Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Wadena County, Minnesota

Leaf River

Ghost town in Minnesota, United States.

Record

About Leaf River

Leaf River, or Leafriver, is a ghost town in section 22 of Leaf River Township, Wadena County, Minnesota, United States. Today the town has a population around 50.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Leaf River, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Leaf River is

USGS topographic map around Leaf River
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

6 historic USGS maps cover Leaf River

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Leaf River

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Minnesota index.

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Leaf River, Minnesota": coordinates and summary.
  2. Wikidata Q14692765.
  3. USGS GNIS 664739.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).