Alkabo is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating but remote towns we have ever visited. Roughly six miles from Montana and eight miles from Canada, it is the most northwestern settlement in North Dakota.
We drove north from Grenora to get to Alkabo and found the drive beautiful but distant from services and fuel. If you decide to visit Alkabo, you should plan accordingly.
Alkabo is home to a handful of residents (there were only 19 remaining in 1976), and is situated on the side of a hill with the school at the top.
The former Alkabo School is now a museum and we’re told it’s open by appointment.
After the destruction of the structures in Fillmore, North Dakota, Alkabo’s Main Street remains as one of the most impressive examples of an abandoned business district, with old vacant buildings standing side-by-side. Most of the structures east of Main Street are now abandoned, while Alkabo’s remaining residents inhabit the west side of town.
The railroad that gave rise to Alkabo still passes through at the south end of town, but there is no depot and the trains no longer stop.
On the fair right, a common sight in towns like Alkabo — the bank vault still stands but the bank is gone.
This old structure stands on Stromstad Street, and looks like it might have been a school. If you know, please leave a comment.
If you build it, they might come, but will they stay?
Open basements, structural ruins, and vacant buildings dot the townsite.
Know somebody who would enjoy a North Dakota-centric gift? Check out our hardcover coffee table books, coffee, and gift sets in the store.
Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, © 2016 Sonic Tremor Media
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Ghosts of North Dakota 
When I was about 8 years old, I rode with my grandfather to deliver a load of lumber to Alkabo. While it was small, it was not a “ghost town” then. While I moved from North Dakota 38 years ago, I still call it home when I talk about it. I don’t see northwestern ND as a lunarscape. The short grass prairie has a beauty I still appreciate whenever I get a chance to get “home”.
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I love Alkabo and think it’s so cool what they’ve done with the school! They have a guestbook you can sign (or is it a chalkboard? I can’t remember). Not sure who to call anymore to go in for a tour.
On a side note, Ambrose used to have a merry-go-round like the one pictured by the school. No modern-day, “safe” playground equipment can compare to that kind of fun!
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ITs a chalkboard and well preserved!!
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It’s actually both a chalkboard and a guest book.
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We also had the merry-go-round in Benedict ND, many bruised fingers…you learned to be careful. It was so much fun, can still here the steady squeek in my mind. It was fun!!
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Thanks for your pictures of Alkabo – what memories were brought back!
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Alkabo was actually my childhood home town. Some of the photos were of my relatives places. It really brings me back. Thank you.
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Bryan…These pics bring back alot of memories for me also…saw alot of this while I was married. Alot of Reistad and DeJardine history in that town!
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Definitely a lot of history….and today my son’s 4th grade class takes a trip to Writing Rock and the Alkabo school. It is our little known tourist attraction 🙂
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Can one of you former residents confirm the pronunciation? Is it pronounced like the two words it comes from Alkali and Gumbo? So, ALK uh bo…..?
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al-KAY-bo
Wow. When people from other parts of ND call my home town remote…
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El-Kay-bow…not to far where i grew up in Grenora.
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School looks well preserved, looks like a great ghost to see.
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My father spent a portion of his life growing up here as a child. I think it’s neat.
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To the Delong , I remember the man who had the store with the gas pump that you pumped up and drained it into your tank. His son drove the gas truck for the elevator and became the manager . Elaine Rust , Gilford”s widow is a leader in keeping the school up with lots of other help , like the Reistads , I was there in July 2009, i shed tears when I saw my Mother’ s basketball pictures Enid Thon, plus all the other Thon’s who attended school there , the oldest ones graduated from Westby, I am a Westby kid , I will attend reunion at Westby , July 9 and 10
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I am doing a project on the railroads of Divide County. I was wondering if any of you Alkabo locals might know what happened to the RR depot that must’ve been there at one time. Any recollections? Thanks!
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I sent you an e-mail , I don’t know how this works , so at the risk of duplication , I do not know about depot ,contact Elaine Rust Leininger , current Alkabo resident and great historian , or an Reistad, rural residents .
