As I’ve said nine times before, abandoned homes and buildings like this one hold a special attraction for me. Perhaps, as a history buff (what does one have to do to become a buff?) I’m curious about who lived or worked there; what it looked like when new; what the area was like that made them build there. While sad, it’s also fascinating.

We found this little building sitting right next to the highway, watching the sun set slowly in its backyard. The grounds are mowed, but it doesn’t look like anyone’s been in this house for many years. Thankfully nobody’s vandalized it, either. It can just stand as a characteristic landmark of North Dakota’s rural landscape.

I can’t decide whether I think this building was a barn or a home. I’m a city kid and can’t be trusted to make those determinations when it comes to farm buildings, especially dilapidated ones such as this.

As I point out in every one of these posts I affectionately title “Fallen Farm,” I really have a love of the old rural buildings (and remnants thereof) that dot the North Dakota landscape. It’s always interesting to pause and wonder who lived and worked in them. Wonder why they were abandoned. Imagine what they looked like when first constructed and/or inhabited.

If you want an indicator of how life in rural America has changed since the times of the Homestead Act, just look at the number of fallen farms. I’m not passing judgement on whether it’s better or worse; it’s simply a nostalgic look back at the area’s not-so-distant past… even for a city kid.

This row of buildings sits right off County Road 138 in Morton County, just west of the MWWS water tower that went up a few years ago. The land it’s on is farmed but the buildings look as if they’ve been untouched for quite a long time. I have a habit of staying clear of them for reasons such as trespassing and critters…besides, in this case I need to stay back to fit all three buildings into the frame!

There’s something about these dilapidated old farm buildings, or what’s left of many of them, that has a somber charm unique to North Dakota. That’s why I need to photograph falling farmsteads whenever I see them.

This weekend I had the privilege of staying at my friend Shane’s farm in northwestern North Dakota. It was the most remote farmstead I’ve ever visited, and we had a really great time. They have a lot of land so there was a lot of exploring to do. I put close to three boxes of shells through my Glock too, although I couldn’t hit as much as the guys with the rifles could.

This house is on their farm. It was owned by Billy Holden way back when. It’s got a stone basement that’s collapsed on one side (see lower right) and an upstairs. The steps are SO narrow and steep it’s scary!

When I see a place like this, I try to think of what it must have been like when it was new. I doubt Mr. Holden ever expected it to look like this. Hardly the legacy any of us would expect for ourselves, is it…

While helping a friend move an old barn that he’s remodeling to match his restored antique one-room schoolhouse, I got a chance to roam around this Kidder County farmstead. It’s got a ton of old buildings including a mansion. Many parts of it, including a chicken coop and barns, are nestled back in the trees. It was a very entertaining time. Come to think of it, I didn’t do a lot of helping, just a lot of shutterbugging! Oh well…sorry, Bruce.

I jumped from Fallen Farm #3 to #5 because #4 was actually a repeat…just shot from such an angle that you’d never tell. I believe in journalistic (and blogulistic, another term I just made up) integrity so I skipped it.

Taken last summer – this house is near I-94 close to New Salem. Someone takes good care of the land it’s on; the grass is cut short in the area where this home is found. I’m guessing this was a pretty nice home for its time…it has a basement, concrete foundation, and a nice big porch. Each of these farmsteads I’ll be posting has a story…I sure wish they could talk.

Here’s another “fallen farm foto” from the area. This forlorn building sits along Interstate 94 west of town. I actually had to get the truck pretty darn muddy to even get close to this building (I have a habit of NOT approaching them too closely, as they’re still on private property) because the gravel road was poorly maintained. But you can actually see it from the Interstate as you travel towards Glen Ullin.

These buildings add a certain unique charm to the ND landscape and are in danger because of the methamphetamine epidemic. It seems that meth addicts like to use buildings like this for temporary labs, and I’ve heard of a couple of farmers being assaulted or shot at while checking out old buildings on their own property. Many farmers choose to just knock them down and avoid the danger. It’s another sad casualty of the plague of meth use that’s running rampant in our area.

I don’t know what it is about the dilapidated, abandoned old farmsteads that dot the North Dakota landscape, but I find them charming in a wistful sort of way. If I see one I’ve got to get a picture of it.

This house is actually “in” Bismarck, as it’s south of Hawktree. You can see it from Highway 1804. That’s where I took this picture…it’s nice to have some long lenses!