We visited Lostwood, North Dakota in 2010 and found, in addition to a few farms in the neighborhood, only a well-cared for church and a boarded up school as the only real remains of Lostwood.
However, Tim Steele recently sent us some photos with the following comments:
I have two photos of the Steele Store and Post office in Lostwood. Can anyone help me with dates or any info on the Post Office. These pictures came from my grandfather’s photo album. I know they are older than my dad and he was born in 1931.
Webmaster’s note: According to North Dakota Place Names by Douglas Wick, the first Post Office was established in 1907 with Samuel Steele as Postmaster. The Post Office was moved five years later in 1912. If you look closely, you can see an unweathered, unpainted section of wood around the front door, almost as if there was once an entryway attached to the front of this building. Pure speculation but it might be an indication that this photo was taken after the building was moved in 1912…?
Photos contributed by Tim Steele
Original content copyright Sonic Tremor Media LLC
Ghosts of North Dakota 
I love photos like this, awesome. Wish i could help, but it looks pre-1900 to me.
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Man, what a hard life.
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My husbands grandmother use to be the post master for the lostwood post office. We still have the old mailboxes. We just love it here.
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My maternal – grandparents Peter & Karen (Osthagen) Rogstad homesteaded east of Lostwood 6 miles in 1912 so I assume that Lostwood was their mailing address way back then.
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My father, Lawrence Haroldean Nelson was buried in Lostwood. We stopped there in the 1960s and could not find his grave. We now realize he was buried in the Catholic cemetery.
He drowned in Sawyer dam in 1947. I believe. .I am one of his three daughters. I was born in 1946, Myra in 1944 and Sharon in 1943
Our mother was Helenjean Lucille Erickson ( Erick//Gertrude Giese-Parents) Nelson. She was from Parshall, N.D. Mom was born in 1925 & passed away in 1996.
I will make a return trip one day to find his grave site and see his headstone./marker, if one exists
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We are looking for pictures of him as a youth or teenager. If anyone has any, please contact me. Also any sotries about him ,
if you or your friends knew him.
Sincerely,
Alta Nelson Winkelman
.
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I am his daughter Sharon BD 1943
His Birth name was Harold Dean Mott on his adoption papers
Have no record of his name change to Lawrence
Adopted by John and Mary Nelson in 1923
Married Helen Erickson in Sydney MT on November1, 1942
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Hello! I took pictures of your dad’s grave and John and Mary’s in Lostwood. If you’d like to have them, let me know where I can email them.
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I found this so very interesting. My father’s name is John Steele. He has relatives in the States. My father/dad is eighty-four.
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I was born and raised 3 miles west of Lostwood. The top picture is not of Lostwood,maybe Lunds Valley. If I remember right the Catholic and Lutheran cemeteries were together. Each using 1/2. I have a lot of family buried including grandparents and a niece. Bonnie Erickson Strand.
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