Schafer | |
Settlement Type: | Unincorporated area |
Pushpin Map: | USA North Dakota#USA |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of North Dakota |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | United States |
Subdivision Type1: | State |
Subdivision Name1: | North Dakota |
Subdivision Type2: | County |
Subdivision Name2: | McKenzie |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Population As Of: | 2000 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone: | Central (CST) |
Utc Offset: | -6 |
Timezone Dst: | CDT |
Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
Elevation Ft: | 2005 |
Coordinates: | 47.7994°N -103.1867°W |
Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
Area Code: | 701 |
Blank Name: | FIPS code |
Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
Blank1 Info: | 1031373 |
Schafer is an unincorporated area and the former county seat of McKenzie County, North Dakota, United States. The county seat was moved to Watford City, and is now a ghost town. However, the town would still have existed if not for a land dispute between the Schafer family and the Great Northern Railway. The railroad never laid tracks due to this, but grading was done to the Missouri River.
The farm of Albert and Lulia Haven was located just to the north of Schafer; they and their four children were murdered in February 1930. Charles Bannon, their hired hand, confessed to the killing; he became the last man in the state of North Dakota to be lynched. The only remaining sign of the town is the old county jail, from which Bannon was dragged by the lynch mob on the night of his death.[1] [2] [3]