Van Hook, North Dakota
Encyclopedia
Van Hook is a ghost town
in the state of North Dakota
. It was located in Van Hook Township in Mountrail County
. The original town site was inundated when Lake Sakakawea
was formed in the 1950s, and most of the residents moved to New Town
. Much of the old townsite is underwater, and that which remains was converted to a park. Lake Sakakawea's Van Hook Arm gets its name from the town.
. It is named after Fred Van Hook, who was one of the first to survey
the area in 1911. Van Hook was incorporated in 1915, and reported a peak population of 372 in 1930
. In fact, the town grew so fast that it earned the nickname "The City of Speed."
When the Garrison Dam
was built in the early 1950s, forming Lake Sakakawea
, the town's residents relocated to New Town, which the government had built to house those displaced by the dam. Residents from Sanish, which was also flooded, also moved here. The town's last reported population in 1950
was 380.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in the state of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. It was located in Van Hook Township in Mountrail County
Mountrail County, North Dakota
-Major highways:* U.S. Highway 2* North Dakota Highway 8* North Dakota Highway 23* North Dakota Highway 31* North Dakota Highway 1804-National protected areas:*Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge *Shell Lake National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
. The original town site was inundated when Lake Sakakawea
Lake Sakakawea
Lake Sakakawea is a reservoir in the Missouri River basin in central North Dakota. Named for the Shoshone-Hidatsa woman Sakakawea, it is the third largest man-made lake in the United States, after Lake Mead and Lake Powell. The lake lies in parts of six counties in western North Dakota: Dunn,...
was formed in the 1950s, and most of the residents moved to New Town
New Town, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,367 people, 488 households, and 318 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,031.6 people per square mile . There were 512 housing units at an average density of 760.9 per square mile...
. Much of the old townsite is underwater, and that which remains was converted to a park. Lake Sakakawea's Van Hook Arm gets its name from the town.
History
Van Hook was founded in 1914 as a station on the Soo Line RailroadSoo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
. It is named after Fred Van Hook, who was one of the first to survey
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
the area in 1911. Van Hook was incorporated in 1915, and reported a peak population of 372 in 1930
United States Census, 1930
The Fifteenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during the 1920 Census.-Census questions:The 1930 Census...
. In fact, the town grew so fast that it earned the nickname "The City of Speed."
When the Garrison Dam
Garrison Dam
Garrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota. At over two miles in length, it is the fifth-largest earthen dam in the world, constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1947-53...
was built in the early 1950s, forming Lake Sakakawea
Lake Sakakawea
Lake Sakakawea is a reservoir in the Missouri River basin in central North Dakota. Named for the Shoshone-Hidatsa woman Sakakawea, it is the third largest man-made lake in the United States, after Lake Mead and Lake Powell. The lake lies in parts of six counties in western North Dakota: Dunn,...
, the town's residents relocated to New Town, which the government had built to house those displaced by the dam. Residents from Sanish, which was also flooded, also moved here. The town's last reported population in 1950
United States Census, 1950
The Seventeenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 150,697,361, an increase of 14.5 percent over the 131,669,275 persons enumerated during the 1940 Census.-Census questions:...
was 380.