Ghostowns

Minnesota ghost Towns

cub-reporter, Jeanine Baringer

Greetings from Minnesota, The only ghost town that I know of is Mavie, Minnesota, in northern Minnesota where my mother was born. My grandparents homesteaded in 1904 and the town was established legally in 1914.

Mavie is about 12 miles from Thief River Falls, MN. Because the area was an indian reservation, there were no roads or railways. Little villages sprung up around the township and an electric railroad was built in 1914 to travel between the small villages and pickup produce, grain, etc... And connect to Thief River Falls.

The railroad cut through the Hurt homestead. The town of Mavie developed an elevator, school, churches, general store, lumber co., bank, hotel, stable and blacksmith shop.

It was a healthy little town. Mavie was plotted for homes and lots were sold to build homes. A large general store was built and the owner built a large hall above the general store. The hall was used for dances, box socials on Saturday night and on Sunday it served as a church for services from different denominations.

The first Post Office for Mavie was established on the Quist farm and the postmistress was Mae Quist in 1908. Thereby the name of Mavie via Mae. After she retired a Charles Nelson and his son served the post office in the general store.

In 1941 the railway was discontinued and the town slowly died. Most of the buildings were sold and moved to other locations. The only building left is the old general store with the public hall upstairs. That used to play such a great part in Mavie's social life and religions.

My mother said that her mother would bring eggs to sell in exchange for food staples. When I was researching in Thief River Falls, I went out to Mavie. Only the old general store is still there. As I looked and walked around the building and saw what it must have been like all those years ago I realized that as I looked closely at the overgrown grass and weeds you could make out where the sidewalks used to go. As I looked even more closely I could see the old concrete stoops belonging to the houses of long ago. It was a feeling of a tunnel of time.