North Dakota is no stranger at all to interesting ghost towns filled with lore, both true and, well, not always true. For every ghost town with some buildings still standing despite their obvious decay, there are plenty of others that are no longer around at all, and not even a single structure remains. Many of these places no longer exist on modern maps, either, and it’s always interesting to think about what could have been. Let’s take a look at an odd little town that ended before it ever even began: the hodge-podge mashup portmanteau town that was once known as Nododak, North Dakota. This ghost town in North Dakota isn’t technically a ghost town, considering it was “ghosted” before it was a completed town at all.
Once upon a time, a little plot of land right on the North Dakota/South Dakota border was destined to become a town.
Ghost Town, Abandoned Places/Google Maps
The idea in 1910 was that it would be a happening place, a station on the up-and-coming Pacific Railroad Mainline.
Jerry/Flickr The train, quite the ambitious project, would run from Mandan, North Dakota to Galveston, Texas, but even despite all the planning - it was never meant to be.
The town was called Nosodak, a mishmash of NOrth and SOuth DAKota for its proximity to both states via the ever-present state line.
Tim Evanson/Flickr It grew to become a solid railroad construction camp… but that was all it would ever be. The train line itself never extended past Carnigan, about 20 miles north of where the town of Nosodak would be.
The route was ultimately abandoned, and to this day you can sometimes find tracks that used to belong to it buried in the ground, taken over by time and earth.
Wes Peck/Flickr Interestingly, in some places, the land still bears the scars from being cleared of brush and grasses in anticipation of building the tracks. Those scars, however, are all that remains of Nosodak.
Nosodak, having never been officially platted and having never had a post office, officially never existed.
David Fulmer/Flickr It’s interesting to think about the things that could have been, though - who would have lived here? What lives would they have led? Nobody will ever know.
It is unlikely that there is anyone alive today that remembers Nosodak and the project that (almost) brought the town to life.
SnoShuu/Flickr
Can you still call it a ghost town if it was never technically a town to begin with? What are your favorite ghost towns in North Dakota? Tell us about them in the comments! For another interesting ghost town and its story, check out this article about the creepiest town in North Dakota.
Ghost Town, Abandoned Places/Google Maps
Jerry/Flickr
The train, quite the ambitious project, would run from Mandan, North Dakota to Galveston, Texas, but even despite all the planning - it was never meant to be.
Tim Evanson/Flickr
It grew to become a solid railroad construction camp… but that was all it would ever be. The train line itself never extended past Carnigan, about 20 miles north of where the town of Nosodak would be.
Wes Peck/Flickr
Interestingly, in some places, the land still bears the scars from being cleared of brush and grasses in anticipation of building the tracks. Those scars, however, are all that remains of Nosodak.
David Fulmer/Flickr
It’s interesting to think about the things that could have been, though - who would have lived here? What lives would they have led? Nobody will ever know.
SnoShuu/Flickr
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
Address: Nosodak, ND
