You’re driving through the flat, golden expanse of North Dakota, somewhere between Fargo and Grand Forks. The horizon stretches forever. Then, you see it. A thin, silver needle piercing the clouds. It doesn’t look like much from a distance—just a wire in the sky. But honestly, you’re looking at one of the most significant engineering feats of the 20th century.
The KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard is a giant.
For decades, it was the tallest man-made structure on the planet. Think about that for a sec. Not a skyscraper in New York or a monument in Paris, but a broadcast tower in a town with a population you can count on your fingers. It’s a relic of an era when "reaching the top" meant something very different than it does today.
The Day the World Looked at Blanchard
Back in 1963, when the Hamilton Erection Company and Kline Iron and Steel finished this thing, it was a global sensation. It stood at exactly 2,063 feet. That’s over 600 meters of steel and tension. It was the first time humans had ever built anything taller than 2,000 feet.
People used to drive from all over just to stare at it.
The locals even had a special drink for it. In nearby Mayville, you could go to a bar and order a "Tall Tower" cocktail—a mix of vodka, wine, and grenadine in a frosted glass. It cost 75 cents. That was the level of pride people felt about this tower. It wasn't just infrastructure; it was a landmark that put North Dakota on the map.
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But why build it so high?
Flatness is the answer. In the 60s, if you wanted to get NBC signals to every farmhouse in a 9,700-square-mile radius, you needed height. The "HI" in its original call sign, KTHI, was literally a nod to how high it reached.
Is It Still the Tallest?
Not quite. It’s complicated.
In 1974, a radio mast in Poland (the Warsaw Radio Mast) took the title, reaching over 2,120 feet. But that tower actually collapsed during a renovation in 1991. For a while, the KVLY-TV mast was the king again.
Then came the Burj Khalifa.
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When Dubai finished that skyscraper in 2008, the record for "tallest structure" left the Western Hemisphere for good. Then the Merdeka 118 in Malaysia went up. Today, the KVLY tower is usually ranked as the fourth or fifth tallest structure in the world, depending on how you define "structure" versus "building."
The 2019 Shrinkage
Here is a detail most people miss: the tower isn't even 2,063 feet anymore.
In 2019, because of an FCC spectrum repack, the top-mounted VHF antenna was swapped out. This shortened the mast to 1,987 feet. It’s a tiny change in the grand scheme of things, but it means the tower technically lost its "2,000-foot club" status.
Interestingly, there’s another tower just five miles away—the KRDK-TV mast. It’s almost as tall (2,060 feet). That one has fallen down twice. Once because of a helicopter accident and once because of a massive ice storm. The KVLY tower, however, has stayed standing through every North Dakota winter for over 60 years.
Living with a Giant
What’s it like to actually work on this thing?
There’s a tiny elevator. It only fits two people. It takes forever to get to the top—about 45 minutes of rattling and wind whistling through the lattice. If the elevator breaks, you’re climbing. Most people wouldn't even look down, but the engineers who maintain the guy-wires and the beacon lights are a different breed.
The tower is held up by miles of thick steel cables anchored into 160 acres of land.
- Total weight: 864,500 pounds.
- Location: 3 miles west of Blanchard, ND.
- Current Owner: Gray Media Group.
It’s essentially a giant instrument. When the wind hits it right, it hums. In a heavy ice storm, the weight of the frozen rain on the cables can be terrifying. Engineers have to watch for "galloping" guy-wires, where the wind causes the cables to whip like jump ropes. If that happens, the tension can literally pull the anchors out of the ground.
Why the Era of Super-Towers is Over
You won't see another KVLY being built.
The FAA and FCC basically stopped approving anything over 2,000 feet. It’s a nightmare for pilots, and with digital TV and satellite technology, we just don't need the height like we used to. In 1963, this tower cost $500,000. Today, building something similar would cost north of $5 million, and nobody wants the liability.
The KVLY-TV mast is a survivor. It represents a time when we solved problems with sheer scale. It still broadcasts NBC to the Red River Valley, serving as a lifeline for weather alerts and local news in a place where the weather can turn deadly in minutes.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Road Trip
If you’re planning to see it, keep these things in mind:
- Don't expect a visitor center. It’s on private land in the middle of a field. You can see it perfectly from the public roads, but there are no gift shops or tours.
- Bring binoculars. You can’t really appreciate the scale until you see the tiny blinking lights at the top or the massive concrete anchors that hold the guy-wires.
- Check the weather. If it’s windy, you can sometimes hear the "singing" of the wires from the roadside. It’s eerie and cool.
- Visit the State Capitol. If you want to see North Dakota's tallest habitable building, head to Bismarck. It’s 241 feet—a dwarf compared to the Blanchard mast.
The mast isn't the world champion anymore, but it doesn't need to be. It’s a piece of living history standing tall in a quiet field. Next time you're driving through Traill County, look up. It’s hard to miss.