Heaton, ND
Wells County
Inhabited as of 5/04

Click any image to see it full-size.

Heaton was founded in 1899 as a Northern Pacific Railroad town, named for George Heaton, the manager of land sales for the railroad. Population figures include 400 in 1930, 62 in 1960, and perhaps as few as 15 to 20 today.

Heaton, about twenty miles west of Carrington, ND, is an interesting town. There were three or four houses which looked occupied, but a ton of vacant homes.

The whole time we were taking these pictures in Heaton, we could hear little kids playing about two blocks over. Can you imagine growing up in a town like this?

Even though Heaton is inhabited, it's still one of the best ghost towns we've visited in the state due to the large number of vacant structures. There were so many abandoned homes in Heaton, we found ourselves running short of film.

Heaton's former main street is Williams (second pic). The tall building on the right is the former Farmer's State Bank of Heaton, which eventually closed in the early 80's. The big plate glass windows are broken out.

The small white building on the left is the former "Hawks of Heaton" Gift Shop. A closeup of the sign over the door is bottom-right.

Heaton's most infamous former resident would be the late tax-protester Gordon Kahl. Kahl's hometown is frequently misquoted as Medina due to the shootout with federal marshals that happened there. His funeral was held just miles from Heaton in the Bowden Seventh Day Adventist church. Sources on the internet say he was buried nearby in Fessenden, however a site visitor has told us he's buried in the Heaton cemetary. Somehow we missed that.

The photo bottom-center is a photo looking down Kopper Street. There are three houses secluded in the brush on the left side of the street, all of them deserted.

Site visitor Brandon Miller, who grew up one mile north of Heaton (and his parents still live there), wrote to tell us it was his Grandfather's opinion the tornado which ravaged Heaton in 1907 was a big reason for the town's eventual decline.

In it's heyday, Heaton played host to a post office, a lumber yard, gas station, bank, hardware store, two hotels, and three churches.

Our research about Heaton's past is ongoing. If you have any information about Heaton, please contact us or leave a comment in the Ghosts of North Dakota Forums.