Village of Fort Ransom

August 19, 2009

The Village of Fort Ransom was established in 1878 with the opening of J.D. Curries’ General Store. Today it’s population is 106 and, at its peak, the population could have been 200 in the 1920’s when business was good.

We think Fort Ransom is a delightful town - very quaint and friendly. The first night here we went into the convenience store for a bag of ice and ended up visiting with the owners, Dave and Linda, for an hour. Last night, we attended “Buck Night” at the bar; all beer and hamburgers are $1 and people pack the place all evening. People say hi even if they do not know you. We had a good time.

The Village of Fort Ransom never had a railroad to help it grow -- no grain elevator either. It did have a bank some years ago. The only gas station is the convenience store with a single pump outside. It is amazing that the village survived at all. It should have been on the list of 1,000 North Dakota ghost towns.

But the Norwegians saved the day. They settled in here like a bunch of bees on a flower blossom. The terrain is hilly in the Sheyenne River valley. There is even a ski lift just outside of town. It must be like Norway.

In the photo above, what you see is pretty much what there is of the village. The building on the right has wifi -- a restaurant called the Roadhouse. The building on the left is the town’s only pub and it also has wifi. Not shown is the convenience store, owned by Dave and Tine who will visit and talk while they sell you something. It’s all very friendly, so what more do you need?