The Abandoned Town Of Marmarth In North Dakota Is One Of The Eeriest Places In America
By Tori Jane|Published September 04, 2022
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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.
It’s not every day you stumble upon a living ghost town – let alone a living ghost town in North Dakota – but every so often, you look for one and end up striking gold. Enter the cute (and eerie) little town of Marmarth, a somewhat-forgotten look at how life used to be frozen in time and left to the elements. Though some folks still live in Marmarth, making it not yet a bonafide ghost town, the population is now less than 100, and the majority of the structures remaining in the town are in a state of disrepair. It’s an eerie reminder of how fast things can change, but it’s a beautiful one.
Marmarth was founded in 1907 and by the 1920s, the population was well over 1,000.
It's no slouch in terms of notoriety, either: it was the site of the discovery of the famous (and vastly important) Dakota Fossil in 1999, as well as the site of plenty of Lakota history, too.
Once upon a time, the town was a favorite haunt of President Theodore Roosevelt, who killed both his first buffalo and his first grizzly bear here while hunting.
Marmarth used to be a popular place for homesteading, but now it's a whisper of its former self. It's oddly cathartic to walk through overgrown streets and explore vacant spaces and wonder what it used to be. Some of the residents remaining here surely have plenty of memories.
There is historic significance here in droves; lovers of ghost towns and North Dakota history will enjoy matching buildings now with old photos of what they used to be, and besides, one of the best steakhouses in North Dakota is still in this little place.
It's this strange mixture of being both alive and dead that gives Marmarth its offbeat sense of charm.
Sure, most of the town is vacant and crumbling, but that doesn't mean it can't cook a mean steak dinner.
Once you've had your fill of exploring the decaying structures and strange neighborhoods of Marmarth, do be sure to drop into the steakhouse for a bite to eat.
After all, it's located in far southwestern North Dakota, and it's gonna be a while before you come upon any better places to get some grub.
Need more amazing places in North Dakota to explore? Check out these eerie and beautiful ghost towns of North Dakota, and let us know which ghost town in North Dakota is your favorite!
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