Hesper, North Dakota is a town that had been on our radar for some time but we never had an opportunity to check it out. In the summer of 2012, Philip Tron emailed to tell us Hesper had officially become a ghost town and submitted a few photos. After seeing them, we made it a priority to stop in and snap some shots.
On arrival in Hesper, we were struck by the silence. It was indeed a true ghost town, population zero. There were several homes in Hesper that were in such good condition, it was almost as if the occupants had just stepped out and we had just missed them. It’s not hard to imagine a suspense thriller set in a place like this, where the mystery is finding out what happened to all the people.
Hesper is located 35 miles west southwest of Devils Lake in Benson County, a beautiful region and prime hunting country.
That’s gonna delay the mail.
Very much like some of the other ghost towns we’ve photographed, Hesper had a handful of abandoned homes and structures, but several places were being used for storage by someone who doesn’t live on the town site.
There’s nothing quite like visiting a true ghost town in the fall. The air is brisk, and the colors are vibrant, but the abandoned buildings lend an eerie ambience to the quiet, as if to remind us that the spooky season is approaching.
Hesper is featured in our book, Ghosts of North Dakota, Volume 1, Special Edition.
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Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp
Ghosts of North Dakota 
Beautiful photos! Hope you didn’t pick up any ticks in the grass!
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who is standing beneath the bare tree photo 16. tree is at the left back.
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It looks like a creepy cloaked figure standing there but I’m wondering if its just a sign at an angle in the distance? Although, you would likely see some definition from the way the lighting is hitting it. Very strange!
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44th Avenue? What happened to the other 43?
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Some time ago, the state put most all the rural addresses on a grid system starting from the center of the state (near Pickardville) – that is, except within Grand Forks, Burleigh, and Ward counties which have their own grid addresses originating from within their respective county seats.
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where is Hesper?
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Hesper is 4 miles west of Maddock, 1 mile north and then maybe 1/2 mile west.
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The “red house” was occupied until about a year ago. All the other buildings are curently owned by cousins of mine.
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What do your cousins do with the abandoned homes? Are they just used for storage or nothing at all? Do they own the land as well or just the structures?
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When I was in 7th and 8th grade our junior high basketball team played a ball game in Hesper, probably less than 10 miles from home for us. There was also an active small machining company that repaired farm equipment or created new parts to replace worn out ones. It was a small town near the end of the railroad spur.
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I’ve missed your posts!
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The red house in Hesper was once occupied by my grandfather, A. Larson. The school that had been there would have been fun to see in its early years. Was sad to drive by a year ago and find out no one lives there anymore.
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I believe that we visited the people who lived in this house about 20 years ago. The people who lived here were Allan Brandvold and his wife.
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Sure looks like it was a sweet life at some point in time..
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How much of North Dacota has been left by people? What are they doing with the big lands there? Any reason not people are living there anymore? I also see you write about ticks there, looks like it´s a big problem?
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Unless you farm there are no jobs. When I grew up near here there was a farm family every mile or less. Now there are huge farms running thousands of acres by machines
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I knew Andrew Larson I don’t remember iwhat pouse he lived in Hesper but I worked on his furnace one night and may have sold him fuel once or twice .He usewd to comt o Esmond and was friends with Mrs. mabel swanson and he Mabel, Joe Pfua and Mrs. Thersa Hoffner (all widoows and widowers ) would go dancxing .
Andrew had a son named tyler who lived with him in Hesper .
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Andrew was my grandfather,and Tyler was my uncle,(,and Godfather). I just visited Hesper yesterday,and it was a very bittersweet experience. I have very many vivid memories of when we would visit them there,and it was sad to see there house,as well as ghe Alan Branvold house abandoned.
Alan Jr.,and his sister and I would play together when we were kids.
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Love these all photos, please keep them coming 🙂
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I haven’t been to Hesper in probably 50 years. We used to visit my “uncle” Alfred there. Couldn’t recall what his house looked like but my sister is in charge of the family history so I was excited to call her to log on to see these.
We lived in Maddock until 1969. I recognize some of the names posting here. What a fun “find” this is!
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Alfred was my uncle. Lived in hesper till 1948
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Don,how would you be related to Alan Jr.?
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Alan Sr was my first cousin. By the way for a time I lived next to Andrew Larson. Remember Irvin, Tyler, Helen and David well. Went to grade school with David who was quite a bit younger
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Thanks Don. I appreciate the information. I don’t know when I’ll get back out there again,but it would be nice to actually be able to go inside the house. Does anyone know who owns the property now?
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Lived next to Andrew on a farm in south Arne. First time I met David was when he showed up on horseback. (1948) He used to spend a lot of time at our place. At that time Ted Brandvold lived just south of us. . I left for the service in 1955 and only saw David a few times after that. To say he had grown some would be an understatement. Did visit Andrew in Hesper.
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Thanks Don. I appreciate it. Do you happen to have any information on who owns the properties in Hesper now?
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Allen Brandvold was my grandpa. Him and my grandma lived in that town as the only residents for quite some time until he died in 2003 (I believe that was the year). My grandma lives in Maddock now. Spent alot of my childhood in that red house.
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Today is Christmas. I remember all the happy holidays I spent in Hesper long ago. The school programs etc
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The red house used to be occupied by the grain elevator manager. The only Larson I knew who lived there was Vernon Larson and family. Back then, the school was still being used. Vernon’s son Duane was maybe a grade younger than me.
I believe Elmer Swanson (contemporary and friends of my parents) built it.
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I think that is right. Elmer, Effie and later Kathy lived there. The photos bring back many memories. I was in all the houses shown frequently and in others that are not shown. Elmer used to have the east elevator and Tommy Iverson the west one. After Tommy left, Elmer had the west one and Sig Lathum(?) the east. When he left Myron Harmon and then Vernon Larson, if I have it right.
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