Sanish, ND
Mountrail County
Abandoned in 1953
This page refers to Old Sanish, ND, not to be confused with the present town of Sanish. Click any image to see the full-size pic.
Old Sanish was a sleepy western North Dakota town until 1953, when town residents began to evacuate to higher ground due to the flooding of the reservoir behind the newly-built Garrison Dam. Not long after, Sanish succumbed to the rising waters and the townsite disappeared beneath the waves of Lake Sakakawea. Although some residents established “New Sanish” just across the highway on higher ground, most of the town’s residents moved to the newly established “Newtown”, several miles to the east.
We photographed these ruins in 2005 when the lake was low.
Photos by Troy and Rat, copyright SonicTremorMedia.com
i don’t know when you visited old sanish, but the story has always fascinated me how they just abandoned an entire town when the lake formed and rose. i heard that back in ’05-’06 when the lake was at an all time low the town began to reemerge at least what was left. any truth to this?
That’s what you’re seeing in this gallery, Jason. We visited in 2005. When people say the town began to re-emerge from the lake, that’s what you see in the pictures above. The structures are gone and only their foundations remain.
Strange seeing this. Before the lake was filled a lott of the boy scouts went to Sanish to collect items of historical anterest and to help move the cemetry. Brings back memories.
My Grandparents bought a house in Sanish and moved it down to Garrison before they flooded the town. It’s always amazed me that they could move a big house that far way back then. Must have been something to see!
My aunt and uncle lived there and then moved to New Town. They were Sophie and Caleb Johnson. Not sure if anyone might have known them. I remember as a little girl going to Sanish but cannot remember much about it.
My grandmother, Bernice (Aardahl) Auverson, and grandfather Kenneth Auverson lived in Sanish. They relocated to New Town when the water came. They built the Tastee Freez in New Town as well. I will have to show these pictures to my grandma and see if she can recognize any of them.
Aubrey, my grandparents lived in New Town, not far from the Tastee Freez. We visited from Ohio every three years for family reunions, and trips to Tastee Freez with the cousins were a very big deal!
One of 3 towns lost to the lake. Van Hook and Elbowoods are also under the water of Lake Sakakawea
There seems to be a trailer park at or very near the location of old Van Hook?
There is a “recreation site” near Van Hook. It has rows of trailer house “cabins” as well as an RV park for the temporary folks…there’s also a small store with gas (for boats) and I think there are some permanent houses as well.
I walked around down in Sanish back in the late 1980s when the whole state was dry. It is really a strange feeling, almost like you are walking in on someone’s life. But kind of cool to imagine the people and their lives there as you walk around the foundations.
My Dad (David Nelson) graduated from Sanish. He used to tell about when the FBI had a shootout with Johnny Benson – a wanted man. They had staked out his mothers house. Dad was walking to school the next morning and they were cleaning up the street. I heard other people say there was a bullet hole right above Virginia Uran’s crib. I’m not sure what Virginia’s maiden name was but think it was Anderson. I went to School in New Town with Aubry’s mother Bonnie Auverson.
Mr. Nelson, I would be interrested in learning more of Johnny Benson. He came from a large family whose father died when most were barely grown. He died in 1946. More local information, not that written for newpaper would be interesting.
Hi Dad. That’s a really interesting story.
Grandpa Bob once told me how he would go down to Sanish where there was a skate rink; he went there because he said it was the only place in the area he could meet girls
He said too I think, in Grandpanese, that it was one of the places that they spent time together and fell in love. Also, when I was a kid I was extremely interested in Sanish. You know how when you’re a kid, anything out of the ordinary gets elevated to legendary in your child mind? (A little like Boo Radley was to Scout and Jem in To Kill A Mockingbird!)
Anyhow, when we’d go out on the lake in Brenna’s boat, I would just imagine a complete ghost town beneath the water, complete with streetlamps, cars, and – i imagined- even residents who refused to leave and were caught in the flood. I wanted desperately to get scuba gear and dive down with you, and I always pictured it like Indiana Jones and his dad in The Last Crusade. I would also imagine, when the water was low, trees beneath the boat, and I’d worry that we’d accidentally run over one.
Anyhow, thanks to ghostsofnorthdakota for posting the pictures you did. I guess you’ve demystified the “Great Underwater City” of Sanish for me, but it’s good to know what it really looks like under there.
The Brennas are my Dad’s cousins, Dad was a Grendahl. My grandparents moved from their farm to New Town.
The Brennas are my cousins. i was also very interested “Old” Sanish. However, I was also very afraid. We would out to the road to Old Sanish where Dad would wash the car. We were always admonished to stay near the car because of old basements. One of our family friend’s sons (not originally from ND) drowned when you fell in one of the basements.
My grandparents lived in Sanish in the late 40′s, later moving into Newtown. We visited the old Sanish site in 2007. It looked (looks) like rubble, but to many of us it is history and memories. Thank you for all you invest in preservation of North Dakota towns!
I guess they say you learn something every day..I never heard of the town but there are many I have heard little about..The town where I went to grade school..the school is almost underwater..Minnewaukan. Thanks for the post.
In the 1930′s Sanish had a rodeo. My uncle Leo was 17 years old when he went with his parents to the rodeo and but ran away to Washington State. That would have been in 1937.
I have never been to Sanish, but have heard the story of Uncle Leo running away from home many times.
What was his last name? My Father graduated from Sanish High School in 1936.
My family had relatives in the Sanish area, if memory serves right they were farmers, whose land was inundated by the lake. Their name was “Dideo” or “Didio”-would truly like to connect with the long lost relatives. email me at oldolson@msn.com. any info would be appreciated.
Also, a family who the husband was “Bill Uran.”
