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Schafer

Ghost town · McKenzie County, North Dakota

Schafer quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1978, 1:24,000)
Schafer quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1978, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Schafer is a ghost town in McKenzie County, North Dakota, recorded as human settlement in McKenzie County, North Dakota, United States of America. It is one of 2 former communities in McKenzie County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 8th among the 24 North Dakota counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Schafer as a historical populated place: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 47.7994° N, 103.1867° W.

Key facts

Elevation2,003 ft
Nearest living townWatford City, ND
Distance to it3.7 miles
Coordinates47.79944, -103.18667

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Schafer is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Watford City, ND (population 6,016), about 3.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 2,003 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Images

Schafer, North Dakota
Schafer, North Dakota · Andrew Filer from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Schafer?

Schafer is in McKenzie County, North Dakota, at 47.7994, -103.1867.

How many ghost towns are in McKenzie County?

McKenzie County, North Dakota has 2 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.