Raleigh is a secluded little town in Grant County, just a short drive southwest of Mandan. The population is nine, and there are exactly two businesses in operation. The grain elevator does a brisk business, and the local tavern is called The Dogtooth — named after the hills which cut a ragged swath through the township.
We visited Raleigh at the suggestion of Karla, the owner of the Dogtooth, Raleigh’s only watering hole, and we’re glad we did. There are plenty of good places to photograph, plus they had cold drinks and hot cheeseburgers, as promised. Just make sure you bring cash, no credit cards at the Dogtooth. Update: a site visitor reports the Dogtooth has closed. See comments.
There were black and white photos on the wall of The Dogtooth from some day long ago — some men were pictured around the Freda Grain Elevator, just before they moved it (in the standing position) to Raleigh. We spoke with Karla at length, and she told us the Raleigh school now stands in Flasher.
Raleigh rests in the bottom of a natural bowl, and we were surprised to find we couldn’t get phone service anywhere.
We’re told the owner of this now-closed store passed away nearly three years before our visit.
This looks like the remains of the former Raleigh School
Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, copyright Ā© Sonic Tremor Media
Ghosts of North Dakota 
Raleigh is my husband’s home town and we love to go and visit. Thanks for featuring it and for sharing. I have some beautiful photos from the Raleigh area. It used to be a little bustling community…back in the day.
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I grew up in the local areas Freda/Raleigh in the early 1960’s , and have memories of every building in Raleigh,and rode my pony in the 4th of July parade of 1964. in Freda all l remembered was the old Depot , in which Fred and his wife lived. There were good people that cared for 1 another.
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The picture from Raleigh in this book, the bank building, is where Grandpa Frank and Grandma Verna lived when I first went there after Mom and Dad got married. They lived in the basement and the post office was upstairs in the old bank office. The very first time I was there Grandpa Frank came riding up on a horse on the right (south) side of the building. I sat up on the horse with him and had our picture taken. I don’t know how many years later they moved into a house around the corner and down the street. There is a picture in the archive of Uncle Roger sitting on top of a load of furniture on a farm truck. Roger is holding up a Post Office sign. The house they moved into had a large enclosed porch that became the post office. It had a coal fired furnace in the basement. I would go down there in the cold mornings and help Dad stoke the fire. There was an outside well with a hand pump. There was a pump by the kitchen sink to pump water from the cistern in the basement. Grandma was the first in Raleigh to get a gas or maybe oil furnace. She was also the first to get an electric pump and running water in her house. As I recall people came to the post office 7 days a week.
PS The false fronted building on the corner with a yield sign by it was where my cousin Gary miller and his family lived in the back. The front was a garage and had gas pumps at one time. We spent the 4th of July at the Raleigh Rodeo many many summers.
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For Ernie Silbernagel. Hi my name is Leo Ternes and I believe you are related to a Ternes family from Strasburg, Emmons Co., ND. I am interested in knowing how you are related to the Bosworth’s. I am also very interested in old pictures of people and buildings in the Raleigh area. If you go to my Facebook page you will see an album of old Raleigh pictures. I would like to hear from you via e-mail. My address is: Leo.ternes@hotmail.com
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My grandparent homesteaded here in 1910 or so, My mother was born there. They lived in a sod house in a community called Flasher. There only other son, Robert, was stricken with diptheria and died at age 5. They moved to Wisconsin in 1920. Hope to visit the area perhaps this coming summer, Would like any helpful info on the history and such, as I am working on a book I hope to publish on her life and times.
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What was your mom’s last name? My Dad’s side (Bosworth) is from Raleigh. I have some old photos of people they knew that would be better off in relative’s hands.
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For John Bosworth. Hi, my name is Leo Ternes and I was born and raised in Raleigh. I do have some old Raleigh photos posted on my Facebook account. I am very interested in any old photos you might have of people and place from in and around Raleigh. My father Bernard Ternes owned the lumberyard and a candy store in Raleigh. Please send me an e-mail message if you are willing to share the old photos with me. E-mail is: Leo.ternes@hotmail.com
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My uncle Adoph and Aunt Margret lived in Raleigh for years. I remember visiting them when I was very small. I think my Uncle Pete and Aunt Ann lived there too but I am not positive about that.
My sister and I drove through Raliegh on our way to St Gertrudes this past summer and I was stunned to see how much it had changed.
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Uncle Adolph and Aunt Margret were my aunt and uncle too! Didn’t Barney Ternes run the lumber yard? I remember he had large water troughs out back and one summer there were frogs in them! My friend Lori lived in Raleigh then. She showed me the frogs.
