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First  tgn  veftRS     *     ^ 

OF 

e*e      ^      GRftND  FORKS  CITY, 


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Iqcluding  aq  l-(islorica!  Oulline nhmh 

,L^- er-^  Of  ^^e  F(ed  F^iv'er  Valiey, 

BY  H.  V.  ARNOLD. 
Labimobe:  Pjoneek  Office. 

1900. 


si^^HD  p®i|i^§  (^©o^ifp^. 


09if}?  gpGcial   I^efej'ence 


TO  THE 


FiF$ 


IRST  TeN    YeftRS       *       « 


OF 


^       *       GRftND  FORKS  CITY. 


^M/\\v       I  p^E^^  I      ^V^ 


qcluding   aq   |-(isiorical  Oulline^ 


'-^  ^^^  Q|:  11^^   i^^j  1^1^^^  Valley. 

BY  h:  vfARNOLD. 
II 
Larimore:  Pioneer  Office. 

1900. 


A?  A7 


GOVERNMENT  TOWNSHIP. 

N 


GIFT 

AUTHOR 


'95 


PREFATORY  REMARKS. 


rpHE  history  of  the  Red  River  Valley,  so  far  as  it  has  been  published  in 
_L  this  state,  appears  to  have  been  confined  to  newspaper,  magazine  and 
other  sketches.  The  next  step  is  special  pamphlets,  and  finally  will  come  the 
bound  books  of  the  future.  No  really  good  history  of  the  valley  which  will  in- 
clude the  era  of  the  settlements,  can  be  written  until  some  progress  has  been 
made  in  collecting  facts  of  that  character  concerning  each  of  the  counties  of 
the  Red  River  tier.  The  history  of  that  part  of  the  valley  south  of  the  inter- 
national boundary  is  chiefly  confined  to  its  North  Dakota  side,  which,  in- 
deed, is  the  best  portion  of  it  in  United  States  territory.  The  current  of  its 
history,  however,  also  includes  a  strip  of  territory  along  the  Minnesota  side 
of  Red  River  and  which  extends  from  Georgetown  to  Breckenridge.  But  the 
North  Dakota  side  of  the  valley  is  specially  historic  ground,  particularly  its 
northern  boundary  around  Pembina  and  Walhalla. 

Any  work,  even  in  pamphlet  form,  purporting  to  be  a  history  of  any  one  of 
the  counties  of  the  Red  River  tier  of  North  Dakota,  must  necessarily  sift 
over  the  accumulating  records  that  belong  to  the  history  of  the  yalley  in  its 
entirety,  for  unless  this  be  done,  its  old  phase  of  life,  the  sequence  of  events 
and  their  bearing  on  the  commencement  of  the  modern  epoch  cannot  be  duly 
appreciated.  The  present  is  the  outgrowth  of  past  conditions;  no  hiatus,  no 
abrupt  transition  separated  the  old  phase  of  life  in  the  valley  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  present  civilization.  Yet  with  the  beginning  of  the  latter 
account  has  to  be  taken  of  the  great  migration  which  has  rendered  this  civil- 
ization a  possibility.  For  a  century  past  we  have  before  us  a  rather  contin- 
uous historic  stream  in  the  Northwest  with  which  white  men  have  been 
concerned. 

At  present  the  literature  bearing  upon  this  subject,  is  in  a  rather  discord- 
ant state,  unsifted,  and  more  or  less  filled  with  erroneous  statements  of  fact, 
including  discrepant  and  wrong  dates.  These  sketches  merely  supply  a  tem- 
porary want.  It  would,  perhaps,  be  a  mistake  to  imagine  that  any  permanent 
harm  has  been  done  in  the  matter  of  these  errors;  on  the  contrary,  the  dis- 
crepancies being  apparent  to  anyone  of  critical  intelligence,  the  outcome  will 
be  to  stimulate  others  to  investigate  the  facts  they  handle  more  carefully,  so 
as  to  eliminate  and  correct  the  mistakes  of  their  predecessors  in  the  same 
field,  also  bringing  to  light  other  and  new  facts. 

A  valuable  series  of  articles  on  "Old  Times  in  the  Red  River  Valley,"  writ- 
ten by  M.  H.  Morrill,  were  published  in  the  Richland  County  Gazette  in  1897 
and '98;  during  the  first  half  of  1898  another  valuable  series  entitled  "The 
Long  Ago"  collected  by  Chas.  H.  Lee,  editor  of  the  Walhalla  Mountaineer, 
appeared  in  his  paper  and  were  subsequently  issued  in  pamphlet  form.  More 
recently,  the  Grand  Forks  Herald  in  a  notable  illustrated  40-page  edition  of 
June  27,  1899,  commemorating  its  twentieth  anniversary,  was  rich  in  respect 
to  its  historical  contributions  and  which  were  remarkable  for  their  accuracy. 
The  Record  Magazine,  of  Fargo,  formerly  edited  by  C.  A.  I^ounsberry,  and 
more  recently  by  W.  F.  Gushing,  begun  in  May,  1895,  has  also  since  that  date 
gathered  a  large  fund  of  valuable  historical  and  descriptive  matter  concern- 
ing the  Red  River  Valley  and  state  of  North  Dakota.  Doubtless  the  files  of  the 
Northwest  Magazine  of  St.  Paul,  contain  many  articles  of  similar  character. 