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The Reistads have alot of the history of this town! Don, Morris, Harold and Jim are your best bets!
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In that case, what can you tell us about the light plant that served Alkabo before REA?
I found a mention of this in the Divide County book – operated by someone by the last name of Helseth?
(I assume Sheridan Electric came to town about the same time as nearby Fortuna in 1948?)
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i remember the elevator and it’s manager well, my dad worked part time there coopering cars. unfortunatly i don’t know what happened to it. it was there when i entered the service in 1970 and gone when i returned in 91. elaine or rob rust would probably know.
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I have always thought of Alkabo as my home and I still do to this day.
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Gordy, this is Lois DeLong-Bjerke (Douglas) from Alkabo..I was born and raised in Alkabo.
One of the “Lots” in the pictures, ( The one with the Brick BBQ) was made by my father, Harvey DeLONG. They moved their house in the early 70’s to Crosby, ND. I sure miss the quiet, peaceful surroundings. We were last there in 89.
Someone sure keeps the town well mowed!! Unusual for such a sparce population.
The famous Schoolhouse still looks extremely well kept!! I remember all the Lutefisk Suppers that the men in the community would put on every year!! And the Farmers Elevator Picnics–All the games on main street ( the cracker eating contests, Ladies “Nail” hammering contests and bike races) And to top it off– the old “Ma and Pa Kettle”, black and white movies in the school in the evening!! How things have changed!! Does anyone remember the Roller Skating Parties and Pizza Parties in the “Hall” on Saturday Nites. Everyone in the surrounding area used to come in to town for those great times!!
Would love to hear from you. It’s been so long…..Do you know where Carol is??
Love seeing these pics. Hope to hear from you!!
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Lois, this is Gordy’s daughter I am sorry to say but my dad passed away April of 2011. I helped him type his comment on here, and I was just checking the comments. I have heard many stories about Alkabo and the families that lived there, I do recall your family name is some of those stories. I have also heard all the stories about Carol and I think I have a few picture’s of her and my dad, the last my dad told me is he thought that she was in Fargo, ND.
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That old merry-go-round must have been at a lot of old schools. Ours was slightly higher off the ground and we would stand on the bench and get it spinning really fast and then start it swinging, when everyone worked together you could bang the merry-go-round by causing the frame that held the bench to hit the center pole. It would sound like a ringing bell and the clang-clang- clang could last most of a recess, Back then teachers talked about being careful and not safety…………………..
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The Alkabo School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 7, 2010. The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government’s list of properties it considers worthy of preservation and recognition.
Federal Relief Construction in North Dakota, 1931-1943 is a statewide historic context developed to assist with the nomination of properties built during the Depression Era as part of the relief effort. This document provides the background of each program and establishes criteria to help evaluate and list historic federal relief properties.
• A good example of a relief project is the Alkabo School in Alkabo, designed by Edwin W. Molander and built in 1934 by the William Nordman Company of Noonan. This school in Divide County combines the Italian Renaissance Style with American Colonial Revival architecture to create the most prominent building in the community.
Contrary to some misconceptions about the National Register program, listing in it does not prevent owners from altering their property, restricting the use or sale of the property, or establish times requiring that the property must be open to the public. Entry into the National Register of Historic Places does give a property prestige, provides protection from federally-assisted projects, and provides eligibility for certain preservation financial incentives.
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Very good, kudos to those who did the work to make this happen.
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Elaine and her family sure do a great job with keeping up the whole town. My parents still live across on the old Stromstad farm. It’s always good to come home and see the old schoolhouse.
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Alkabo is also my hometown. I went to the first four grades of school there and then the school was closed. We had the biggest class in the school – there were two of us. There are two streets and five avenues in Alkabo. Main and Stromstad street – named after my grandfather and great uncle. I own a lot in town, just for fun – it’s in one of the pictures where you can see a pretty large chokecherry bush on the right side of the picture. That’s on my lot, where the old livery stable used to be.