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I remember Aunt Maggie! We used to visit her when she was living at one of the homes in Bismarck. Pete and Anna Miller did live in Raleigh, they were my grandparents. It’s a small world! š
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Guys,
I graduated from Flasher, ND and visit often. My dad is very good friends with Karla, and when we visit, we love to hit the Dogtooth Inn! Beautiful pictures! Love you posts!
Marie
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Oops – hit send before I could edit. Anyway, the late owner of the store was the mom of my close friend. We had many sleepovers there! Very cool place.
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Marie, that lady who ran the post office/store was my Aunt! Originally the store was owned by my grandparents, Adolph & Ruffina Kopp. They had a farm outside of Raleigh for many years while my grandfather worked at the Grant County Courthouse. My Mother, Rose (Kopp) Hersch moved back to Raleigh for 10 years and it was her house that burned in 1994. It was right next to the post office. Use to be a candy store when I was young. The folks who owned the candy store also owned the lumber yard, last name Ternes if I recall. I still visit often as I have relatives in and around the Raleigh area. My father grew up in Flasher, ND. Great to see the pictures & comments about this small town.
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Ooops the house burned in 2004, not 1994.
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Thanks for the great story and pictures, guys!
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I remember running in street races and watching the parade for the 4th of July in Raleigh back in the 70s while visiting my grandparents, Fred and Elisabeth Fraase in Freda.
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we spent every 4th of July at Grandma Bosworths. She was the postmaster. We went to all the festivities and spent the day at the rodeo, evening at the baseball game and dance. I won the pie eating contest 2 years in a row.
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Is this the same town where St. Gertrude’s Elementary School was located in? I was just wondering because I was there in 1975 for the school year. I taught there for one year and moved back to Massachusetts. There was a town called Flasher that had the Pioneer Lodge where I stayed for a bit. I have to say that while I was there, I had never met such a fine group of people in my life. I have a place in my heart for the great people of North Dakota and will never forget my time in that wonderful place. Does anyone know Emma Loeb? Great lady.
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Did you teach 1st grade? My 1st grade teacher was from Massachusetts!
My teachers name was Miss Deluca ?sp
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If you are that teacher I have been looking for you for YEARS! I thought you stayed in my grandmas basement but then I do remember you having to come from Flasher as well and you talked about the grasshoppers on your windshield! OH I HOPE THIS IS YOU:)
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Hi Linda, Yes! Yes! Yes! I have never forgotten you guys and never will. When you started school on the first day, you didn’t want to come in. So I said to you, “You can sit and watch and when you’re ready, you can join us. About ten minutes later, you never looked back. I have to say being there fo one year was one of the top things of importance in my life. You people are the greatest, and even though I was so young, and inexperienced, I was impressed by all. I have a photo album of all the kids and Emma, too. I wrote to her many years after I left there. I hope she is doing well. Sorry to hear about her husband.
By the way, I never forgot about those grasshoppers either. Ha Ha. How are you doing? Are you still living in North Dakota? Do you have a family? Tell me how everyone is out there. I miss you all and think of you guys all the time. I got married in 1982 and adopted a wonderful little boy from Korea in 1988. He is now a financial analyst and is 26 years old. Where did the time go???? I
I didn’t continue teaching much after that year, because there were so few jobs so I did other things. You never know where the road of life will take you but it’s worth the ride. I hope to hear from you again, Wait till you see my email. annedakota1@verizon.net.
My nephew sent me a link to the ghosts of North Dakota and somehow, by the powers above, I got to this site. Who would have known. Hoping to hear from you, say hi to all that remember me, and tell them I rember them all. Bye for now, Miss DeLuca. Now, Anne Malia.
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Anne I sent you an email I hope you get it if not please put another message on here and we will try to connect again!
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Emma is my mother-in-law.
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Amy, Please tell Emma I was asking about her. Thanks so much. Anne DeLuca
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I grew up in Shields and went to school at St. Gertrudes. I live beside Emma Leobs oldest daughter Della. Emmas husband passed about three years ago and she now lives in Mandan, ND.
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my wife,Patty who was a Zins is from Raleigh…..We stopped at the Dogtooth bar last summer in July and had a beer and cheeseburgers,delicious….it is fun to visit small towns lke this….Patty’s brother Florian still farms the Zins farm straight east of Raleigh where Patty was born and raised.
