BOWESMONT

NAME: Bowesmont COUNTY: Pembina ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Warm summer, cold and snow covered in winter. BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring, Summer, Fall

COMMENTS: No current residents. Evacuated after Red River flood of 1997. REMAINS: Many buildings, including houses and central business district.

Bowesmont was founded in the late 1800s as German settlers set up stake in eastern North Dakota. The town was driven by agriculture for its entire existence. The town on the banks of the Red River was both served and menaced by the slow-winding, northward-flowing river. In 1997, the Red overflowed its banks due to excessive snow melt from a record-setting winter. Many riverfront towns successfully preserved themselves, but in April of that year, Bowesmont was completely inundated by water. Much of the property in town was destroyed. The State of North Dakota decided that the town was not worth saving, and permanent evacuation of Bowesmont occured in the summer of 1997. An annual picnic is held by former residents in the summer in the old town park. Submitted by: Jason Reichert

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