Numerous  brief  historical  sketches  concerning  the  city  of  Grand  Forks 
were  formerly  included  in  special  editions  of  the  city  papers  and  were  also 
used  in  a  few  other  Avorks.  The  earlier  history  of  Grand  Forks  has  never 
been  more  than  merely  skimmed  over,  no  atteinpt  ever  having  been  made  in 
these  publications  to  treat  the  subject  in  detail.  The  original  nucleus  of  these 
sketches  appears  to  have  been  an  historical  article  that  appeared  in  a  large 
illustrated  edition  of  the  Plaindealer  for  Christmas  week.  1890,  if,  indeed,  it 
was  not  older.  It  is  observable  that  the  style  and  subject  matter  of  that 
sketch  has  tinctured  all  subsequent  writings  upon  the  subject.  There  was 
an  historical  sketch  covering  much  the  same  ground  and  which  appeared  in 
the  first  number  of  the  weekly  Herald  In  June,  1879,  but  that  of  the  Plain- 
dealer  appears  to  have  been  an  independent  production.  The  later  sketches, 
although  more  or  less  amplified,  as  manipulated  by  different  hands,  all  bear 
the  stamp  of  the  original  exemplar. 


IV  PREFATORY     REM  ARKS 

Portions  of  the  present  work  have  been  clipped  from  articles  by  the  writer 
that  have  appeared  in  the  Larimore  Pioneer  during  the  last  several  years, 
the  parts  here  retained  having  undergone  more  or  less  revision.  In  treating 
of  the  historical  outline  of  the  Red  River  Valley  the  earlier  numbers  ot  the 
Record  Magazine  have  occasionally  been  drawn  upon  for  the  basis  of  some 
of  the  facts  narrated.  As  in  the  case  of  some  other  writers  dealing  with  valley 
history,  fragments  from  other  sources  have  been  now  and  then  interwoven 
with  the  basis  to  round  out  paragraphs  in  respect  to  additional  details,  where 
these  are  not  of  the  nature  of  extracts.  In  respect  to  the  county  history,  much 
of  it  has  been  based  upon  the  direct  testimony  of  the  Old  Settlers,  although 
contemporary  records,  always  the  best  historical  evidence,  have  been  used 
so  far  as  these  have  been  obtainable.  - 

Although  great  care  has  been  exercised  by  the  author  in  eliminating  errors 
of  statement  and  particularly  erroneous  dates  from  the  materials  used,  it 
would  be  too  much  to  claim  that  this  work  can  be  faultless  in  these  respects. 
But  whatever  accuracy  that  portion  of  it  may  possess  which  bears  upon  the 
early  history  of  the  county  and  the  city  of  Grand  Forks,  is  due  to  the  kindly 
help  of  the  Old  Settlers  of  the  Red  River  Valley  whose  contributiou  of  facts 
are  acknowledged  either  in  footnotes  or  by  name  in  the  text,  though  innumer- 
able other  points  derived  from  them  and  others  are  inwrought  into  the  various 
paragraphs  of  the  last  three  parts  of  this  work.  In  making  these  acknow- 
ledgments of  assistance  from  others,  we  should  also  mention  John  Nelson, 
Register  of  Deeds  of  this  county,  in  assisting  us  in  an  examination  of  the  old- 
est records  of  his  office:  also  W.  P.  Davies,  city  editor  of  the  Grand  Forks 
Herald,  through  whose  courtesy  we  were  enabled  to  look  through  the  oldest 
bound  file  of  that  paper. 

The  author  himself  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  since  May,  1880,  and 
considerable  matter  has  been  incorporated  in  this  work  derived  from  his 
own  personal  knowledge  and  observations.  Moreover,  for  many  years  past, 
much  information  covering  innumerable  points  of  local  history, "has  also  been 
derived  from  persons  resident  in  and  around  Larimore.  The  inferences 
that  have  been  drawn  from  any  special  fact,  or  group  of  facts,  or  comments 
on  the  same,  are  generally  the  thoughts  of  the  writer. 


i<:hrata. 


Page  1.— The  figures  for  the  96th  and  97th  meridians  should  read  97th  and 
98th  meridians.      The  error  resulted  from  a  slip  of  memory. 

