Trotters, North Dakota

Trotters is an unincorporated community in Golden Valley County, North Dakota, United States. Trotters is located on North Dakota Highway 16, 28.3 miles (45.5 km) north of Beach. The community did not receive telephone service until 1972, and Highway 16, its only road, was paved in the 1980s.[2]

Trotters, North Dakota
Unincorporated community
Looking north at Trotters on ND 16
Trotters
Trotters
Coordinates: 47°19′23″N 103°55′06″W
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Dakota
CountyGolden Valley
Elevation
2,421 ft (738 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
Area code(s)701
GNIS feature ID1035220[1]

Name

Trotters was named after Francis Leighton Trotter (surname sometimes Trotters, 1865–1908), who served as the first postmaster in the community.[3][4] Trotter carried mail from Wibaux, Montana for a year without pay in order to establish the post office.[3]

History

Leonard Hall, who moved to Trotters in 1956, was the town's only resident for much of the twentieth century. Hall was the postmaster of the Trotters post office, which opened in 1904[3] and served area ranchers as far as 28 miles (45 km) away from Trotters, as few other post offices operated in the region.[5] The post office also served as the town's grocery store and gas station, and Hall lived in the back of the building. Two other buildings, a disused church and an empty abandoned structure, also stood in the town.[6] The post office closed in 1995 when Hall's poor health caused him to retire as postmaster.[7]

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Trotters has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[8]

References
  1. "Trotters". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "No fast lane in tiny Trotters". The Bismarck Tribune. Associated Press. February 16, 1987. p. 1B. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Williams, Mary Ann Barnes (1966). Origins of North Dakota Place Names. Bismarck, ND: Bismarck Tribune. pp. 115–116. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  4. "Death of Billings County Resident". Jamestown Weekly Alert. Jamestown, ND. November 26, 1908. p. 5. Retrieved January 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Hanson, Gordon (November 13, 1981). "Solitude Erases Bitterness from Leonard Hall". Associated Press. p. 40. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Salter, Peter (November 7, 1993). "Where time stands still". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 1C. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Craigo, Kathy (March 4, 1995). "Closing of post office leaves void". The Bismarck Tribune. p. 5A. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Climate Summary for Trotters, North Dakota


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