Backoo, North Dakota

Unincorporated community in North Dakota, United States

48°50′12″N 97°42′37″W / 48.83667°N 97.71028°W / 48.83667; -97.71028CountryUnited StatesStateNorth DakotaCounty PembinaElevation

912 ft (278 m)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code701GNIS feature ID1027778

Backoo is an unincorporated community in Advance Township in North Dakota's Pembina County, United States, located approximately five miles northwest of Cavalier.^[1] It was established in 1887 as a townsite along the Great Northern Railroad.^[2]

History

Backoo was a town of roughly 50 people, and was one of the more prominent communities in the township.^[3] The post office was established September 26, 1887, and was in continuous operation for more than 100 years, closing October 11, 1988.^[4]^[5] The post office was assigned the ZIP code of 58215. Mail service is now handled through Cavalier.^[6]

John Mountain, one of its first settlers, is reported to have named the town after the Barcoo River in his home country of Australia.^[7] Other sources credit the origin of the name to Baku, a city in Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea.^[2]

References

^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Wick, Douglas A. (1988). North Dakota Place Names. Bismarck, North Dakota: Hedemarken Collectibles. p. 75. ISBN 0-9620968-0-6. OCLC 191277027.
^ The Dakota Icelanders Project (2009). "Icelandic Settlers of Advance (Avon) Township". Retrieved July 2, 2010.
^ Patera, Alan H.; John S. Gallagher (1982). North Dakota Post Offices, 1850-1982. Burtonsville, Maryland: The Depot. pp. 106–108. OCLC 09763647.
^ "Postmaster Finder". U.S. Postal Service. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
^ Zip Code Lookup
^ Williams, Mary Ann (Barnes) (1966). Origins of North Dakota Place Names. Bismarck, North Dakota: Bismarck Tribune, 1966. p. 224. OCLC 431626.