Page  2.— The  breadth  of  the  fiat  valley  plain  on  the  main  line  of  the  Great 
NortLern  Railway  is  at  least  thirteen  miles  wide.  While  the  ten  mile  limit 
may  be  taken  as  a  geological  boundary,  it  is  none  the  less  certain  that  the 
district  between  the  Elk  Valley  and  Red  River  flats  constitutes  a  distinct 
topographical  land-belt  of  the  county,  although  this  may  merge  impercept- 
ably  with  the  valley  plain.  This  correction  also  correspondingly  modifies 
the  stated  breadth  of  this  central  land  belt.    See  Note  A,  p.  127. 

Page  11.— Altitude  of  Kempton,  1126  feet,  should  read  1127  feet. 

Page  13.— "Comparative  few  Indians."  The  first  of  these  words  should  read 
Comparatively. 

Page  103.— E.  O.  Steelman,  now  a  resident  of  Elm  Grove  township,  states 
that  he  was  of  the  party  who  emigrated  from  Minnesota  to  Turtle  river  in 
June,  1878,  but  arrived  at  Grrand  Forks  about  ten  days  later  than  the  others. 
H.  A.  Morgan  came  through  with  a  team  of  horses  the  next  fall.  Edward 
Wheeler,  it  seems,  was  not  an  original  settler,  but  bought  out  the  claim  or 
right  of  a  colored  man  named  James  Hawarden. 

Pages  106  and  107.— The  names  of  certain  settlers  of  Inkster  and  Strabane 
townships  given  as  Casey,  Congrave  and  McEwen  should  have  been  spelled 
Corey,  Congram  and  McElwain.  Mr.  Inkster  states  that  he  removed  to  the 
Mouse  River  country  in  August,  1882,  and  not  in  1885.    See  Note  H. 


P^^K,T    I. 


DESCRIPTIVE  SKETCH. 


GENEKAT.  DESOKIPTION 


POSITION  AND  BOUNDARIES. 

HE  NORTH  jind  south  row  of  counties,  six  in 
number,  tlmt  border  the  enstern  side  of  the  ut.'ife 
of  North  Djikotii,  constitute  wiiat  is  called  its 
"Ked  Kiver  tier."  (irjind  Forks  county  occu- 
pies nearly  a  midway  position  in  this  row,  being: 
fourth  in  order  from  tlie  south.  The  county  is  bounded  north  by 
Wsilsh,  east  by  Red  river  which  alwo  forms  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween INiinnesota  and  North  J^akota,  south  by  'I'raill  and  Steele, 
and  west  by  Nelson  county.  The  48th  pariillel  of  latitude  crosses 
the  county  about  four  miles  to  the  north  of  its  medial  line,  and 
its  area  is  almost  wholly  included  between  the  96th  and  97th 
meridians. 

DIMENSIONS  AND  AREA. 

'I'he  county  has  an  average  length  of  -10  miles  from  east  to  west, 
yet  there  is  a  difference  of  about  twelve  miles  between  the  length 
of  its  southern  and  northern  boundary  lines,  whicli  is  chiefly  due  to 
the  westerly  trend  of  Ked  river  where  this  stream  flows  abreast 
of  the  county.  The  south  line  toucliing  Traill  and  Steele  counties 
has  a  westward  extension  of  about  47  miles  from  ttie  river;  an<i 
the  north  line  touching  W^alsh  county  extends  85  miles  west  from 
the  river.  As  there  are  six  rows  of  townships  between  these  two 
boundary  lines,  ('I'owns  149  to  154  inclusive)  they  give  the  coun- 
ty from  south  to  north  a.  brea<lth  of  o(>  miles.  The  county  is 
divided  into  42  townships,  thirty-six  of  which  correspond  with 
the  surveyor's  or  government  townships,  the  remaining  ones  be- 
ing those  that  border  on  lied  river,  or  ihe  parts  of  the  congres- 
sional townships  accruing  to  tho  county  by  being  bisected  by  this 
stream.  The  county  contains  921,000  acres,  or  1,440  square  miles. 
This  is  a  little  more  than  (he  total  land  area  of  the  little  state 
of  l{hod(»  Island. 


Tf  I  ^<  T  ()  R  ^■     ()  F    G  R  AND     FORKS    CO  F  N  T  Y 


TOPOGRAPHY  AND  DRAINAGE. 

The  Imiidreds  of  counties  in  the  Union  dider  widely  in  respect 
to  ilieir  topoj^rnphy  or  surface  features.  Their  surfaces  vary 
from  those  that  lie  broadly  level  to  those  that  are  mountainous 
in  their  physical  aspect.  The  presence  of  lakes,  river  valleys, 
outcropping  ledges  of  rock,  forests  and  wooded  hills,  creates 
variety  in  the  scenery  and  beautifies  the  landscape.  In  this 
county  the  differences  in  altitude  are  such  as  to  have  caused  very 
marked  changes  in  the  form  of  the  surface  were  these  elevations 
converged  nearer  together  so  as  to  have  given  rise  to  steep  hill 
sides  or  abrupt  declivities;  but  this  is  not  the  case  here. 

