Advance Township was organized in 1888 from the northern part of Akra Township. Akra Township was a "double township" at the time, covering two full survey townships. It was originally named Avon Township, but renamed Advance in 1905.
Some early settlers in the township migrated here from the nearby Icelandic communities. The township population of 482 in 1900 was likely near the peak population.
Backoo, a town of approximately 50 people northwest of Cavalier, was the most prominent population center in the township. It was established in 1887 as a townsite on the Great Northern Railroad. The post office here was in continuous operation from 1887 to 1988.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Advance Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Walhalla sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Advance Township.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
