Alkabo is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating but remote towns we have ever visited. Roughly six miles from Montana and eight miles from Canada, it is the most northwestern settlement in North Dakota.
We drove north from Grenora to get to Alkabo and found the drive beautiful but distant from services and fuel. If you decide to visit Alkabo, you should plan accordingly.
Alkabo is home to a handful of residents (there were only 19 remaining in 1976), and is situated on the side of a hill with the school at the top.
The former Alkabo School is now a museum and we’re told it’s open by appointment.
After the destruction of the structures in Fillmore, North Dakota, Alkabo’s Main Street remains as one of the most impressive examples of an abandoned business district, with old vacant buildings standing side-by-side. Most of the structures east of Main Street are now abandoned, while Alkabo’s remaining residents inhabit the west side of town.
The railroad that gave rise to Alkabo still passes through at the south end of town, but there is no depot and the trains no longer stop.
On the fair right, a common sight in towns like Alkabo — the bank vault still stands but the bank is gone.
This old structure stands on Stromstad Street, and looks like it might have been a school. If you know, please leave a comment.
If you build it, they might come, but will they stay?
Open basements, structural ruins, and vacant buildings dot the townsite.
Know somebody who would enjoy a North Dakota-centric gift? Check out our hardcover coffee table books, coffee, and gift sets in the store.
Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, © 2016 Sonic Tremor Media
[mc4wp_form]
Ghosts of North Dakota 