The  surface  of  Grand  Forks  county  is  partially  level  and  par- 
tially rolling,  but,  on  the  whole,  has  a  graduiif  ascent  from  the  riv- 
er to  the  height  of  the  upland  country,  the  surface  being  more 
prominent  in  tracts  of  successively  higher  elev;ition  than  any 
otiier  form.  A  line  drawn  from  the  city  of  Grand  Forks  across 
the  center  of  the  county  to  its  western  verge  would  cross  four 
separate  land  belts,  or  districts  in  which  somewhat  different  top- 
ographical coiiditions  exist.  First  and-  lowest  comes  the  Red 
r.ver  flats,  a  level  prairie  plain  next  to  the  river,  and  which  ex- 
tends outward  about  ten  miles  on  this  line.  Second  in  order, 
there  occurs  the  midway  slope  of  the  main  valley,  a  gradually 
ascending  and  gently  rolling  tract  of  about  sixteen  miles  in  width. 
'I'he  third  land  belt  is  the  "Elk  Valley,"  a  level  prairie  district 
that  is  four  miles  wide  on  the  line  now  under  consideration. 
J.MStly  there  comes  the  upland  country,  a  district  more  rolling 
than  hilly,  which,  within  ihe  county  limits,  is  eight  miles  across 
on  its  medial  line. 

Toward  the  southern  border  of  tlie  county  the  form  of  the  sur- 
face is  nearly  similar  to  that  just  described  .''or  its  incdial  line, 
but  with  these  viiriations:  A  narrower  width  to  the  fiat  valley 
plain,  a  greater  breadth  to  both  the  midway  slope  and  the  Elk 
Valley,  and  the  inclusion  of  a  wider  portion  of  the  upland  coun- 
try within  the  county  limits. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  along  its  north  tier  of  town- 
ships, the  lay  of  the  land  varies  a  little  from  that  already  de- 
scribed. Here  the  flats  extend  somewhat  farther  west  than  in 
the  southern  half  of  the  county;  then  a  long,  but  slight  ascent  of 
the  surface  toward  the  west  occurs,  with  an  occasional  slight 
ridge,  until  west  of  Inkster  the  latid  further  rises  in  a  consider- 
able ridge;  between  this  elevation  and  the  uplands  there  is  a 
shallow  valley  (the  northern  extension  of  the  Elk  Valley)  and 
west  of  this  the  uolands  rise  to  their  usual  height,  their  aftitude 
being  nearly  uniform  through  the  west  part  of  the  county,  but 
the  breadth  of  this  hill  distri-^^t  in  this  part  of  the  county  is  less 
than  the  distance  across  a  township. 


C;  E  N  E  R  A  L     D  E  y  f  II  I  P  T  I  ()  N  ,'J 

On  the  whole,  the  surfnce  of  the  county  is  mainly  of  the  nature 
of  a  gradual  or  very  <>entle  rise  westward  from  Red  river,  attain- 
ing a  height  of  over  600  feet  in  forty  miles.  It  is  not  exact  to  state 
that  the  county  is  a  vast  level  plain.  lUit  such  ascent  as  exists, 
is  Dot  an  uniformly  smooth  rise;  were  it  so,  this  would  only  av- 
erage fifteen  or  sixteen  feet  to  the  mile.  Some  of  the  slopes  are 
several  times  greater  than  this,  hut  no  very  rough  features  exist 
in  the  county.  'I'he  lowest  land  is  presumably  in  'I'urtle  Kiver 
township;  the  highest  in  the  county  is  some  one  of  the  elevated 
swells  of  the  uplands,  the  extreme  variation  in  altitude  not  be- 
ing f.ir  from  050  feet. 

i'he  topogrnphy  of  any  countycliiefly  determines  its  drainage 
directions.  The  drainage  of  Grand  Forks  county  is  chiefly  fruin 
the  uplands  to  Red  river  east  by  north,  but  with  vaiiations  from 
this  direction  in  some  parts  of  it.  The  central  part  is  drained  by 
Turtle  river,  a  small  stream  with  several  smaller  afttuents.  To 
the  north  of  the  Turtle  the  slope  of  the  land  is  more  directly  to- 
ward the  east  than  the  course  of  the  stream  itself,,  but  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  county,  within  a  limited  area,  the  drain- 
age slope  is  northward  to  Forest  river.  Tliis  stieam  is  mainlv 
confined  within  the  limits  of  Walsh  county,  but  its  upper  reaches 
intersect  Inkster  and  Strabane  townships  of  this  county.  li\  the 
eastern  part  the  drainage  is  b')th  northerly  to  the  'I'urtle  and 
east  to  lied  river.  In  its  southwestern  part,  the  drain;ige  is  Irom 
the  uplands  toward  the  southeast  or  by  way  of  (Joose  river,  the 
principal  stream  of 'J'raill  county. 

