Top 5 Ghost Towns in North Dakota

The Top 5 Ghost Towns in North Dakota - is just scratching the surface of what is available in this "Peace Garden" state - The thing that makes ghost towning hard in places like North Dakota is the harshness of the weather patterns through the seasons, winter in particular! Taking numerous trips to North Dakota, and networking with other ghost town historians and photographers - the thing that makes it especially sad, is the speed these places are disappearing. Someone had asked in another video - why SOMETIMES I might not show a building- and wouldn't that be more interesting? Naturally, the short answer to that is YES! Of course! But on the flip side, we know that there are different degrees to WHAY defines what a ghost town is - and in some cases, it's simply a field where the city ONCE stood - and maybe there are foundations, stairs, or rubble left behind in the wake of nature's natural way of swallowing up a fading memory? More important than just the building though, are the stories that remain - and if we can get lucky enough to learn stories, read them, tell them, show them, the hope is that the history and memory of the town and its former community lives on.

Another thing that is especially difficult is a town that fits the definition of a ghost town - yet has 1 or 2 community members holding on - and it's by no intention that when a ghost town is covered that is meant to offend the remaining town folk. Nobody would complain if a town can revive itself and resurrect itself out of the ashes of a ghost town probability. In fact, I'm cheering on towns like Cerro Gordo (for example) to grow and make a comeback. Why not?

#northdakota #ghosttowns #midwestghosttown

MOST IMPORTANT - I want to personally recognize a few groups and individuals for their help in putting together a short 5-minute video with some of their footage -

Thank you, Troy and Terry of Ghost of North Dakota. I had a conversation online with Troy about using some of the amazing photos from the work they compiled since 2003! And they gave me permission to use it. The part that I love the most about these guys and their awesome work, is they are in the process of releasing all their footage to the public domain! Check their site out!

The best part about the whole thing? The North Dakota Historical Society reached out and is housing their ENTIRE work! This is good for everyone because it allows YOU access to the photos - and as I detailed above, time doesn't stand still for ANYONE - so the fact they captured some of these places before they have been completely taken back by nature is a GIFT!

Last but not least, I had some terrific footage from other sources that are creative commons with attributions. I typically only take from the public domain - especially with some of the footage being older and into the public domain because of the length of time of the photos or videos. Below are the attributions with links.

Sherbrooke

Pic 2 (garage looking)

Pic 3 (garage looking with car)

Pic 4 cemetery

Pic 5 yellowstone trail

Omemee Bell Pic 6

[MarkovianMan]

I find ghost towns fascinating and at the same time sad. When I see the abandoned, dilapidated buildings (especially houses) I can't help thinking about how excited and proud the owners would have been of their new home, the family memories that were created there (if only the walls could speak), and the sadness those people might feel if they saw it in its current state. It would be cool to be able to time-travel as an invisible observer to see what they looked like in their heyday.

[kendramckenna]

There’s a lot of ghost towns in North Dakota

[logical_harm]

Danzig is another interesting one. Really want to visit it sometime.

[Aboz]

Just a note, Omeme is pronounced oh-MEE-mee. The Omeme town bell hung in my parents' garden from 1962 to 1993, the pride of my mother's bell collection. After Dad died, we donated it to the county museum.

[kerrygauffin]

How about Juliette ND? Pembina County. Used to have a bar, 2 churches, a grocery store and a post office. It’s all gone now.

[backwatersandbackroads]

Sometimes I wonder if the name of a town plays a part in its success or demise. The little end of the road town I spend much of my time in has a terrible name in my opinion. "Ontonagon". There's a native story behind it of course, but the nake really doesn't help draw people in. What's your thoughts?

[ChristopherBosch-ffdt]

Thanks California stay out of end up a Ghost

[ccfeickert]

Do some research, everyone knows its Lincoln Valley.