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the general store and post office was last owned by my husbands Aunt and Uncle (Jim and Vickie Gerhardt). I have only been there a few times, but I often hear my husband talk about the Raleigh 4th of July parade and Rodoe. My Husband grew up in Flasher, ND.
Glad you have post these photo.
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I’ve come across mention of Raleigh having its own light plant as of 1940 – now, Mor-Gran-Sou Electric serves the town.
I’m looking for any information as to how long this light plant was in operation.
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Info from research done by Doug Stayner.
In August 1934 Claude Christensen purchased the Corner Service Station and at the end of 1935 he installed a generator, which supplied electricity to the town. In the late 1940’s the garage was run by Claude’s brother, Robert Christensen. With the coming of the power grid to the town in 1949 the generator was made obsolete.
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Awesome! Thank you so much for that information!
Would your source have any similar information on Shields and Selfridge?
And I did go to school in the ’70s with someone by the name of Kyle Ternes… any relation?
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I don’t have anything on Shields and Selfredge. By the way I do not find Kyle Ternes in my genealogy database. Who were his parents? What school did you attend with him?
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OK thanks – just checking.
As for Kyle, I dunno who his parents were, just that he and I were at Perkett Elementary in Minot in the late ’70s and I’m aware he moved to Bismarck about the same time as I in the early ’80s, when we both were in middle school.
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One other thing – I’m guessing that this generator at the garage was DC and ran on a part-time schedule (evenings with a couple mornings for laundry)?
When did the garage change hands from Claude to Robert? I’m guessing that ‘end of 1935’ would mean December or even November?
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I believe the generator was AC. My dad owned The Candy Shop in Raleigh. It had a pool table. To keep the felt top clean he ordered a small hand vacuum cleaner. It arrived at the post office around noon and U.S. Kids could hardly wait until the electricity came on to try it out. The power plant as I remember it was primarily used for lighting. I don’t ever remember any electrical appliances being used until the REA came in during 1949. At that time my dad started selling electrical appliances in the lumberyard. He also ran an icehouse for ice coolers before the REA came to town.
As for when Bob Christensen took over from his brother Claude, I don’t believe there was a distinct date. They worked together in partnership until Claude moved. Not sure where Claude moved.
As for the installation date, I’m sure that it was a progressive installation since not only did the generator have to be installed so did the electrical lines to and within the buildings.
I’m still wondering who Kyle Ternes is?
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Claude and Robert were my uncles. My dad was Alfred, their brother. We are planning a reunion in September at the reservoir which is located on the old JC Christensen homestead.
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Pretty cool. I haven’t been there since the winter of 96-97 when I was plowing snow for the guard. Beings back lot of memories, thanks!
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Sadly, it appears that Karla permanently closed the Dogtooth on the last day of 2014 and has been trying to sell it since.
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Do you know any more information such as a contact number, website listing, or asking price?
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You can probably reach Karla through the Facebook page for the Dogtooth: https://www.facebook.com/Dogtooth-Bar-Grill-133844946667282/
She also commented to say as much when the Ghosts of North Dakota posted this to Facebook, back on January 29 – I’m sure you can reach her that way.
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Raleigh was my home town,Iwas born and raised 19 miles south of there. When I was a kid the lumberyard was run by a man named Ben Ternes he had he had a large family and all that I knew were damn good kids. In the late 1950’sand most of the 60’s the dogtooth was called Shriners Bar run by a man named Herb Shriner. There was a Bowery Dance west Raleigh out by the Raleigh Resevior it would not be unusual to see 1500 kid there.
My Dad Martin Weekes helped build the Raleigh Rodeo Arena in years I went there the rodeo secretary was Alma Voight one the nicest ladies I new.
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I have found these emails so very interesting, as I was born in Raleigh in 1930 and lived there until 1945. My father owned the Bar, Poolroom and Barbershop there at this time. I knew the Bosworths and went to school with Francis, I took music lessons from Verna Bosworth. I knew many of the people mentioned and it certainly brings back many fond memories. I knew the win Staynors, Eugenious Riehls and Adolph Kopps,the Volks and many others.
Thanks for sharing.
Bernice Roberson
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Sam and Veronica Feist owned the Bar from April 1928 to 1945
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Bernice,
I am one of Francis’s sons. Hope to visit the area in a couple weeks. Neat to see the history.
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Seeing these pictures brings back lots of great memories. Pete and Ann were my grandparents and I love going back to see their house, just north of that old bank.