Related to both the Uran’s and Dideo’s on my maternal grandmother’s side. their name was “olson”-pretty cheap name to come by coming out of the scandanavian countries-”son of ole.” The family changed their name from Sletmoen to Olson, for whatever reason. My grandmother’s whole name was “Clara Sletmoen Olson Sveum.” They came from Iowa to Ransom County in North Dakota. Great-grandmother Olson is buried southeast of Lisbon in an old country cemetary.
How is the oil boom affecting the area around towns like these? What happens to the properties which areabandoned? Are they still owned by absentees or can they be resettled and claimed by such as oil companies and prospectors?
I am working on my husband’s family tree. His Great-grandparents were homesteaders in North Dakota: Anders (Anis) Gabriel Anderson and Elisabeth C. Anderson (Klevland). They were married in Van Hook in 1917. They had 3 children: Vera, and a set of twins Arvid and Edna. Edna was my husband’s grandmother. Elisabeth died (in childbirth i think) and Anders re-married a much younger woman by the name of Clara ((Olson?). They had 3 more children: Alvin, Adeline, and Clarence. The family story is that Clara died of an appendisitis in 1930. Anders placed the children in an orphanage in Chicago for 10 years because he couldn’t take care of them. I would love to hear from anyone who remembers this family and maybe knows of relatives or where Clara is burried? The tree is on Ancestry.com under krassau family tree. It has picture of the people mentioned. Thanks!
My dad’s side of my family are from Sanish. They moved to Van Hook when the water came. My grandmother was born in Sanish. Their last names were Hansen and Orr. My great grandpa and grandma Orr moved to Washington. My fiance is from Watford City. We went to ND in Summer of 2000 to his family reunion. We were at the Tabacco Gardens on the lake. He took me to the edge of the lake pointing and telling me that was where Sanish used to be! I laughed. Thanks for posting these pictures. It’s nice to see something from where my family comes from!
Krisna: I am from Sanish ND–came to Portland during WWII. I knew Bernice (Hansen) and her husband Hugh Orr (Red) very well. I was good friends with their daughter, Mildred. My mother went to hight school in Plaza with Bernice. We visited them in Tacoma many times. We have never known what happened to Bernice.
Krisna: When I saw your posting the first time, I wrote and told you that I had known the Hansen/Orr family well in Sanish. I am curious if you heard anything of Bernice Hansen Orr who lived in Tacoma, Washington. She was a very good friend of my mother, and her daughter, Mildred, was a good friend of mine. I understand from your letter that Hugh (Red) and Bernice Orr were your great grandparents. I would enjoy hearing from you.
Mavis
Whoops! I meant they moved to New Town not Van Hook. There were some of my family who also lived in Van Hook and Amanda. Sorry for the error.
My Father Graduated from Sanish High School in 1936. When he died in 2006 I found a Sanish Crow High School year book from 1930 with all the classes of that year.
In response to Thea, what is your dad’s name ? My grandpa is Orel Grendahl. He was the oldest of 11 born in Sanish. I have heard alot of stories from my grandpa about the town. I never heard about the Brennas but I did know the Growe side.
my gramma Beatrice Growe married Eldred Brenna.
Beatrice Graue, who married Eldred Brenna, was the sister of my Grandmother, Celia Graue Grendahl. They were daughters of Thea and Chris Graue. My dad, Vernon, was Celia and George Grendahl’s middle child (sixth of eleven!) The Grendahl and Brenna farms were near each other. My dad told me he was born at Aunt Beatrice’s house. I remember visiting with Clayton and Ollie Brenna and their family
on trips to ND when I was young.
I would love to learn more about sanish, my father has told a couple stories when he help move sanish and get the bridge up.. my father had passed away 09′ and never kept in contact with family and friends as much as he aliked to, My fathers name is Jerome (jerry) Froshaug; son to Boyde Froshaug and June Hasby they had a farm in Charlson,ND Ollie Brenna Hasby was my Grama June’s Sister. If u know of any pictures please email me( Joanella Froshaug) at: nelly_babygirl03@yahoo.com
I would love to know more about Sanish , I own the land which now remains of that town and i am interested in pictures or facts about the mill that was there and the Lumber company, maybe you have something you could share. Gerald Aftem
My great, great grandma is Thea Graue.
Andrea, are you Lavonne’s daughter? I remember your grandpa fondly. My dad was his brother Vernon, the middle (6th) child of their family. He passed away in January. How is your grandmother doing? A lovely lady. You can email me directly at javathea@aol.com.
I recall as a lil girl, we were crossing a bridge. My mother Doris Erickson Burchard pointing out the church steeple below that was sticking out of the lake and telling about a town that was under the water. That all the people had to leave as they were going to flood the whole area. I could see hints of other buildings just below the surface as we moved over the bridge. It had to before 1964 as we moved to Calif. in 64.
My parents, Harold and Myrtle Bugge lived in Sanish as well as my grandparents, Hjalmer and Ella Bugge.
Grandpa Bugge had a drugstore in Sanish. I heard many wonderful stories about good people who lived there
before the area was flooded
I really like these pictures. I worked at the last two Rodeos in Sanish, those were the most fansastic celebrations for hundreds of miles. The last sunset had a horse and rider doing “The End of The Trail” pose on the ridge across the river, perfectly centered in front of the setting sun. I stood and sadly watched that with no camera. Would anyone who had taken that shot be able to post it here?
In 1952 during a big family reunion at Coteau farm, we all attended the Sanish Rodeo. It seemed very Old West to me, at age 12. It’s still vivid and it may have been the last one which is good to know.
My father and I stood above the town and we could see the buildings mostly submerged. I was horrified and intrigued simultaneously. There was change that no one could stop, but a culture had been obliterated.