On  the  eastern  slope  ot  the  uplands,  the  drainnge  lines  are  in 
the  form  of  coulees,  or  narrow,  winding  ravines,  some  of  which 
ai-e  several  miles  in  length,  fifteen  or  twenty  rods  wide,  and  forty 
or  fifty  feet  det^p,  but  dry  through  most  of  the  year,  though  they 
sometimes  contain  through  the  summer  pool-*  and  little  trickling 
streams.  Tfiere  are  a  few  small  streams  in  the  county,  mere  rills 
or  brooks,  which,  after  flowing  several  miles,  disappear  in  the 
ground  by  absorption  of  the  water,  or  in  other  cases,  enter  small 
ponds  or  marshes  without  permanent  outlets. 

The  flowage  of  streams  jn  this  part  of  tlie  Northwest  is  consid- 
erably less  tiiitn  would  otherwise  be  the  case,  were  the  country 
largely  covereii  with  lorests  and  underlaid  by  stiata,  of  bedrock 
atamodeiate  depth  from  the  surface,  neither  of  which  factors  are 
present  here.  But  these  facts  have  their  bearing  on  the  cultiv- 
able area  ol  the  county,  there  beirjg  lio  great  amount  of  waste 
latid  in  it,  resulting  either  from  thickets,  miirshes  or  hilly  tracts. 

THE  VALLEY  PLAIN. 

The  valley  plain  forms  a  very  extensive  belt  of  level  prairie 
land  lying  next  to  tJie  river,  and,  in  this  county,  it  extends  out- 
ward eight  to  twelve  miles  distant  fronj  the  stream.      The    "Pied 


4  II  I  S  T  O  1?  Y      O  F    O  E  A  N  D    F  O  R  K  S    C  O  r;  X  T  Y 

Kiver  flats,"  as  tliese  lands  are  sometimes  cilled,  correspond  to 
tlie  alluvial  bottom  lands  of  niany  bluff  hemmed  western  rivers, 
which  usually  have  much  less  width  thnn  the  IJed  Iiiver  V^alley. 
The  land  has  a  slight  rise  toward  the  west,  iwo  to  ihree  or  more 
feet  to  the  mile,  or  sufficient  to  insure  drainnge  and  prevent  the 
flat  hind  becoming  a  morass.  'IMie  streams  crossing  it  flow  mere- 
ly in  chajinels  sunk  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  below  the  common 
prairie  level.  The  altitude  of  Grjind  Forks  is  8oO  leet  above 
sea-level,  and  taking  into  consideration  the  slight  westward  as- 
cent of  this  land  and  the  northward  descent  of  the  valley  of  .'lbou^ 
one  foot  to  the  mile,  the  average  elevation  of  thnt  j);irtofthe 
valley  plain  comprised  in  this  county  would  range  about  ten  feet 
higher  than  the  site  of  Grand  Forks.  'i'his  hind  has  a  deep  and 
rich  alluvial  soil  entirely  free  from  stone. 

"Th'^  lied  river  has  cut  a  channel  twenty  to  fifty  feet  deep.  It 
is  bordered  by  only  few  and  narrow  areas  of  bottom  land,  instead 
«)f  which  its  banks  usually  rise  steeply  on  one  side  and  by  mod- 
erate slopes  on  the  other  to  the  lacustrine  plain,  which  thence 
reaches  nearly  level  ten  to  thirty  miles  from  the  river."* 

A  very  nmrked  feature  of  the  northwestern  country  is  the  tim- 
ber belts  that  fringe  the  banks  of  the  larger  ctrGams  and  to  a 
considerable  extent  those  of  their  tributaries.  Helts  of  timber 
line  both  banks  of  Red  river,  following  in  a  sort  of  zisr-zag  or 
sinuous  course,  the  windings  of  the  stream,  but  as  seen  across 
country  from  a  distance  of  several  miles,  it  appears  to  form  in- 
stead a  dark  band  against  the  horizon  that  trends  away  to  the 
north  and  south  in  nearly  a  straight  course.  This  is  all  the  more 
distinct  in  winter  by  contrast  with  the  snow  clad  valley  jilain. 
There  are  points  in  the  county,  where,  from  the  higher  land,  the 
timl)er  belt  along  Red  river  can  be  discerned  at  a  distance  of 
twenty  to  thirty  miles, 

THE  MIDWAY  SLOPE. 

There  is  a  broad  belt  of  bowlder  clay  land  running  north  and 
south,  or  bearing  a  little  northwest  and  s  ..utheast,  Through  the 
middle  part  of  the  county.  It  comprises  the  gentle  slope  of  the 
Red  River  valley  between  the  Klk  Valley  and  uplands  on  the 
west,  Jind  the  valley  plain  on  the  east.  'I'his  land  belt  also  ex- 
tends through  Traill  and  W'alsh  counties,  and  where  it  is  trans- 
versely crossed  by  any  of  the  tributaries  of  Red  river,  they  flow 
in  consideiable  sized  valleys  containing  timbered  bottom  Ian  Is 
of  limited  extent,  and  as  the  streams  have  no  very  small  amount 
of  fall  while  crossing  this  belt,  they  have  many  rapids  in  bowl- 
der strewn  channels,  with  occasional  reaches  of  slack  water.  I'o 
the  south  of  Turtle  river,  this    district   is   gently    undulating,  or 

*The  (ilacial  Lake  .\gassiz,  by  Warren  I'pham,  ]\Innoarapli  of  the  rnite^l 
States  (Jeoloaioal  Smvey.     Washington,  isa=s.  ii.  I'O. 


