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Tagus, ND
Mountrail
County
Inhabited as of 6/05
Tagus was founded in 1900, on
a rolling spot on the prairie, forty miles west
of Minot. A railroad settlement town, it reached
a peak population of 140 in 1940. It was originally
named Wallace, but was later renamed Tagus to
avoid confusion with the town of Wallace, Idaho.
The origin of the name "Tagus" is still
in dispute.
It is now primarily
abandoned with a handful of residents and numerous
vacant structures.
Click images
to see the full-size pics. Photos with a yellow
border=no enlargement available.
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The Minot
Daily News ran a story about GND several days
before our actual trip to Tagus. You can imagine
our surprise when we were met by two of the residents
of Tagus who had been keeping an eye out for us.
They had quite a story to tell. |
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As it turns
out, Tagus has weathered way more than it's fair
share of vandalism and mean-spirited behavior.
For years, vandals from the nearby areas have
used Tagus as a party place. One of Tagus' residents
told us a story about one Halloween night in the
1980's, when 300 kids showed up in this tiny town
for an all-out Halloween trashing session. The
Mountrail County Sherriff had been tipped however
and put a stop to it. |
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In 2001, vandals
again did their damage when they were found to
be responsible for a fire which destroyed Tagus
only remaining church. The spot is now marked
with the memorial pictured bottom-left.
If you decide
to visit Tagus, be respectful of the town. They've
already sacrificed far too much.
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As you drive
through Mountrail County, it becomes something
like a grand tour of Minuteman Missile silos.
They are everywhere in the areas around Tagus,
interspersed with dozens of abandoned farmsteads. |
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The railroad
still goes through Tagus. As a matter of fact,
a train sped through while we were visiting. It
does not stop however. |
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Click
Here to see a county-by-county North
Dakota map of the Ghost Towns we've visited. |
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source
material - North Dakota Place Names
by Douglas A. Wick, Hedemarken Collectibles |
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