Temple was founded in Williams County along the Great Northern Railroad line. The post office was moved here from Haarstad in 1908. The significance of the town name is unknown.
Temple’s peak population was about 90 people in 1920, but it had dwindled to 25 in 1960. It is presently uninhabited. Like many of the ghost towns in North Dakota, Temple saw a steady decline beginning around the depression and continuing until its Post Office closed in 1965. The harsh winters and and the here-and-gone fortunes of the railroad were just too difficult for many settlers.
In the years since these photos were taken by long time contributor Mark Johnson, the school has been moved from the townsite and repurposed as an addition to a home, and the site itself has occasionally been home to oil workers in RVs and Campers. Nichole Simpson got some photographs of the school just before it was moved.
Photos by Mark Johnson. Original content copyright Sonic Tremor Media LLC
Troy Larson is an author, photographer, gentleman adventurer (debatable) from Fargo, North Dakota, and co-founder of Ghosts of North Dakota. @NorthDakotaTroy