Charlson, North Dakota
5 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1997. It stands in Elm Tree Township. It lies in ZIP code area 58763. The Survey maps it on the Charlson quadrangle.
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 Williston quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Williston quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Charlson quadrangle1:24000
- 1997 USGS Charlson quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
23 since 2000Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 23 fires within 5 miles of Charlson between 2000 and 2020, burning about 78 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 | 10 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 7 |
| Firearms and explosives use | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2020 | Firearms and explosives use | 3.8 acres | Dakota Prairie National Grasslands | PHELPS BAY AGAIN |
| 25 September 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Dakota Prairie National Grasslands | HUNT A102 |
| 11 September 2020 | Firearms and explosives use | 1.1 acres | Dakota Prairie National Grasslands | LAKE VIEW |
| 1 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 2020-050 |
| 1 September 2020 | Firearms and explosives use | under an acre | Dakota Prairie National Grasslands | PHELPS BAY |
| 6 August 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Dakota Prairie National Grasslands | LAKESIDE |
| 10 August 2003 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 23 acres | Dakota Prairie National Grasslands | SILURIAN |
| 19 July 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 6.4 acres | Dakota Prairie National Grasslands | 883 ROAD |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Charlson: 3 producers, 1 past producer. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Scoria Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| County Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| County Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
18 since 2014Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Charlson in 18 storm reports between 2014 and 2025: 15 thunderstorm wind, 2 funnel cloud, 1 tornado. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | $200,000 | Three recreational vehicles in Tobacco Garden Bay sustained significant damage, with one being toppled. No injuries were reported. It was originally speculated that the damage was caused by a tornado. Local emergency management conducted a survey and determined the damage was caused by strong straight line winds. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | $100,000 | A single wide manufactured home was blown off its cinder block foundation, displaced approximately 50 to 60 feet, and completely destroyed. A livestock trailer was flipped onto its roof, a metal storage container was shifted and tipped onto its side and a large dumpster was blown approximately 100 feet. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | $45,000 | Severe thunderstorm winds destroyed a garage, blowing it off of its foundation. Based on the position of the storm and this report, these winds were likely associated with the rear flank downdraft of this severe thunderstorm that also produced a tornado as well in McKenzie County. See the McKenzie County tornado entry. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | $25,000 | Several panels on the roof of a metal industrial building were displaced, and a couple were completely blown off. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | $25,000 | A boat was blown off a trailer onto the parking lot at Four Bears Casino. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | $20,000 | A pull-behind camper was tipped onto its side. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | $3,000 | A large tree was blown down and uprooted. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | - | The public estimated a wind gust of 60 mph. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | - | The thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated by a trained spotter located west of Four Bears Casino and Lodge. |
| July 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Charlson | - | This was a public report, through social media, of a tornado west of New Town, in McKenzie County. The person was uncertain of the exact location from a nearby town and so the location was estimated based on radar data. Through social media there was visual evidence of this tornado with debris visible on the ground, in open country. There were no reports of damage in real time nor in follow up contact with county officials. The tornado was therefore rated EF0. There was wind damage, likely associated with the rear flank downdraft of the parent severe thunderstorm, to the southwest of this tornado track in McKenzie County. See the entry for wind damage in McKenzie County. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | - | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Funnel Cloud | Charlson | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Funnel Cloud | Charlson | - | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Charlson | - | 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.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkeye | 4.3 miles | 8 | |
| Keene | 9.9 miles | 8 | |
| Four Bears Village | 16.4 miles | 8 | |
| Banks | 17.2 miles | 8 | |
| Johnsons Corner | 18.1 miles | 8 | |
| Croff | 21.9 miles | 8 | |
| Schafer | 24.6 miles | 7 | |
| Mandaree | 25.1 miles | 7 |
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.
| Wikidata item Q122549948 | 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 1028343. 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.



