Berlin, ND
Berlin, North Dakota is a small town in Lamoure County in southeastern North Dakota. Although many of the structures which once existed in Berlin are now gone, there are some impressive structures still standing.
Sabrina Hornung contributed a few photos of Berlin in 2011. In the summer of 2012 we were able to get to Berlin and capture these photos for ourselves.
US Census Data for Berlin
Total Population by Place
1910 – 137
1920 – 130
1930 – 135
1940 – 132
1950 – 124
1960 – 78
1970 – 76
1980 – 57
1990 – 32
2000 – 35
2010 – 34
This old fire station is in quite good condition. Hopefully someone has plans to maintain and/or restore this because the old fire stations are rapidly disappearing from North Dakota’s dwindling small towns.
Berlin Legion Post 206
This is the former bar and service station.
Pete’s Ponderosa looks much worse on the inside than it does on the outside, as you’ll see below.
The ceiling and the floor of Pete’s Ponderosa — both caved in.
The former blacksmith shop.
There is a thick black powerline which runs in front of this fire station. Troy removed it from these photographs.
The old horse-drawn fire wagon is still inside the station.
Photos by Troy and Rat, copyright Sonic Tremor Media LLC
Lovely photos! I have a history of Berlin dating 1976 in my library. When I have a chance I’ll be happy to give some commentary to correspond to the photos. I grew up 1/2 mile north of Berlin and attended 8 grades of elementary school there. My parents purchased and resided in the old Catholic rectory on the north edge of town in 1968 and lived there for 30 years. Perhaps you would also like a listing of resident surnames?
Carol, if you post that information and those surnames as comments, it would be appreciated and quite helpful. You’ll probably get some family history buffs showing up due to searches of those surnames. Thank you!
I was born and raised in Berlin.My father, Glenn Ellingson owned the Gas Station from 1938 until his death in 2009! The Station is still open with Darryl Ellingson the owner. Good place to have called “home”. Diane Ellingson Freih
Old fire station and blacksmith’s shop are really cool. This place struck me as the kind of place you can hear yourself think. I like it.
Diane Elingson do you remember me? Carol, I do not remember you but I took your sister, Marcella to the prom and played baseball with your brothers and cousins Harold, Walter, Dennis, Clarence, Myron and Donald
I was thru here a few years ago on our way to Lamoure from Mike’s salvage yard in Wishek,loved it…Terry and I stopped at an old service station that still had the engine bay (pit in the concrete floor)where they walked under the car,no lift,just a place in the floor to do the service work…Old style glass counter with candy and chips,old style racks for selling oil etc.,what a trip back in time,two guys were still running it,don’t remember if they still sold gas or not…Did you see that too?..
Diane,it was your Dad and brother running the gas station now that you mention Ellingson….My best friend in H.S. in Adams,N.D. was named Dick Ellingson so the name did ring a bell..His brother Roger was married to a Dianne…both brothers are dead now….another friend named Wade Swenson was married to a Gayle from Berlin,thinkin’ her last name was Nelson,not sure tho.
My mother, Beatrice Swenson, grew up in Berlin. Her parents Anton and Hannah Swenson spent most of their life in Berlin. My grandfather Anton was good friends with the, then to be, Senator Milton Young.
I have an old post card that gives a bird’s eye view of the town. I can submit it to you if interested.
Thanks
I visited that old blacksmith shop in the 50′s when my uncle Miles Horsager was the owner/operator.
We lived in Berlin from 1999 to 2010 – a beautiful small town, excellent place to raise children. The gas station is still open, and what Glenn can’t fix Bob Cox might be able too at his new mechanics shop down the street.
Sooooo…what happened to all the many original posts???
in 1967 or so, maybe early 1970-71 my dad took us to Berlin for the fireworks.. 4th of july.. complete with roller skating in the big white building i think. a old fashioned 4th celebration. potluck bbq watermelon eating contest and the biggest fireworkd i had ever seen…. it stands out in my childhood memoroies.. there was an airfield close by there? or at least the field where the machines would have contests.. with the big belts.. arghh. i am getting old.