Grain elevators were built throughout eastern North Dakota as part of railroad expansion in the state. The elevators were located along the various rail routes at a distance that made them accessible to horse drawn wagons, or about 7 miles apart. As motorized trucking became prevalent, roughly half of the elevators disappeared, leaving a distance of 15 miles. Once the elevators were gone, the small communities surrounding them soon disappeared as well. The Fonda elevator remains standing, but Fonda is gone.
