Bottineau

History

Bottineau was founded in 1883 as Oak Creek as a customs station and an overnight stagecoach stop. The town name was changed to Bottineau in 1884 in honor of Pierre Bottineau a Métis pioneer, hunter, and trapper, who became a successful land speculator. The town was originally located about 1½ miles (2½ km) north of its current location. The entire town was moved south in 1887 to where the Great Northern Railway was installing new tracks. The widest tornado on record in North Dakota, at 1.14 miles wide, dropped near Bottineau in 1986. It destroyed a mobile home but did not harm the pregnant woman who was inside. In 2012, a new chalet called Annie's House was built in Bottineau Winter Park, north. The facility was North Dakota's first ski facility for handicapped children and wounded veterans. It was built to honor Ann Nicole Nelson, who was the only North Dakotan to die in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The elevation is above sea level.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  160
• Yellow Warbler

  Setophaga petechia (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  136
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  134
• Cedar Waxwing

  Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot, 1808 · Aves
  130
• Red-necked Grebe

  Podiceps grisegena (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  110
• Red-eyed Vireo

  Vireo olivaceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  110
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  110
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  102

Largest nearby schools

• BOTTINEAU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · Bottineau · 349 students · 12:1 ratio
• BOTTINEAU JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · Bottineau · 311 students · 10.4:1 ratio