List of ghost towns in North Dakota

A sign along the railroad tracks in Petrel
The abandoned Falsen School in Verendrye
Abandoned church in Temple

Several ghost towns have been recorded in North Dakota and are in various states of disrepair; some are mostly intact but have no residents, while others have completely barren or inaccessible sites. Other communities might have a small population but are frequently referred to as a ghost town due to population decline and disrepair.

Classification

Barren site
  • Sites no longer in existence
  • Sites that have been destroyed
  • Submerged
  • Reverted to pasture
  • May have a few difficult-to-find foundations/footings at most
Neglected site
  • Only rubble left
  • All buildings uninhabited
  • Roofless building ruins
  • Some buildings or houses still standing
Abandoned site
  • Buildings or houses still standing
  • Buildings and houses all abandoned
  • No population, except caretaker
  • Site no longer in existence except for one or two buildings
Semi-abandoned site
  • Building or houses still standing
  • Buildings and houses largely abandoned
  • Fewer than 50 residents
  • Many abandoned buildings
  • Small population

Ghost towns

Name County Settled Abandoned Status Notes
Alfred LaMoure Semi-abandoned
Amidon Slope 1910 Semi-abandoned [1]
Appam Williams 1916 Semi-abandoned
Arena Burleigh 1906 1996 Abandoned
Aurelia Ward Abandoned
Baden Ward Barren
Beaver Creek Williams c. 1955 Barren Submerged under Lake Sakakawea[2]
Belden Mountrail 1904 Semi-abandoned
Bentley Hettinger 1910 Semi-abandoned [3]
Brisbane Grant 1906 Barren [4][5]
Carbury Bottineau 1901 c. 2000 Abandoned
Bucyrus Adams 1908 Semi-abandoned [1]
Charbonneau McKen-zie c.1960 Abandoned [6]
Charging Eagle Dunn c. 1955 Barren Submerged under Lake Sakakawea[2]
Cleveland Stutsman 1882 Semi-abandoned [1]
Clyde Cavalier 1905 Semi-abandoned
Dengate Morton
Dogtooth Grant 1876 c. 1911 Barren [7]
Elbowoods McLean 1889 1954 Barren Submerged under Lake Sakakawea[2]
Epworth Mountrail
Fort Buford Williams 1866 1895 Abandoned U.S. Army fort
Freda Grant 1910 c. 1975 Neglected
Gascoyne Bowman 1911 Semi-abandoned [1]
Gorham Billings c. 1899 1972 Abandoned
Hample Sargent Barren
Hartland Ward 1907 1966
Heaton Wells 1895 Semi-abandoned [8]
Independence Dunn c. 1955 Barren Submerged under Lake Sakakawea[2]
Ives Bowman Barren
Kenaston Ward Semi-abandoned
Keystone Dickey
Kongsberg McHenry Abandoned
Leipzig Grant 1896 1910 Barren [3]
Lonetree Ward
Lucky Butte c. 1955 Barren Submerged under Lake Sakakawea[2]
Lynwood Morton Barren
McKinney Renville
Mose Griggs 1889 1943 Barren
Mt. Carmel
Nishu c. 1955 Barren Submerged under Lake Sakakawea[2]
Old Fort Rice Morton 1864 1878 Abandoned United States Military fort
Old Sanish c.1915 1953 Barren Submerged under Lake Sakakawea[2]
Omemee Bottineau 1887 c. 1990s Neglected
Petrel Adams 1908 Barren
Pierce Burleigh c. 1970's Barren Small community east of Bismarck, but got replaced by Lincoln. It is now reverted to pasture.
Red Butte c. 1955 Barren Submerged under Lake Sakakawea[2]
Roseglen McLean Semi-abandoned
Sanger Oliver 1879 1985 Barren
Schafer McKen-zie Neglected [9]
Schmidt Morton Barren
Shell Creek c. 1955 Barren Submerged under Lake Sakakawea[2]
Sherbrooke Steele 1884 circa 1920 Neglected Abandoned after the county seat moved from it to Finley, North Dakota, in 1919.
Sims Morton 1883 Semi-abandoned Sims still has an active church, but nobody lives there anymore[10]
Sully Springs Billings c. 1880 c. 1939 Barren Railroad town abandoned during the Great Depression[11]
Tagus Mountrail 1900 2001 Semi-abandoned
Temple Williams 1906 c. 1965 Neglected
Temvik Emmons 1904 2000
Three V Crossing Slope 1883 1910 Barren Now a ranch, but used to be home to a post office, a general store, and a stagecoach stop.
Ukraina Billings c. 1906 c. 1949 Neglected Only two cemeteries left
Verendrye McHenry 1912 1970 Neglected
Wabek Mountrail Abandoned [12]
Watrous Hettinger 1910 Neglected
Wheelock Williams 1902 c. 1996 Semi-abandoned
White Butte Slope Abandoned This is talking about the abandoned town, White Butte, not the mountain.
Whitman Nelson Semi-abandoned

References

  1. ^ a b c d Speck, Gary B. (2024). "The Midwestern States". Ghost Towns: America's Abandoned Sites and Settlements. Morton Grove, IL: Publications International. pp. 102–105. ISBN 978-1-63938-623-9.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dura, Jack (June 11, 2022). "The Story of Elbowoods". Prairie Public. Prairie Public Broadcasting. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  3. ^ a b New Milwaukee Towns, Mandan [North Dakota] Pioneer 4/8/1910 Archived 2008-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Brisbane, ND Postal Application 1910 Archived 2008-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Brisbane North Dakota Archived 2008-08-27 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Dura, Jack (November 1, 2016). "Memories still remain in Charbonneau". McKenzie County Farmer. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  7. ^ Where was Dogtooth North Dakota? Archived 2008-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Heaton". The Herald-Press. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "The ghost town of Schafer". The Bismarck Tribune. October 27, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  10. ^ "Sims, ND". Ghosts of North Dakota. September 11, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Hoffbeck, Steve (June 10, 2022). "Sully Springs, A Badlands Ghost Town". Prairie Public. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  12. ^ Davis, Lauren (October 5, 2021). "Hidden History: Preserved Wabek schoolhouse in a "ghost town"". KX News. Retrieved April 17, 2024.

Further reading

  • Bingham, Katherine Rose (2024). Abandoned Eastern North Dakota: Pure Decay of the Peace Garden State. Fonthill Media. ISBN 9781634994774.
  • Hargrove, Zachary (2019). Abandoned North Dakota: Weathered by Time. Fonthill Media. ISBN 9781634991971.
  • Larson, Troy (2013). Ghosts of North Dakota: North Dakota's Ghost Town and Abandoned Places. Sonic Tremor Media LLC. ISBN 9780989096904.