G  E  X  E  U  A  L     D  i:  S  (Mi  I  P  T  I  O  X  5 

characterized  by  low,  broad  ridges.  Between  Larimore  and 
Ojata  and  on  the  line  of  the  Great  Xorthern  Railway,  the  descent 
of  this  slopii  anionnts  to  abont  275  feet.  The  western  1,000  feet 
coiitonr  line  of  the  lied  Kiver  Valley  passes  throngh  this  county 
along  this  slope  between  Emerado  and  Arvilla,  sind  within  one 
niile^of  the  latter  place.  It  approaches  nearer  to  the  river  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county,  and  recedes  nioie  awny  from  it  to 
the  north  of  its  central  part.  This  land  belt  has  a  sandy,  but 
fertile  surface  loam  and  bowlder  clay  subsoil.  Its  western  por- 
tion is  1,100  feet  above  sea-level. 

THE  ELK  VALLEY. 

Persons  living  at  a  distance,  and  who  are  unfamiliar  with  this 
part  of  the  county,  are  apt  to  suppose  from  its  designation  that 
the  Elk  N'^alley  i^  the  basin  of  some  stream.  h'rom  McCanna 
south  to  CJoose  river  this  land  belt  is  more  of  the  nature  of  a 
bench,  or  second  prairie  level  of  the  main  valley  slope  thiin  an 
actual  valley,  since  between  the  points  named,  it  is  bordere<i 
only  on  one'side  of  it  by  any  prominent  rise  of  the  land.  On  its 
western  border,  the  uplands  constitute  a  prominent  terrene,  suf- 
ficiently marked  to  characterize  one  of  the  slopes  of  a  broad 
and  dee[)  v  lUey.  Beyond  McCanna  the  continuation  of  the  liillc 
Valley  is  bordered  on  the  east  by  a  considerable  ridge,  hciii-e 
this  p'jirt  of  it  may  properly  be  called  a  valley. 

The  Elk  Valley,  taken  in  its  entirety  as  a  physical  unity,  is 
confined  within  the  limits  of  three  counties,  hence  it  will  be  con- 
venient to  describe  it  as  a  whole,  notwithstanding  its  extension 
and  projection  into  Walsh  and  'I'raill  counties,  and  division  un- 
der two  different  local  names.  But  mere  local  names  do  not  im- 
ply any  change  of  physical  condition;s  while  geological  bound- 
aries are  very  apt  to  disregard  civil  boundaries. 

'I'o  the  west  of  the  center  of  Walsh  county  there  occurs  a  broad 
ridge,  which  is  quite  distinct  from  the  upbinds,  and  has  nearly  a 
north  and  south  trend.  Its  location  relative  to  the  uplands  is 
a  few  miles  inward  from  the  basi^  of  the  latter.  The  ridge  has 
sotne  extension  into  the  northern  part  of  Grand  Forks  county  or 
through  the  townships  of  Jnkster  and  Agnes,  reaching  about  to 
Turtle  river.  It  is  not  continuous,  since  it  is  imerrupted  at 
several  point-  by  sags  and  depressions,  including  the  passage 
through  it  of  the  Forest  and  the  south  branch  of  Park  river. 
The  ridge  varies  from  abo:it  one  half  mile  to  2^  miles  in  breadth, 
its  broader  portions  having  an  undulating  contour  of  the  surface. 
It  widens  toward  the  north  and  becomes  more  narrow  and  less 
prominently  marked  toward  the  south.  Its  western  slope  rises 
from  2')  to  30  feet  above  tlie  enclosed  valley,  with  a  larger  amount 
(.f  descent  upon  its  eastern  slope.  Where  the  south  Dranch  of 
Bark  rivei  cuts  through  this  ridge,  it  forms  a  gorge  a  quarter  uf 


♦>  H  I  S'  TOR  Y    O  F     (J  R  A  N  D    PO  R  K  S    COUNT  V 

a  mile  wide  and  from  75  to  100  feet  deep,   along  a  distance  of  1| 
mile. 

In  Walsh  county  the  long",  shallow  depressi.)n  between  this 
ridge  and  the  uplands  is  called  the  Golden  Valley.  As  confined 
to  Walsh  county,  it  varies  (rom  4^  to  one  mile  in  breadth,  being 
contracted  to  this  lesser  distance  at  one  point  toward  its  north- 
ern termination.  From  the  north  branch  of  Forest  river  it  has 
a  northern  extension  of  eighteen  miles,  and  from  the  same  point 
southward,  so  far  as  anything  of  the  nature  of  a  valley  exists,  it 
has  a  farther  length  of  about  sixteen  miles.  This  sixteen  mile 
stretch  may  properly  be  called  the  Elk  Vallev. 

