The Neche–Gretna Border Crossing connects the cities of

Neche, North Dakota Neche ( ) is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota, United States. It sits on the banks of the Pembina River. The population was 344 at the 2020 census. History Neche was laid out in 1882. The name is said to come from the Ojibwe word ''nidji ...

and

Gretna, Manitoba Gretna is an unincorporated urban community in the Municipality of Rhineland within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to January 1, 2015. Just north of the Canada - United States border on PTH 30, Gretna had a populati ...

on the

Canada–United States border The border between Canada and the United States is the longest international border in the world. The terrestrial boundary (including boundaries in the Great Lakes, Atlantic, and Pacific coasts) is long. The land border has two sections: Can ...

North Dakota Highway 18 North Dakota Highway 18 is a major north–south highway in eastern North Dakota. It runs from Highway 30 at the Canadian border south of Gretna, Manitoba to South Dakota Highway 25 north of Claire City. Route description North Dakota Highw ...

on the American side joins Manitoba Highway 30 on the Canadian side. The Alberta Clipper pipeline crosses the border nearby.

Flooding

The surrounding flat and low lying land exposes the location to frequent flooding. The raised road prevents water from encroaching onto the Canadian side, but the US side is not so fortunate. This crossing is frequently closed due to flooding of the

Pembina River Pembina River may refer to: *Pembina River (Alberta), a river in central Alberta, Canada *Pembina River (Manitoba – North Dakota) The Pembina River is a tributary of the Red River of the North, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. Nationa ...

, most recently in 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2017.

Canadian side

By 1877, a customs office existed at Smuggler's Point (later called Spencerville), which was estimated to be west of the present crossing. This office closed in 1882. That year, the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

(CP) connected with the St. Paul, Minneapolis, & Manitoba Railway, the forerunner of the Great Northern Railway (GN), at Gretna. One of the oldest customs offices in the province, Gretna was established in 1883 under the administrative oversight of the Port of Emerson. The earliest activity was highway traffic, but the arrival of the railway changed the principal role. In 1889, Gretna was transferred to the oversight of the Port of Winnipeg. In 1907, the status was upgraded to Port of Gretna. The prior year, the Midland Railway of Manitoba had built a

Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

–Neche rail line. In 1909, GN acquired this railway, but the line closed in the mid-1920s. The Gretna border station was built in 1982. A rebuild plan issued in 2017 has yet to be finalized. In 2020, the former border hours of 8am–10pm reduced, becoming 8am–4pm.

US side

The Smuggler's Point customs office may have predated the corresponding Canadian one. Up to the 1930s, harvested grain flowed southward via the GN in bond before re-entering Canada. The US border station of Neche, which was built in 1965, was replaced by a new facility in 2012. In 2020, opening hours reduced, becoming 8am–4pm.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neche-Gretna Border Crossing Canada–United States border crossings 1883 establishments in Dakota Territory 1883 establishments in Manitoba Buildings and structures in Pembina County, North Dakota

Flooding

Canadian side

US side

See also

References