Recent Photos of Fortuna AFS, ND

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The following six photos were contributed by Tom Page.  All were shot on 17 September 2022. 

Former AN/FPS-35 FD Search Radar tower as seen from the turnout on the main road (the turnout was originally the road to the family-housing area that was located on the south side of the radar station)  [looking north] 

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Historical sign at the turnout from the main road, with a couple of minor errors.  It should have said ''... 780th Aircraft Control and Warning (AC&W) Squadron that reported to the Air Defense Command ....''   And, of course, the 780th AC&W Squadron, later 780th Radar Squadron (SAGE) and 780th Air Defense Group (SAGE), reported to the Air Defense Sector or the Air Division.  But the sign is greatly appreciated nonetheless.  

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Former AN/FPS-35 FD Search Radar tower as seen from the site access road [looking northeast] 

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Former AN/FPS-35 FD Search Radar tower as seen from where the Operations / BUIC building once stood on the hilltop [looking southeast] 

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Former cantonment area where the barracks and other support buildings once stood [looking west] 

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Former cantonment area, on the road that led to the family-housing area on the site's north side [looking north] 

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Site demolition circa 2016 

2013 Youtube Video tour

May 2005 photos contributed by Andrew Hill

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YouTube video contributed by mike AT mikeonline.ca

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May 2004 photos contributed by Tom Scanlan

[Ed. note: Notice snow on the ground. North Dakota had a fairly intense snowstorm in mid-May, 2004]

Still on the GPS map!

View from about 2 miles east

View from about 1/2 mile west

In base housing, FPS-26 tower in background

A Goodman lived in this base housing unit

View of ops area from base housing

Air Police shack at entrance to Ops Area

Dorms in Ops Area

FPS-26 tower in background, FPS-35 tower right background, FPS-20 tower right foreground

Motor Pool

Water Well montoring equipment

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September, 2001 photos contributed by Mike Ferolito

A view of the old Ops / radar area as seen from the barracks area.

A view out of the power plant; old ground-air radio transmitter or receiver building seen in the distance.

The former Fortuna AFS as viewed from the west.

A view of the old 780th HQ building and what`s left of the flag pole.

Interior view of the Fortuna AFS dining hall -- clearly, the old chow hall has seen better days.

Interior of the power plant showing an old disaster-preparedness drinking-water barrel.

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The photo above is from the Fortuna AFS 50th Anniversary Special Edition of the Crosby, ND Journal. Copies of this publication are available from the Journal at the link above.

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These June 2001 photos contributed by Gene McManus

Some notes from Cecile Wehrman, the news editor at the Crosby, ND Journal

It is a very sad state of affairs in Fortuna, and for the base. Yes, I would say that Fortuna really took a hit when the base closed, but the story of Fortuna`s decline has just as much to do with the general decline of rural North Dakota, due to fewer farmers, and all of our young people leaving. Can you believe Fortuna once had well over 200 people? Now there are something like 32, and a family of four is on their way out.

A man named Arvid Barstad of Thiem Drilling, Williston, owns the base. He got it for just over the appraisal price of $62,000 in 1996 -- that`s after it sat vacant for something like 15 years, trashed by vandals and weather. If they had salvaged it right away, it probably would have had a lot more to offer. As it is, Barstad has made a couple hundred grand off of selling the houses off the back side. He`s used dynamite to blast holes in just about every remaining wall to get the big boilers out.

Oh well, I suppose its better than some cult, but I tell you, it`s not a pretty site to look at our the window of your house everyday as we do.

[The housing at the rear of the site, mentioned above, and visible in the aerial photo on the Fortuna main page is completely gone, I believe.- Gene]

Radar & Ops area viewed from housing area gate on Hwy 5

Some of the housing area, viewed from housing area gate on Hwy 5

Radar & Ops area viewed from housing area gate on Hwy 5

Starting the trek up the hill toward the main security gate from Hwy 5. The gate at Hwy 5 was locked, but there was a place which was easy to crawl through the barbed wire.

Cantonment area & main security gate. The main security gate was chained, but not locked, so ...

Guard shack at main gate.

Mess hall.

The building on the far left looked like it was the Motor Pool. Taken from in front of the Mess Hall.

Barracks area.

Not sure what these buildings were. They were behind the mess hall, and across the street from the barracks. Rear of mess hall at the far left. The rec hall was at the far end of these buildings, roof visible in photo.

Headed up the hill toward the radar & ops area.

Black building believed to be the power plant/diesel building.

Some of the "stuff" removed from the (presumed) power building.

Continuing up the hill...

FPS-35 tower on the right, FPS-26 tower in background.

Power panel laying outside ops building.

Hole in side of ops building. As I approached this to enter, a huge owl flew out and simply scared hell out of me!

Inside the ops building.

Radar site emblem laying on floor of ops building. Painted on wallboard, it was not salvageable.

Looking outward (generally east) from the hole in the ops building.

The following photo (June, 2000) ound at http://www.geocities.com/lrfye/westby.jpg