Gingras Trading Post
Pembina County
Northeast of Walhalla about four miles from the Canadian border.
The Gingras Trading Post is one of two buildings at the site which are said to be the oldest standing structures built by Euro-Americans in North Dakota. The trading post was established in 1801 as a center of commerce on a sometimes hostile frontier.

Click Here to visit the State Historical Society's page on the Gingras Trading Post

Backoo, ND
Pembina County
Vacant School Building

Backoo, ND was founded in 1887. It's population never exceeded fifty. This schoolhouse now sits among a loose cluster of farmsteads and rural businesses. It is prominently posted "No Hunting".

Note the see-saws, which still sit as if they were used yesterday. See video of this church in GND Video Volume 4 on the Video Galleries page.

Nome, ND
Barnes County
Vacant School Building
Our trip to South-Central North Dakota took us through Nome, ND which had this very impressive vacant school building nestled in amongst a group of occupied homes. Nome also has some other abandoned main street structures, but a sizable population as well.

Bowesmont, ND
Pembina County
Bowesmont United Methodist Church

This church is all that remains of Bowesmont. Situated in Pembina County, right along the Red River separating North Dakota and Minnesota, Bowesmont has been ravaged time and again by flooding. After the last devastating flood, Bowesmont was left in a state of ruin, and FEMA came in and literally razed the remains with the exception of this church.

On our trip to Bowesmont, we happened to arrive at the same time that the former citizens of Bowesmont had gathered to clean up the church and grounds in anticipation of a once-yearly church service. Some very friendly gentlemen informed us they have a service one per year, and people from all over the area gather for the service, and to remember Bowesmont as it once was. The plaque pictured to the right stands just outside the church.

Harlem, ND
Sargent County
Vacant voting precinct building
Harlem is a town that no longer exists. We believe this building is the only structure left from what was once Harlem. This building stands right near a farmer's home and he is farming the land on all sides. The former site of Stirum, ND is just two miles north of here.

Bordulac, ND
Stutsman County
The former Bordulac Bank building
Bordulac, ND is just a few miles SE of Carrington, ND, in Foster County. Although Bordulac has a population, we thought this building was pretty cool and worthy of a pic on the site.

Absaraka, ND
Cass County
Absaraka's vacant church
This church has an urban legend attached to it; the supposed source of the Absaraka lights. If anyone can enlighten us about the legend of the Absaraka lights, please contact us. It was once in very bad condition, but the owner has done a great job of cleaning it up. Trespassers beware, Absaraka's residents are quite vigilant with regard to unannounced visitors.

Devil's Lake, ND
Ramsey County
An old home inundated by the lake.
Our trip to Devil's Lake in early winter 2005 proved disastrous when our vehicle broke down on the highway. However, we did get some great pictures of this house on the outskirts of Devil's Lake. With Devil's Lake nearly quadrupling in area due to a steady rise of the water, this home is now surrounded on all sides by Devil's Lake.

Grand Harbor, ND
Ramsey County
The former Grand Harbor school.
This school house still stands right off Highway 2 between Devil's Lake and Rugby, ND. If you make that drive, you'll see it just North of the highway. To our knowledge, it is the only remaining structure from the town that once was Grand Harbor, ND.

Webster, ND
Ramsey County
The former Webster school.
Someone has done a fantastic job of preserving the former Webster School. We couldn't tell what it's used for today, but it looks fantastic. Our graphic artist has taken the liberty of removing the power lines which ran through the foreground of this picture so you can appreciate the structure more fully. Click the image for the full-size pic.