Bowman, North Dakota
5 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1981. It stands in Bowman Township. It lies in ZIP code area 58623. The Survey maps it on the Bowman quadrangle. 1,470 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,963 feet above sea level.
On record in Bowman
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
- Emma Petznick and Otto Schade Houselisted 2008
Population over time
2 figuresBowman fell from 1,650 to 1,470 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,650 | |
| 2020 | 1,470 | -180 (-11%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 5 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1953 USGS Dickinson quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Dickinson quadrangle1:250000
- 1968 USGS Bowman quadrangle1:24000
- 1981 USGS Bowman quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
20 since 2005Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 20 fires within 5 miles of Bowman between 2005 and 2020, burning about 115 acres in total. 2 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 12 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 August 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | HONEY BEE HAY FIRE |
| 3 August 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | POINT REC HAY FIRE |
| 27 August 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | SOUTH OF CASHWAY |
| 23 August 2005 | Natural | 30 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | not named |
| 2 August 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | DAVE SEPTON |
| 15 August 2006 | Natural | 4.2 acres | Dakota Prairie National Grasslands | MIKES CREEK |
| 11 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | DOBITZ TREES FIRE |
| 4 July 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | HAY FIELD FIRE HIGHWAY 85 MILE MARKER 5 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Bowman: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Bowman | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Roy Kern Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Walt Boxeth | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 72 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bowman in 72 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 42 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 4 funnel cloud, 2 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | $400,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew part of the roof off of the West River Clinic on the southeast side of Bowman. No damage occurred to mobile homes being transported, gas station awnings, campers, or other structures in the area around the clinic. There appeared to be a significant overhang of the roof on that upwind side of the building, where the wind direction and speed caught it just in the right location, to cause the damage. All the debris from the roof blew in a north-northwest direction, with some insulation making it to the Bowman School. |
| June 2007 | Flood | Bowman | $400,000 | Total 5.6 inches of rain was reported over the duration of the rain event. Spring creek was running out of its banks. Water was running across farm roads and fields. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | $300,000 | Farms damaged 9 miles south and 4 miles east of Bowman, 7 south and 3 east of Bowman, and 2 south and 3 east of Bowman. Some damage significant and to grain bins, barns, other outbuildings. and crops. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | $250,000 | A large pole barn building was severely damaged, with the majority of the roofing material and rafters blown off, one wall completely destroyed, and another wall mostly destroyed. The main leg of a grain distribution system was completely blown over, along with the bin distribution pipes. Multiple large grain bins and hopper bins were dented, with one hopper bin completely blown over. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Bowman | $50,000 | Heavy rainfall from an isolated thunderstorm produced flash flooding within the city of Bowman. Water ran through yards and some basement flooding was reported. The rain was so heavy that visibility was reduced to two city blocks. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | $5,000 | Trees down in Bowman. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated by Emergency Management. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated by the public. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated by the Emergency Manager. |
| May 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Bowman | - | A funnel cloud developed in the vicinity of Bowman. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | Emergency management estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of 60 mph. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | The public reported the strong thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | A report of a severe wind gust was received. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Bowman | - | Multiple hail reports from the Bowman County Emergency Manager. Hail lasted for about 5 minutes. |
| July 2006 | Hail | Bowman | - | Lots of small hail. Largest stones were penny sized. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Bowman | - | Wind gust to 50 mph accompanied the hail. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | Thunderstorm wind gust measured at the Bowman radar site. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | Pea size hail reported with the storm. |
| July 2001 | Hail | Bowman | - | Reported by ham operator. |
| August 1998 | Lightning | Bowman | - | 100 acres burned |
| July 1998 | Funnel Cloud | Bowman | - | Warning sirens were sounded in the city of Bowman but the funnel did not touch down. |
| August 1998 | Lightning | Bowman | - | 100 acres destoryed by fire caused by lightning |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | 75 MPH WIND |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| September 2013 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| September 2013 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| March 2004 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Funnel Cloud | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Funnel Cloud | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bowman | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Bowman | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Bowman | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2087899 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1028099. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.



