Autumn in Hesper
Hesper is a town that had been on our radar for some time but we never had an opportunity to check it out. Earlier this summer, Philip Tron emailed to tell us Hesper had officially become a ghost town and submitted a few photos. After seeing them, we made it a priority to stop in and snap some shots.
On arrival in Hesper, we were struck by the silence. It is indeed a true ghost town, population zero. The red house shown below is in pretty good condition still, and looks to be the last home that was occupied in Hesper.
Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, copyright Sonic Tremor Media LLC
Beautiful photos! Hope you didn’t pick up any ticks in the grass!
who is standing beneath the bare tree photo 16. tree is at the left back.
It looks like a creepy cloaked figure standing there but I’m wondering if its just a sign at an angle in the distance? Although, you would likely see some definition from the way the lighting is hitting it. Very strange!
44th Avenue? What happened to the other 43?
where is Hesper?
Hesper is 4 miles west of Maddock, 1 mile north and then maybe 1/2 mile west.
The “red house” was occupied until about a year ago. All the other buildings are curently owned by cousins of mine.
What do your cousins do with the abandoned homes? Are they just used for storage or nothing at all? Do they own the land as well or just the structures?
When I was in 7th and 8th grade our junior high basketball team played a ball game in Hesper, probably less than 10 miles from home for us. There was also an active small machining company that repaired farm equipment or created new parts to replace worn out ones. It was a small town near the end of the railroad spur.
I’ve missed your posts!
The red house in Hesper was once occupied by my grandfather, A. Larson. The school that had been there would have been fun to see in its early years. Was sad to drive by a year ago and find out no one lives there anymore.
Now that is kinda creepy!