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There are more “settlements” north and west of Alkabo–Fortuna and Westby (back in the day!) I grew up in Elkhorn Township–the MOST northwestern township in Divide County ND Our neighbors were CANadians. Love the site!!
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“The Reistads have alot of the history of this town! Don, Morris, Harold and Jim are your best bets!”
I’ll bet! I visited only a couple times as a child back in the late ’60’s, but I remember a few of them. My grandmother was Olga Harder (Raaum). She and Cora Reistad were sisters. Hi Uncle Don!
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I want my next tour of ND to be biased to the western side. Alkabo looks like a must-see town. I’d like to find a place where I can set up a chair and a cooler and sit through the wind whistling hauntingly through the wild prairie grasses. No cars, no people, maybe just a lone train horn in the distance.
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I lived in Alkabo for about 5 months an finished the 6th grade in 1956 – my dad taught there. I have occasionally thought about going back, but it is so remote that I could not justify the trip. Thanks for the photos!
I remember living in a small house very close to the school, perhaps even on the school grounds. I also remember rafting on a pond at the bottom of the hill. I also remember visiting a friend (but I cannot remember his name) and playing board games. It was a pleasant time in my life.
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David, I remember you–I was in 5th grade–you in 6th. Jane Bloom–my mom played the piano for all the school events. where do you live now?
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just some updated information for you on Alkabo. I received a postcard back from a lady who was the last postmaster, served for 30 yrs until the post office closed down in 1989. fortuna is the nearest town about 10 mi east of Alkabo. the town itself was founded in 1913 when the 500 RR extended the railroad westward in its early years the population was approx 100, now it is 8 with a few additional people living there during the summer. farming/ranching has been the major occupation. now oil activity.
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I’m loving all these Ghost Town pictures. One question keeps nagging me: Don’t the really dilapidated structures ever draw unwanted animals, like racoons, possums, etc., to den?
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We are coming to visit Alkabo the weekend of July 29th. From the pictures and comments it really looks interesting…and we are anxious to look around and get a feel of the history.
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I bet you have some great pictures of Alkabo also. I have a few myself.
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The photos brought back memories of Alkabo from as early as 1951 when I was five years old. At that time there was a board walk down both sides of main street. My uncle and aunt, Sam and Thora Bloom, ran the local store which was housed in the old bank. For us kids the vault was a special place. We’ve returned to Alkabo, from Oregon, many times over the years to visit relatives in the area. In the summer of 1974 we worked on my uncle and aunts, Kenneth and Palma Heckman’s farm, about 2 miles east of Alkabo. A big issue at that time was keeping the post office open, so we signed up for a PO box. In 1996 I visited the old school, which was open, saw all the old materials in the classroom, went to the basement gym, found a good basketball lying there, and shot some hoops. The gym is quite small and the walls are the out of bounds on three sides. It was a hot day outside but cool in the gym.
The area is going through some change now that oil is being developed in the area. I understand a gravel mine south of Alkabo is hauling many loads north each day.
An excellent set of professional photos of the old school and area can be found at: Lenswork.com.
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Very nice to review the comments and photos. I grew up in Alkabo. Family include seven children, my dad, Ralph operated the grain elevator and delivered gasoline to farms. My grandfather, George DeLong operated the general store..where the gasoline pumping was referenced above. My home memories are many. I left Alkabo for the military back in 1962. Loved the school photo, I have some from the early 80’s. Thanks must go to my sister Pat who works hard to keep a log of memories too, Thanks dear Sister.
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Hi Cousin, this is Lois DeLong-Bjerke So good to hear your comments on Alkabo. It’s sure been along time since we have seen each other..Roland came to visit us a few times, on his way to Albu. Are you Living in the States now?? Would be nice to hear from you!!