Its  southerly  continuation  through  Grand*  Forks  county  and 
overlap  into  'i'raill  county,  covers  a  distance  of  S5  miles,  and  as 
stated,  this  portion  of  the  tract  is  of  the  nature  of  a  second  prairie 
level,  not  being  enclosed  on  the  east  bv  any  prominent  rise  cf 
ground.  As  mapped  out,  this  portion  of  the  land  belt  is  in  the 
form  of  an  elongated  key-stone,  or  of  an  estuary  to  a  river,  and 
varies  from  four  or  five  to  ten  or  twelve  miles  in  Jjreadth.  This 
part  IS  called  by  Warren  Upham,  "The  Delta  of  ihe  Flk  Valley." 
This  IS  in  relation  to  its  geological  formation.  The  most  of  this 
tract  forms  a  level  prairie  belt  along  the  base  of  the  uplands 
which,  at  l.arimore,  is  four  miles  wide.  Tiiere  is  but  litile  rise 
of  the  level  part  of  this  land  belt  toward  the  uplands  and  what 
ascent  exists  is  confined  to  a  fringe  of  territorv  a  mile  in  breadth 
along  their  base. 

As  a  geological  unity  the  whole  tract,  valley  and  prairie,  has 
a  total  length  of  about  70  miles,  with  a  very  sliirht  ascending 
slope  from  south  to  north,  which  is  the  reverse  of  that  of  the 
main  valley.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  iMayville  and  Port- 
land m  the  neighborhood  of  the  southern  ternnnation  of  this 
delta  deposit  have  an  altitude  of  978  and  983  feet  respectively 
while  the  northern  end  of  the  Golden  Valley  is  about  1  200  feet 
above  the  sea,  and  intermediate  points  have  a  gradually  in- 
creasing elevation  northward.  Around  Larimore  the  land'  has 
an  average  altitude  of  1,130  feet,  with  variations  of  a  iew  feet 
above  and  below  this  level. 

The  soil  of  the  Flk  Valley  is  a  fertile,  sandy  clay  loam  the 
percentage  of  sand  contained  in  it  being  of  a  fine  sort  rather 
than  coarse  grained.  The  subsoil  is  a  sandy  bed  of  clay  but 
this  IS  not  everywhere  present.  J.ike  the  soil  of  the  valley  plain, 
that  of  the  Flk  \ alley  is  free  from  bowlders,  and  more  ponms. 

THE  WESTERN  ESCARPMENT. 

The  western  side  Of  the  Red  River  Vallev  in  North  Dakota 
and  the  Canadian  provinces  is  bordered  by  a  notable  escarp- 
ment, much  more  conspicuous  than  the  correspondiuir  one  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  valley.     That  on    the    west    forms^  a    second 


GENERAL    D  E  S  C  K  I  I' T  I  O  N  7 

and  for  some  portions  of  the  v.illey,  a  third  prairie  level,  wliicli 
is  the  Ciise  in  tliis  county.  This  escarpment  is  separated  at 
intervals  by  the  entrnnce  into  the  Red  liiver  Valley  of  streams 
from  the  west,  vvhich  in  turn  have  wide  valleys.  These  separat- 
ed portions  of  the  common  escarpment  bear  specific  names,  as 
Pembina,  Riding  and  Duck  mountains.  Along  the  upper  por- 
tion of  the  valley  from  Lake  Traverse  northward  for  about  one 
Jjundred  miles,  this  escarpment  is  low,  possessing  only  a  niod- 
erntely  Jiscending  slope,  but  farther  north,  and  also  in  the  Can- 
adian Dominion,  its  height  increases,  both  above  Red  river  and 
sea-level.  Toward  Lake  Traverse  the  altitude  above  sea-level  is 
about  1,200  feet,  gradually  increasing  to  1,500  feet  in  the  Pem- 
bina mountains,  and  towering  to  an  elevation  of  2,700  feet  to 
the  west  of  l^ake  Winnipeg.  From  the  head  of  the  Coteau  des 
Prairies  north  to  Pembina  county,  this  escarpment  bears  no 
specific  name,  being  called  sometimes  the  'uplands,"  but  more 
commonly  the  "hills." 

This  escarpment  forms  the  western  verge  of  the  ifJed  River 
Valley.  Its  height  forms  a  gently  rolling  upland  country  of  a 
wid«^  area,  extending  westward  toward  J)evils  lake.  Belv/een 
Jiarimore  and  Devils  Lake  city,  the  surface  nowhere  exceeds 
an  altitude  of  1,585  feet  on  the  railroad  line.  The  hill  country, 
within  the  limits  of  Grand  Forks  county,  is  commonly  stated  to 
have  an  elevation  of  oOO  feet  above  the  l^^lk  Valley,  and  has 
about  the  same  altitude  within  the  limit  just  specified,  as  that  of 
the  village  ot  Niagara,  which  is  1,440  feet  above  sea-level.  Some 
of  the  swells  of  the  surface  are  likely  to  be  more  elevated. 