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Pete and Ann were my aunt and uncle…Uncle Pete was my moms older brother..her name was Rofeina Miller, sister of Gabe, Mike, Pete, Adolph and Isadore and Agnes Miller(Lonning). She married Baldwin Gross from Brisbane ND which is now also long gone. Almost all the name of people mentioned in these emails are familiar to me from listening to her stories and from visiting there when I was very young…so fun to read.
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For Leo
Sam Feist was my father, he died in Spokane, Wa in 1953. I now live in Southern California and have not been back to N. D. since 1949.
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Hi Bernice. Do you by any chance have any family pictures of Raleigh when your family lived there? I believe my father bought the saloon from you father.
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I was an exchange student in ND in 1979/80 and have some photographs of the Raleigh Rodeo and 4th of July Parade as well as some of the kids of that time.
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Hi James. If possible I would greatly enjoy a copy of your Raleigh pictures. My email address is Leo.ternes@hotmail.com.
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I do not have may pictures of buildings but I do have family pictures as well as some of the residents that lived there.
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Hi again. I would be interested in any copies of pictures you would have of the time you lived in Raleigh. I am working on the history of the town and its surroundings and have many old pictures of the people that lived there. I’m not sure how we could manage to do an exchange. If you have digital copies you could email them to Leo.ternes@icloud.com. Or send me an email and I’ll send back my address for mailing. I would then scan them and return them along with a digital copies on a flash drive. Plus I could add many other pictures I have of old Raligh back in the days your family lived there.
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My uncle Marv (Marvin Ternes) is one of the 9 remaining residents. I have a picture of me and my cousin Doug Morrison standing on the bank steps from around 1976. I remember when the General Store and Post office were still open. It is sad to know that the town has slipped away into history but the pictures are a lovely reminder of earlier times.
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Such interesting information being shared by so many. My husband grew up in the Raleigh area and went to high school there as well. He loved sports and played on the Raleigh basketball and baseball teams. Does anyone remember the mascot name that Raleigh used for their teams in the 1950ās?
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The Phillip Erker and Francis Grosz Family are my relatives…My dads grandparents homesteaded near Raleigh and my dad was born in a sod house .. the trees that were planted by great grandparents still grow there..
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My dad Anthony Tischler was born in Raliegh in 1916 as was his older brother George .Their parents left Hungary in 1906 for America.But they moved to New Jersey in 1923.
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Would you by any chance have any pictures of when your family lived in Raleigh. I am working on the history of Raleigh and would like to include people and places that existed during the early days. My email address is: Leo.Ternes@icloud.com.
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I’ll call my older brother Friday and ask him.A couple years ago a lady contacted him and her grandpa and our grandpop were brothers.My brother has a letter from Flasher. N.D. written between relatives in the 1900′ s but its written in German.
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I have a post card that was sent from Dog Tooth, ND. This was the predecessor to the Raleigh. Dog Tooth was established in 1900 and when the railroad decided to set up a station a mile away Dog Tooth was discontinued and the post office was moved to Raleigh. By the way I spoke only German as a young lad in Raleigh during the late 1930ās. I still have an understanding. Email is: Leo.Ternes@icloud.com
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I grew up in Flasher. Fortunately for the school the town hasnāt become a ghost town, yet.
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Hi this is Otto Groz. I was born in Raleigh in 1936.
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Hi this is Otto Grosz. I was born in Raleigh in 1936 to Mathew (Matt) and Amelia Grosz and went to St Gertrudeās School. I remember one winter being snowed in at our farm from January until the the rods were plowed in March. We got our haircuts in town from a man who came from Freda to cut hair. The 4th of July parade and rodeo is a favorite memory.
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Bernice,
I am one of Francis’s sons. Hope to visit the area in a couple weeks. Neat to see the history.
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Jim,
Yes, I went to school with Francis from first grade on. We were always in the same grade and were always compeditors in our classes.
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My Mom, Angie Loeb was born in 1933 to Alex and Rufina Loeb about one mile west of St Gertrude’s. She married Victor Kopp from Strasburg, ND in 1952. They lived south of Richardton. She now lives in Bismarck.
I met some of the Ternes or Miller relation in 1976.
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We moved to Raleigh in 1959 where my dad operated the Bagley grain elevator. The elementary school was on the North side of town across from the post office where Mrs Christensen taught school. This is where I received my 6th grade education, the following year, they closed the school. Eventually, the school building was moved to Flasher, converted to a residence for the Dressler family. I really enjoyed growing up in the area…..a lot of great memories.
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