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I grew up on a farm 7 miles south of Alkabo, our home town. Mail was delivered by the steam powered Soo Line Railroad arriving at the depot in the evening. I remember townspeople gathering at the post office waiting for their mail. We hauled our wheat to the Alkabo elevator and purchased groceries at the Bloom store. I was a student at the Alkabo school my 2nd and 9th grade. I played basketball in the small gymnasium and attended many community events in the school. I also played baseball and softball on the Alkabo “Field of Dreams”. I remember when main street was filled with cars on Saturday night. Large number of folks came to buy groceries, have a drink, and visit with friends. It is difficult to imagine an active social life while looking at the pictures today.
I have many wonderful memories of activities in the Alkabo community and cherish the friendships I developed there. Thanks to all who have worked hard to keep the school building alive allowing us to return and remember.
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I grew up in nearby Fortuna where my dad was the Soo Line RR agent in the 50s. We moved when I was about 1/3 of thru 4th grade in 1957 to Flaxton, ND. I currently live in Parshall ND. The pictures are great. I remember going to Alkabo, Ambrose, and Colgan(where my dad was a SL agent before Fortuna), and of course, Crosby. All travel by gravel road. I was last back to Fortuna about 15 years ago.
I’m sorry to hear about the oil activity in many ways. Around Parshall it has ruined the landscape and diminished the quiet, liveable, quality of life that western ND was known for. Very sad, IMO.
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My grandparents were Mable and Tenny Stromstad who homesteaded in Alkabo. My Dad, Milton Stromstad, was born in Alkabo in 1916. I have photos of my grandparents standing in front of their sod house and grandpa standing in front of the Stromstad grain elevator. White-out snow storms forced grandpa to tie a rope between the house and the barn so he could hang on to it and follow it out to feed the animals. My Dad remembers how cold it was and he could still hear the sound of the wind. Dad passed away in 2000. I wish he were here to share more stories. Thank you for preserving the town and sharing memories here!
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I remember playing in the depot in Fortuna. Also a blacksmith in Alkabo that fixed wheels for our buggy for the 50th Anniv.
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I went to school in Alkabo for 2 years or a little less when my Pop job changed. I miss Alkabo I want ti visit again I have some old pics from 90s
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you said it mike great town
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My old boyfriend was from Alkabo he would drive a hole hour on the weekends to see me. Sometimes in the winter he would stay sat and sun even go to chruch with us. Mike Delong if you are there email or put a post on here.
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My maiden name is Stromstad. We visited Alkabo and stayed with Ben and Esther Stromstad, my great Aunt and Uncle, on the Stromstad Farm when I was nine, 1955. I remember the two story white house with a cellar and the gigantic barn with all the hay in the loft. We enjoyed butter churned from the cream and homemade berry jam. Toni Stromstad identified above is a cousin.
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Laura Lee..I am sitting in Molde, Norway, searching for familymembers over there,one of my Dads grandaunts was Louise Stromberg, born Waldahl ( Valldal). Yesterday I was told she had a daughter named Esther.. Do you by any chance know anything about someone in this family? My dad is 92, and ecxiteted about my searching
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Laura, my parents bought the Stromstad farm. My parents built a home in the 70s, the big White House was moved to Colgan.
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Many,many great memories ! Love the pictures. Great place,wonderful people.
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Does anyone remember the old Air Force radar site just outside of Fortuna? I was stationed there for three years about 45 years ago, and remember a lot about the smal towns around the site. I nearly married a girl from Crosby.
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Sure do lived down the road from it for many yrs
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I loved the area, and wanted to extend my stay (I was born in northern Vermont), but the Air Force had other plans for me. My girlfriend didn’t want to leave Divide County, and I was headed for Vietnam. Plus, I was a city boy from Boston. We went our own ways, amicably. I’ve always wanted to return, but never have. I understand Divide County received money to tear down the radar site.
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Fortuna RADS is gone, there are some pictures of it on the Fortuna AFS website and a lot of the AF people including me a WAF who lived there. It is a closed group so you need to join but R.J. you may find some of your old buddies on there.
