: In 1903, locator Charles O. Barstad chose his farm in the northwest area of the county, south of the Great Divide, where all the waterways flow into the Missouri. Bonetraill, his home post office, opened on June 19, 1905, with him as postmaster. Because it was on the road pioneers used to bring buffalo bones to Williston to sell, it got its name. General commerce and farm machines were his first businesses in 1905. Settlements grew around it. O. I. Wilson, a neighbor since 1903, joined him in this venture, adding a freight terminal in the spring of 1910. Heavy-duty gasoline tractors drove wagons with big grain tanks to and from Williston virtually every day. From six miles east, the Marmon post office delivered mail.

New Town, North Dakota

There is nothing strange about the name, other than that a town is called New Town. According to Wikipedia, the town's name came about in 1944 when Congress authorized the Garrison Dam, planned as the world’s largest rolled-earth-filled dam, creating the second-largest reservoir for irrigation and water needs. The dam would form a 200-mile long, 14-mile wide lake with 1,500 miles of shoreline, necessitating the relocation of ten towns. By August 1950, New Town was platted, and, following a groundbreaking ceremony, lots were quickly sold. Due to oil discoveries and infrastructure improvements, the town expanded quickly, reaching 1,400 residents by 1955. The Four Bears Bridge, completed in 1955, honored two Native American chiefs. A new bridge replaced the original and opened in 2005.

Flasher, North Dakota

Could it be that this town was named after some public nudity? Nope. Flasher was platted in 1902 and was named after Mabel Flasher, the relative of a town promoter. According to Wikipedia, Flasher's post office has been in operation since 1903. As of the 2010 census, 232 people, 113 households, and 58 families lived in the city.

Concrete, North Dakota

Concrete, North Dakota, was founded early in the 20th century as a townsite to support the cement mine southwest of the town at the base of the Pembina Escarpment. Wikipedia says it sits north of the Tongue River on the east boundary of Beaulieu Township in the northeast quarter of Section 30, Pembina County. Despite the University of North Dakota geologists' assurances, the cement proved too poor to be profitable. They deceived the businesspeople of Mountain and Gardar and many farmers along the way to support the construction of a railroad from Edinburg's Great Northern Railway line to the cement mine, then fled after the Northern Dakota Railway was completed. The railroad operated for 20 years but proved unsustainable. Concrete presumably peaked in 1909, when the cement mine closed. The town shrank, and it is now a ghost town.

I know other towns around North Dakota have strange or unique names. I have more coming in the next few weeks. If you can think of others, please email me your suggestions. Drop me a line at scott.haugen@townsquaremedia.com.