This Fascinating North Dakota Town Has Been Abandoned And Reclaimed By Nature For Decades Now
By Tori Jane|Published March 06, 2023
×
Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Nestled way up near both Montana and Canada is North Dakota’s northwesternmost town. Unfortunately, however, if you’re hoping to visit because there’s plenty to do there, this isn’t the spot for you. It’s the town of Alkabo, and although a very small handful of folks do still call it home, it’s still considered an abandoned town in North Dakota. Named after the two types of soil present here – alkaline and gumbo – there isn’t a whole lot of information left about Alkabo, but some of its structures still stand, slowly being taken back by the planet. Come check out one of North Dakota’s most interesting (and mysterious) ghost towns.
Alkabo was built right alongside a railway, which, by all means, should have meant it would flourish.
If you ask us, towns really aren't officially "towns" until they've got a post office, and at least the hearts and minds behind the town were ambitious. The post office would remain in operation until its closure in 1989. When the post office closes, that's it - it's a ghost town, even if a handful of folks still linger.
Advertisement
There are several buildings still standing, many of which are being slowly consumed by trees and other natural features of the land.
In some cases, the buildings are gone but bits of them remain, like the bank - the building itself is long gone, but the vault is still "floating" where it always was, orphaned of its original shelter.
Interestingly, though, there are still a couple of attractions that remain here, like Writing Rock State Historic Site, which is just south of town...
...and the well-preserved Alkabo School, which has been closed since the 1960s but still offers tours (seriously, do one, it's a time capsule and it's awesome).
For those who crave more spooky, abandoned delights, the Fortuna Air Force Station is just a bit northeast of Alkabo and also worth checking out. All that remains is a concrete, four-story tower, but it's pretty cool nevertheless.
It's tough to find many folks who still remember this forgotten little town, but we kind of like it like that.
It's an isolated, interesting little place, and as eerie as it might seem, we can't help but love it.
If you’re interested in other eerie abandoned places in North Dakota being reclaimed by nature, you’ll definitely want to read about the epic San Haven Sanatorium!
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
