Omemee, North Dakota

 place with historical importance, draw only border, ghost town

This Great Northern Railroad townsite was founded in 1887 and named for Omemee, Ontario, Canada, the hometown of George Raye, who became Postmaster when the post office was established April 8, 1890. The name is a corruption of the Ojibway Indian word omimi, meaning pigeon or turtle dove, and was selected by postal officials from a list of names submitted by Mr. Raye. In 1903 the town relocated to a new site adjacent to the junction of the Great Northern Railroad and Soo Line Railroad, the latter being built in 1905. The village incorporated in 1902, reported a population of 650 in 1906, but declined to 332 by 1910, and reached a low of just 5 in 1970. The last resident moved to Bottineau in the 1980s. All that remains of the town are two rundown buildings (one brick, one stone) and an abandoned power line. Some people have made a killing, however, selling town lots valued at $30 apiece for hundreds of dollars per lot on the Internet.