Antler is a city in Bottineau County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. The population was 22 at the 2020 census. Antler was founded in 1905.

History

Antler was established as a rural post office base in 1898. The developed town moved to its present location in 1902 to be closer to the Great Northern Railway to the south. The town was formally platted and founded in 1905, and reached a population of 342 by the

1910 Census The 1910 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau on April 15, 1910, determined the resident population of the United States to be 92,228,496, an increase of 21 percent over the 76,212,168 persons enumerated during the 1900 census. ...

. In 1911 Antler was the site of a system of tornadoes that killed ten people, making it the third deadliest tornado in North Dakota's recorded history. Antler's population declined to 101 by the

1980 Census The 1980 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4% over the 203,184,772 persons enumerated during the 1970 census. It was the first ce ...

, and just 47 as of the 2000 census. Antler High School closed in 1976. The Antler Grade School was set to close in 1981. Fearing the end of their town, Rick Jorgensen and Harley "Bud" Kissner thought of ways to bring in newcomers with school-age children to the town with the intent of keeping the school open. Rick thought of the idea to give away land and Bud volunteered some of his farm to modern homesteaders. The deal was to stay for five years and enroll the children in the Antler elementary school. Rick drew up a newspaper ad while a wire service spread the story. The story made national network news, airing twice on NBC evening edition, with the first story stating the reason was to increase the population and the second story about its role in reopening of the town's schools by the land giveaway. Rick received letters from all over the world, including

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The plan worked for just a few years and the grade school closed in 1987, with 6 families receiving plots of 5 or .

Geography

Antler is located in Antler Township along the United States' border with Canada. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Both Antler and the surrounding

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

are named for nearby

Antler Creek Antler Creek is a creek located in the Cariboo region of British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mo ...

, whose branches resemble

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) Family (biology), family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally fo ...

s when viewed on a map.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 27 people, 16 households, and 6 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 29 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and 3.7% Native American.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population. There were 16 households, of which 12.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 62.5% were non-families. 62.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 43.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.69 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the city was 53.5 years. 14.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 11.1% were from 25 to 44; 37% were from 45 to 64; and 33.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 47 people, 24 households, and 13 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 44 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 100.00%

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

. Residents identified themselves as having predominately

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an ancestry, with the largest three being Norwegian (25.5%),

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

(14.5%), and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

(10.9%). There were 24 households, out of which 16.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were

living together, and 45.8% were non-families. 41.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.69. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 2.1% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 25.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $16,250, and the median income for a family was $58,000. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $25,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $12,516. There were no families and 10.9% of the population living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including no under eighteens and 20.0% of those over 64.

Attractions

Antler is the home of what was previously the world's largest historical quilt. The quilt, coordinated by Leona Tennyson, measured 85 by 134 feet and featured the outline of the state of North Dakota, partitioned into its counties. Antler is home to the O-2 Flight, "King Stag", LGM-30 Minuteman Nuclear Missile silo (48-58-01 North, 101-15-36 West), with the distinction of being the closest intercontinental nuclear missile to a Nuclear-missile-free Canada. The site is manned by Missile Operations Flights, Operation Support Flight, and Security Forces Flight crews from the 742d Missile Squadron of the 91st Missile Wing "Rough Riders", based out of

Minot AFB Minot Air Force Base ( ; ) is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation in Ward County, North Dakota, north of the city of Minot via U.S. Route 83. In the 2020 census, the base was counted as a CDP with a total population of 5 ...

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Bottineau County, North Dakota Cities in North Dakota Populated places established in 1905 1905 establishments in North Dakota