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My family farmed 6 miles south of Alkabo, next door to the Heide’s. My three brothers & I all went to school in that wonderful schoolhouse. I still love going there and reliving all the memories. My oldest brother, Lavern, lives in Alkabo about 6 months of the year. I love going back to visit the area and love visiting all my relatives and past classmates. My class was the largest – 5 of us.. Morris Reistad, Gary Rust, Sharon Norby, Steven DeLong and myself. For a small town, we sure did have a busy life. Basketball, Lutifisk dinners, March of Dimes Programs, Christmas Plays, Summer baseball, rollerskating, the list goes on. I love that I grew up there. Great times to have lived and remember.
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you mention Heide’s,was Timon one of those that you remember?….he was good friends with my Uncle Ralph who lived about 6 miles north and East of Grenora…later he moved into Grenora and Timon helped him shingle his roof when they were both in their 80’s…
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My husband’s family was from the Alkabo area – Norby. I loved visiting the school house! What a great job of preserving the past.
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My wife was a Norby and they lived just South of Alkabo. Is your Dad a brother to Trygve Norby, Marcella’s Father.
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Marcella was a classmate of mine first through the fourth grade . .Then we moved to Fortuna. .Darrel Shefstad
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My earliest fond memories of Alkabo, were the times I accompanied my grandparents (John & Inga Storhaug -farmers in Writing Rock Township) when they went to Alkabo to get groceries and/or the mail. For me, the trip almost always resulted with being treated to a cool bottle of Nesbitts organge pop and/or ice cream cone from the General Store.
Years later, more fond memories of playing grade school basketball tournaments at the Alkabo school gym (as a player for Hanks grade school which was closer to my father’s farm located 20 – 25 miles south of Alkabo).
Dave Storhaug
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My wife Marcella Norby Gordon also went to that school along with her older brothers and sisters. She always spoke highly of it and was very proud of it. Whenever we came to see her parents at the farm, we always went and stay the school house. She never called it the school, but always the school house.
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I’m looking for information about a family or families of Jensens buried at Alkabo. In particular, one Wilmar Lyman Jensen, died 1927. Anyone?
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this is kind of a long shot…not sure what cemetery you are talking about, but i see there is only one listed for Alkabo and it is called Daneville Cemetery. It is not only filled with Jensens, the site on findagrave.com is managed by a Jensen…M. Jensen Seggerman. Perhaps he/she could help you.
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This is pretty neat to see…makes me want to visit ND, since I’m a West Coast city boy…
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Does anyone remember Martin Sabo? He left Alkabo and entered Augsburg College in the late 50s. He went on to the Minnesota legislature, then to the US House of Representatives, where he became head of the House Ways and Means committee and one of the most powerful people in Washington. I met him at Augsburg, and being from Flaxton myself, we talked a lot about small-town North Dakota.
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Martin’s mother moved to Crosby in her later years. When my grandfather died, his wife (Inga Storhaug) was invited leave her farm house south of Alkabo, and to move in and live with Mrs Sabo.
I enjoyed visiting both of them at Mrs Sabo’s house in Crosby.
Today, in Minneapolis, you will find an attractive pedestrian / bicycle bridge that crosses the combined distance of Minnesota state highway MN-55 and the adjacent commuter light rail track, that was named the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge, when construction was completed in 2007
A few years back, I made of point of driving down to the bridge, and going for a nice stroll over and back, all the while enjoying the fond memories of Mrs. Sabo, and my grandmother Inga, plus the fond memories of my youth visiting Alkabo, and enjoying how life has resulted in the unusual connection between Alkabo ND and a prominent bridge in southeast Minneapolis.
(this bridge was also mentioned on this web site by the 3/14/2016 post by Loren Dunham).
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Just visited this yesterday. What a neat space. Quiet and peaceful.
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I remember hearing about Alkabo when my dad told stories about being on the highway patrol. It is really fun to have pictures to add to my memories.
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Question – does anyone know anything about a light plant that was operated by someone by the last name of Helseth before Sheridan Electric Cooperative came to town?
