Map of Churchs Ferry city

Churchs Ferry is an unincorporated community in Ramsey County, North Dakota, United States that has been impacted by the expansion of nearby Devils Lake. The population was 9 at the 2020 census.

Churchs Ferry was a city from its founding in 1883 until September 2022 when the town unincorporated and was turned over to Ramsey County.

Churchs Ferry city overview:
Name:	Churchs Ferry city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	North Dakota
County:	Ramsey County
Founded:	1883
Elevation:	1,450 ft (442 m)
Total Area:	0.43 sq mi (1.12 km²)
Land Area:	0.43 sq mi (1.12 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	9
Population Density:	20.83/sq mi (8.04/km²)
ZIP code:	58325
Area code:	701
FIPS code:	3814140
GNISfeature ID:	1028374

Online Interactive Map

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Churchs Ferry online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Churchs Ferry location map. Where is Churchs Ferry city?

Churchs Ferry location on the U.S. Map. Where is Churchs Ferry city. — Churchs Ferry location on the U.S. Map.

Churchs Ferry location on the North Dakota map. Where is Churchs Ferry city. — Location of Churchs Ferry in North Dakota.

History

Devils Lake began rising in the early 1990s, and more than 400 homes around the lake have been relocated or destroyed. This includes much of the community of Churchs Ferry, one of two municipalities that have been bought out by government agencies. The other is Penn, although some people remain in both communities.

Devils Lake keeps getting larger as its outlet (Tolna Coulee) is significantly higher than the rest of the lake. In the 1880s, the lake was large enough that a man by the name of Irvine Church once operated a ferry in the area (hence the town’s name), but by 1940, the lake had all but dried out. The lake is now growing back towards its maximum size again.

On January 10, 2012, Churchs Ferry residents voted 5 to 2 to remain an incorporated town.

On June 14, 2022, the town’s 6 remaining residents voted to dissolve the city with a 5-1 vote. The city dissolved on September 1, 2022 with Paul Christenson being the last mayor of Churchs Ferry.