Blanchard is a small town in Traill county about a half hour north of Fargo. Our Facebook fans warned us that there wasn’t much of a historic nature left to photograph, and they were right. Linda Grotberg commented: “Blanchard, is another reason why your “ghost project” is so important! The two churches, Seim’s Store, Wally’s garage, Blanchard #1 (although the school bld is still there used as a house) Grandma Hazel’s house, the old bank building….all part of mine and my Mother’s childhood….gone forever!”
Troy stopped in and got the photo below.
Nearby is the KVLY TV antenna which was for decades the tallest structure on Earth at 2063 feet tall. It’s status as the world’s tallest structure was finally surpassed with the construction of Burj Khalifa in Dubai. However, the antenna remains as the tallest structure in the western hemisphere, and the third tallest structure on earth. The Tokyo Skytree, completed in 2011, is second. On a clear day, you can see this mast from 20 miles away.
Photos by Troy, copyright Sonic Tremor Media LLC
Just drove by this today! Had a great couple days driving around looking for abandoned farmsteads.
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Wasn’t this KTHI when the stationed first aired back in ’63? Television back in those days were very few, this one, Jamestown and Grand Forks (at least on the east side of the state) and on a good day Pembina. I really enjoy this site, keep up the great work!
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Thanks for bringing Blanchard onto your ghost site…I moved there in 1964 to a farm just to the SW of the Transmitter just when it was being completed…Sister & Brother-n-Law still on the farmstead…Blanchard was booming in the 60’s and early to mid 70’s…Oh how times change and again thankyou so much for putting this town on your site…
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My hometown and I grew up with all of the abandon buildings listed an more. The building you did photograph was the township hall at one time. Across the street, next the house in the backround once stood the Methodist Church. It was demolished in the eighties. More recently, in 2011, the Lutheran church closed their doors. The church donated virtually everything in the building to a congregation in Oriska that had lost their building to a fire. The building itself was demolished about a year ago. There was an opera house that later served as a grocery store, and then most of my lifetime as a bar. There was a lumber yard, that we used to play in all of the time. (even though we knew we weren’t supposed to). Well before my time there was a bank in town. There is still the remnent of the big vault door, as well as a small vault still there. I would love to see you revisit.
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I found the foundation believed to be from the bank vault
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