Werner, ND
Dunn County
Habitation Status Unknown
Werner is in West Central North Dakota, south of Lake Sakakawea, in a very sparsely populated region of Dunn County. We have seen photos of various remains from the town of Werner in print and elsewhere. We do not know exactly how much is left. According to North Dakota Place Names by Douglas A. Wick, the last business, a service station owned by Arthur Kummer, closed in 1970. The city charter was dissolved with a 7 to 2 vote in 1971.
Monica Hardy contributed these photos of Werner. We will be making a visit to Werner on our next trip out west.
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Some photos I found posted from 2008 of Werner – http://www.flickr.com/photos/afiler/sets/72157618428714947/
Does anyone have any thoughts on if it is inhabited or not? From the pictures I’d say it’s doubtful but the pictures never show the full picture. Thanks
This house is not inhabited. It has electric wire surrounding the house so we, the grandchildren of Paul Hoffer who built it, were unable to go in the house in 2011.
It is inhabited I live in one of the 100 year old farmsteads out here and have other family here too they are just huge farms so its hard to tell
These newest images are really beautiful! Love the new look of the site…can’t wait for my own trip to ND next year some time, to photograph a few of these places. Your site will certainly be my guide!
Brian Brown
http://vanishingsouthgeorgia.com
I was in Werner in about 2005 or 06 and at the time I recall at least a couple residences that were occupied. If you look at Gene’s comment and the Flickr link he provided, in a couple of those photos you can see that there are some homes up on the hill. That’s where the houses were occupied.
The litle white house with the green roof was built by my grandfather Paul N. Hoffer and the birthplace of my father John E. Hoffer. I was last in Werner June of 2010, and saw places of all of the pictures dispalyed on the site.
The little white house with the green roof was built by my grandfather Paul M. Hoffer and completed in 1919. My father John E. Hoffer was the first child born in the house. The house was the first to have running water in the town of Werner ND. Paul Hoffer had a blacksmith shop right by the grain elevator. Paul died in 1929.
I was there in 2004 and my uncle’s house was still standing but not occupied. I will be back up there next summer.
Susan Robison
I lived there in 1950s and later miss the town I rember getting icecream at Hoffers
You got icecream at the Hoffer’s? Tell me more!
My mother was born and raised in Werner. My grandfather owned the local hardware store. My mom is a walking encyclopedia of all things “Werner”. Growing up there were the happiest years of her life.
Ha !! I always wanted to stop at Werner. My Father-in-Law John Werner’s Grand or Great Grand Father started this town. DOn’t remember the whole story correctly. It’s been so long. LOL Stumbled across this and maybe I’ll take the ride for history purposes. I think Father-in-Law held minerla rights here until he sold them way back when. He;s been deceased for years. Was 72 I think when he died.
I am the new owner of the elevators and land pictured above. Werner is very quite and peaceful. There is 20 to 25 people living in the area lots of deer and pheasants.
Lots of deer and pheasant? That would make the trip more fun. Always wanted to see my Father-in-laws old history. I wrote just before your post. Typos and all.
Tim Bederka, Rockford, IL
My family and I were in Werner in the fall of 2011. We could not get near the little white house our grandfather, Paul Hoffer built. There was an electric fence surrounding it. Lots of pictures were taken of the grain elevator. Our grandfather’s blacksmith shop was located near there. We loved the trip!
sad day in Werner today, they burnt down the elevator . It will be greatly missed
I love old elevators so much. Seeing something like this (burning) kills me. Bummer
So sad to hear they burnt down the elevators, not much left now. My Aunt and cousin live near there, but have not seen them in years. Such beautiful part of the country.
My mother, Arleen Nodland Thorstad, now deceased, lived on a farm near Werner and went to school there in the 1930′s. Does anyone have a picture of the barber shop, which is likely no longer standin? My family lived there after it closed in 1940.