We visited Straubville, North Dakota, a ghost town south of Jamestown, on a cloudy day in 2005 and found it totally abandoned. Unfortunately, we arrived a few years too late to capture the major remaining buildings when they were still standing. We’ve been told that things have deteriorated since our last visit, so we’re hoping to go back to Straubville some time in the near future for an update.
We were recently digging through our archive and realized we had a good selection of photos from Straubville that we had never posted, so here they are for your enjoyment.
Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, copyright Sonic Tremor Media LLC
Ghosts of North Dakota 
If you do get back to Sraubville and have some time, take Hwy 11 eas to Cogswell, then 5 miles north and 1 west. There you will find a marker for the town of Harlem, which was at the end of the railroad tracks that came north out of Britton, SD. The rail bed was made to Valley City but the tracks never got north of Harlem. Back when we pastured cattle there you could see the remains of a roundhouse, a Y turn-around, the elevator foundation, and about half of the racetrack. the only buildings were a house and barn and a small shed a ways south of the elevator foundation, but not sure whether that was built before or after the town died.
LikeLike
Steven, are you related to the late Mr Leonard Bopp? He lived ENE of Cogswell on a farm. I worked for him summer of 1951 & 52 when I was 15 &16. They were a great family & I enjoyed working their.
LikeLike
I was born in January, 1936 in Mercy Hospital in Oakes. I lived 5 miles south of Straubville on a farm. No buildings remain on the farm. The house, which my father built for his bride in 1911, was moved to Forman in 1956. It is still being lived in.
We went to Straubville shopping in the General Store run by George Shulte. The post office was part of the main store, but entered from outside the store. The general store also had a gravity fed gas pump with the glass on top which showed the amount of fuel. It held ten gallons. If you needed more than ten gal. you pumped it up again, by hand.
Across the street was an ice house. In the summer blocks of ice were stored covered in sawdust. Also there was a machine shop across from the general store.
The town had several other buildings. To the North, was the railroad and depot. The depot master was a Mr. Davis, a brother to Rade Davis, who was married to my aunt Emma Bergman. To the East behind the store were holding pens for sheep and cattle waiting to be loaded aboard the train for shipping.
To the West along the main highway was a one room school house.
Scattered around were several residences to the South and West of the general store.
In 1943, we moved to Oakes from the farm.
LikeLike
Pictures of Straubville make me sad…
LikeLike
My great grandfather was George Schulte.
My grandmother was Alice Schulte Thompson.
I grew up in Straubville.
Our house was next to the “machine shop”. We used that building for storage, a garage, and for grain storage.
My parents were George Thompson (son of Dewey Thompson and Alice Schulte Thompson) and Phyllis White Thompson..
Linda Thompson Quimby
LikeLike
Would you happen to know any of the Shelton’s? They farmed near straubville. My great grandmother was Maude Shelton Smiley and her brother was Clarence Shelton.
LikeLike
I was born in a house s/w of Straubville. Oct. 1943
LikeLike
I was always treated to a banana popsicle from the “store”. whenI went to Straubville with my grandma, OLLIE ANDERSON!!! I loved staying with my grandparents in the summer and spending time with my FAVORITE AUNT, Judy Milbrandt!!! We have relatives buried in the cemetary in Straubville!
LikeLike
Part of my family lived and farmed near straubville for many years. My great uncle Clarence Shelton farmed and raised a family there and my grandmother grew up around there as well. Was originally homestead by my great x3 grandmother. I remember going there in the 80s and my grandma visiting with folks
LikeLike
My father was born in Straubville and we visited his side of the family every couple summers in the 1970s thru the 80s. His name is Louis Banderet. He was one of three sons to Emil and Mable Banderet. I don’t know the exact year that their town changed to Cogswell from Straubville. They had a cattle ranch for many years.
LikeLike