Ellendale, ND

Ellendale is Dickey County’s seat at the junction of U.S. 281 and North Dakota Highway 11, near the South Dakota border. Railroad townsite officials named it for Mary Ellen Dale Merrill, and the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul line helped make Ellendale the first rail town in the region. The settlement began in 1881, won the county-seat vote in 1882, and incorporated as a city in 1889. A 1916 fire destroyed three blocks, a church, and 21 families’ homes, but the town rebuilt.

Trinity Bible College now occupies the former state school campus, while Ellendale Public School serves local K–12 students. The 1912 Dickey County Courthouse, Coleman Museum, and Ellendale Opera House keep the history visible; OPERA Inc. continues restoration and uses the building for exhibits, plays, concerts, classes, and meetings. The city also has a swimming pool, parks, medical clinics, library, and regional farm services. Hunting, fishing, and pheasant country stretch out beyond town. Ellendale is a southern North Dakota county seat with a rail beginning, a college campus, and a Main Street arts life.