Sims is a ghost town in Morton County, North Dakota, United States. The town was founded in 1883,[2] and Sims Scandinavian Lutheran Church was constructed the following year.[3] Today, the church has been restored and still worships every other Sunday.[3] The church parsonage has also been restored and is home to the Sims Historical Society Museum.[4]
Sims | |
|---|---|
  Sims Location within the state of North Dakota | |
| Coordinates: 46°46′20″N 101°29′55″W / 46.77222°N 101.49861°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  North Dakota |
| County | Morton |
| Elevation | 1,952 ft (595 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 701 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1033798[1] |
During her trip to North Dakota in October 2008, First Lady Laura Bush visited Sims and toured its church.[5]
History
editSims was founded in 1883 as a coal town.[6] Coal mining and the town's brickyard helped Sims grow to a population of more than 1,000 people.[3] However, the 1910 Census recorded a population of just 86 people.[7] The population fluctuated over the years, with an estimated 98 people in 1940.[2]
The post office was founded in 1883 and closed in 1947, with mail routed through Almont, North Dakota, to the south.[8]
Sims Scandinavian Lutheran Church was built in 1884 as a combination church and residence. A new church was built in 1896 next to the parsonage.[4] The church is reportedly North Dakota's oldest Lutheran church west of the Missouri River. The congregation still has roughly 50 members, even though they do not live in Sims.[9] Locals report, however, that the town does have one remaining resident: a former pastor's wife who died between 1916 and 1918. Dubbed the "Gray Lady Ghost," her spirit is reported to haunt the old parsonage, wandering the rooms and playing the organ.[3][9]
The last residence in Sims, a mobile home in the center of town, was occupied in 2005, but looked vacant by 2010, and was removed by 2012.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sims, North Dakota
- ^ a b Wick, Douglas A. (1988). North Dakota Place Names. Hedemarken Collectibles. p. 179. ISBN 0-9620968-0-6.
- ^ a b c d "Former Sims Scandinvaian Evangelical Luth Church, Sims - Morton County". Preservation North Dakota. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2008.
- ^ a b "Sims Historical Society Museum". Preservation North Dakota. Retrieved October 3, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Laura Bush visits ND, Retrieved on October 2, 2008.
- ^ Winser, Henry Jacob; Riley, William C. (1897). The Official Northern Pacific Railway Guide: For the Use of Tourists and Travelers Over the Lines of the Northern Pacific Railway and Its Branches. Northern Pacific Railway. p. 105.
- ^ "1910 Census of Population and Housing: North Dakota" (PDF). Thirteenth Census of the United States. United States Census Bureau. 1913. p. 331. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
- ^ Patera, Alan H. and John S. Gallagher (1982). North Dakota Post Offices 1850-1982. Burtonsville, Maryland: The Depot. p. 98.
- ^ a b "Tradition is alive in Sims". Bismarck Tribune. December 23, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Historic Aerials: Viewer".
