Arena, ND
Burleigh County
Vacant as of 5/04

Arena was founded with a rural post office January 23rd, 1906. It is said to have had a peak population of 150 around 1920, but had withered to 35 residents by 1930.

It is now abandoned. Click any image to see the full-size pic.

The photo of Arena school (3rd pic) was contributed by Stephen Berg of Champlin, MN. Although this picture of Arena school was taken just a few years ago, it sadly no longer exists. What happened to it is unknown.

No full-size pic of this school is available.

In the absence of the old school building, the church is now the focal point of the town.

In the church photo (top) you'll notice the slight lean of the structure. The cinderblock foundation is caved in on the right side of the building and the whole church is getting ready to cave into the basement.

Let's hope someone has the good sense to preserve the church before it's gone.

Although there aren't any residents in the immediate vicinity of the town, there is a yellow house on the townsite which had blankets hanging in the windows, suggesting it was used for something relatively recently.

A farmer appears to be using the land near the grain elevators (bottom right) for storage.

We're not sure if it was a dwelling or an outbuilding, but the structure pictured bottom left appears to be an old wooden boxcar with the wheels taken off.

The car next to it is a Chevrolet last registered in North Dakota in 1958.

The house pictured on the right is the first one you'll see as you drive into Arena. Although the property is very overgrown, someone is doing upkeep on the lawn.

The road leading south out of Arena is a cool drive bordered tightly on both shoulders by a couple of small lakes.