Wayfarrow

West Fort Dodge

Ghost town · Webster County, Iowa

Lehigh quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1923, 1:62,500)
Lehigh quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1923, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

West Fort Dodge is a ghost town in Webster County, Iowa. It is one of 3 former communities in Webster County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 39th among the 79 Iowa counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists West Fort Dodge as a historical populated place on the Fort Dodge South topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 42.4811° N, 94.2114° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleFort Dodge South
Elevation1,128 ft
Nearest living townFort Dodge, IA
Distance to it2.7 miles
GNIS feature ID464130
Coordinates42.48108, -94.21135

Open the location on a map

What's there now

West Fort Dodge is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Fort Dodge, IA (population 24,788), about 2.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,128 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is West Fort Dodge?

West Fort Dodge is in Webster County, Iowa, at 42.4811, -94.2114.

How many ghost towns are in Webster County?

Webster County, Iowa has 3 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.