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I love Norwegians 🙂
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Teresa,me too,I am one…I used to visit a family in Alkabo as a kid in the early 50’s by the name of John Nelson…he was related to my Grampa Anton Christian Nelson,I think maybe a first cousin…..he had a daughter who was living in New York at that time…Grampa and my mother’s family lived in Fertile township,I think it was…they called him”Gardener” Nelson because he could still grow a truck garden even in the dirty 30’s and sold vegetables to all around there.
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in fact picture number ten looks like the house we visited in those days….at least it is the one in my memories,I was anywhere from 5 to 11 in those days when we spent summers at my Uncle’s farm…they were Arne and Hans Nelson,some may remember them…the other Uncle was Ralph who was around Grenora until 2008…loved to go to auction sales and bring home “goodies”.
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Martin Olav Sabo, AHS class of 1955, passed away on March 13, 2016. He attended Augsburg College and was elected to the Minn. legislature at age 22. He rose to leadership there, and later in the US House, from which he retired in 2007.
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Awesome pictures. Alkabo, like Ambrose😀Old but awesome!!!
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Picture #9 looks like a ’56 Merc settin’ in the field.
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love this site about the small towns
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Patty (Larson) Robbins
Graduated from Alkabo Highschool in 1959 along with Yvonne DeJardine, Carol Raaum, Judy DeLong and Roland DeLong. I lived with a number of familys in the town. What nice People, the Bowmans (Gordy’s folks), Harvey DeLongs, Sam Blooms, Benny Stromstads. The way Elaine Rust Leniger . engineered “Keeping that school up” is incredible I worked for Sammy in the store summer of 1958. Was back for Sam and Thora’s anniversary party and for Harvey DeLongs funeral. Got to see most of the people all gathered at Writing Rock church. Really enjoyed all. I have memories from there that I will take to my grave. What a beautiful place.
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My name is JoAnn Stevens. My maiden name is Knudsvig, I born in Williston, raised on my families farm NW of Alamo and graduated from Alamo in 1956. When I taught in Alkabo, my last name was Kroshus. I taught in there for the 1960/61 school year, under the principal, Mr. Rheberg. He taught high school, and his wife taught the middle grades. I was pregnant that year and lived in the teacherage on site. I was the primary teacher, grades 1-6. My students were; Ronald and Cheryl Stromstad, Tony Sue and Greg Polluck, and Jimmy Heckman. When I left Alkabo, I moved to teach at Rocky Boy, MT to teach the next year. I finally settled in Billings Mt, and still reside there.
My oldest son Blaine Stevens (Kroshus), was less than a year old when I taught there that year, and was babysat by a Mrs. Gibson at the north end of Main St. Her daughter was Tamara I think.
I remember Mrs. Sabo,she was the cook and ran the lunch room. She was a wonderful person who knitted booties for my infant son Blaine, I still have some of these booties. Her son, Martin Olav Sabo recently passed, he was a U.S. Representative in Minnesota.
I visited the town and the school about ten years ago with my grand daughter who lives in Williston. I signed the guest book. I’d love to hear from anyone who remembers me and the time i was in this neat place.
JoAnn Stevens.
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Joann, you were my teacher! I was probably in first or second grade. Sister Cheryl lives in California near Santa Cruz. Jim Heckman is in Minot, and Greg Paluck is in Williston, working for an oil company. Tony Sue died when we were kids, I think of a brain hemorrhage. I just saw Greg Paluck last spring for the first time in more than 30 years. My wife and I live in Bismarck, youngest sibling Jerry is still running the farm. Mom (Alice Stromstad) still lives on the farm part time, and dad passed away about three years ago.
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Ron, do you have any knowledge of Louise Stromstad, born Waldahl (Valdal), she had a daughter named Esther .
Louise was a cousin to my grandmother, and I promised my dad I should try to seek up information about this branch of his Family Three… . Wuokd be happy for any information 🙂
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