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Michigan, North Dakota: North Dakota's Worst Rail Disaster

A monument stands near the spot where 34 people died when their train car was crushed by another train on August 9, 1945.

Address:
117 1st St. W., Michigan, ND
Directions:
In Veterans Memorial Park, Broadway and 1st St., just north of the train tracks.
Phone:
701-259-2289
Admission:
Free
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Train wreck memorial marker.

North Dakota's Worst Rail Disaster

The up close picture of the two trains (one on top of the other) tells the tale. So sad for those who lost their lives. So proud of the town (small as it is/was) to pull together and help out. The back of the monument tells the entire story.

[Rose Howe, 08/06/2021]

Train wreck memorial marker.

North Dakota's Worst Rail Disaster

34 people died when their train car was crushed by another train on August 9, 1945, just west of the town of Michigan. A monument was dedicated in July 2012, only a few hundred feet from the crash site. The front of the monument lists the names of the people who were killed. Of the 34, there were 20 servicemen and women, 12 adult civilians, and two children. There is a picture taken right after the crash on the front of the monument; the back tells the story of the crash. It is a very tragic story, servicemen and women returning home from World War II only to be killed in a train crash on the quiet North Dakota prairie.

[Maria Vasichek, 08/02/2012]

According to the monument, the collision was "the worst rail disaster in North Dakota history." May 2014: Photo added.


Nearby Offbeat Places

Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Missile Silo Historic SiteRonald Reagan Peace Through Strength Missile Silo Historic Site, Cooperstown, ND - 36 mi.
Cold War PyramidCold War Pyramid, Nekoma, ND - 40 mi.
Old Bombers and MissilesOld Bombers and Missiles, Grand Forks AFB, ND - 35 mi.
In the region:
Oldest North Dakota Building, Walhalla, ND - 64 mi.

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