Ludden, ND

Ludden was platted in 1886 and named for pioneer David Ludden, then moved onto the Chicago and North Western line as the railroad reached Dickey County. The town’s earlier site lay by a bend of the James River; stores and other buildings shifted to the rail town, where the post office continued until 1986. Today Ludden’s roads run through southeastern North Dakota farm country, and its compact grid still shows the choice that made rail access the town’s organizing fact. Dickey County’s historical record preserves that move from river settlement to railroad town.