The  comparatively  small  portion  of  the  upland  country  wllliin 
the  limits  of  this  county,  constitutes  about  one-sixth  of  the  area 
of  said  county.  There  are  practically  five  of  its  townships  thstt 
are  included  in  its  hill  district,  and  alsf)  parts  of  several  others. 
The  soil  is  a  gravelly  clay  loam  of  decomposed  glacial  drift,  well 
mixed  with  organic  matter,  and  makes  fairly  fertile  land. 

(ie<jlogical  formation. 

'I'he  Red  liiver  Valley  is  underlaid  at  a  considerable  depth  be- 
low the  surface  by  strata  of  limestone,  sandstone  and  shales  of 
Cambrian  age.  At  or  below  the  base  of  the  Cambrian  there  is 
also  a  thick  rock  stratum  of  a  doubtful  kind  but  generally  class- 
ed as  archean,  called  Laurentian  granite.  Above  the  Uambrian 
are  strata  of  upper  and  lower  Hilurian  age  but  these  rocks  do  not 
appear  to  extend  up  the  valley  as  far  as  the  center  of  this  county. 
Still  nearer  the  surface,  but  more  particularly  beneath  the  high- 
er land  in  the  county,  there  exists  a  great  body  of  marine  clays 
and  shales  of  middle  and  upper  Cretaceous  age.  These  latter 
series  are  overspread  by  the  glacial  and  modified  drift  beds, 
which,  with  the  topsoil,  forms  the  surface  deposits  of  the  valley. 


8  «  ITIRTORV    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

In  the  western  part  of  the  county  the  uplands  consist  almost 
bodily  of  alternating  beds  of  blue  clay  and  soft  shales.  Collect- 
ively, these  Cielaceoiis  strata  are  about  one  thousand  feet  in 
ihiclcness.  The  depth  of  the  overlying  drift  varies  from  merely 
nothing  on  the  tops  of  the  higher  eminences  to  twenty  or  more 
leet  in  j)laces  on  lower  ground,  but  usually  in  ihe  uplands  the 
glacial  drift  amounts  to  only  a  few  feet  of  bowlder  clay,  with 
many  scattered  bowlders  at  or  near  the  surface.  On  the  valley 
slope  the  drift  has  a  greater  thickness  Ihan  in  the  hill  district 
of  the  county.  The  bowlders  are  of  all  sizes  up  to  thos,;  oflhiee 
to  five  feet  in  diameter,  but  in  more  rare  cases  a  few  are  report- 
ed as  being  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  diameter.  They  are  usually  of 
granite  and  associated  rocks,  with  occasionally  one  of  limestone. 
Some  of  sandstone  occur  here,  but  they  are  very  rare.  The 
"hardheads"  came  from  the  Laurentian  axis  of  the  continent 
around  Hudson  bay,  and  the  liruestone  bowlders  are  from  the 
region  around  Lake  Winnipeg. 

The  Cretaceous  formation  of  the  upland  country  was  not  only 
once  continuous  across  the  entire  valley,  but  also  was  orijiinally 
500  or  more  feet  higher,  as  much  as  that  amount  having  been 
denuded  fioni  the  surface  prior  to  the  (Jlacial  period.  The  hol- 
lowing out  of  the  valley  itself  dates  from  about  the  close  of  Pli- 
ocene times  and  was  completed  essentially  the  same  as  it  is  now, 
some  minor  rough  surface  features  and  a  deeper  basin  excepted, 
when  the  Ice  age  began.  The  great  width  of  the  va.ley  is  due 
to  the  easily  erosihle  nature  of  the  strata  in  which  it  was  ex- 
cavated by  rain  and  stream  erosion. 

Two  of  the  land  belts  running  through  the  county  consist  of 
i-edirftentary  deposits  more  recent  than  the  bowlder  clay.  The 
oldest  of  the  two  in  relative  age  is  the  tract  called  the  ElU  V^illey. 
This  is  a  delta  deposit  of  sand  and  clay  silt,  formed  l)y  a  tenj- 
porary  glacial  river  that  came  down  from  the  Ciolden  valley  of 
Walsh  county.  This  ice-born  torrent  flowed  within  a  great  rift 
ot  the  icesheet,  the  part  of  the  rift  new  represented  by  the  delta 
then  forming  an  estuary-like  inlet  to  the  elacial  Lake  Agassiz. 
The  lake  then  filled  the  lied  Jiiver  Valley  as  far  north  as  Gram! 
Forks  county,  and  was  in  process  of  lengthening  northward  to 
the  country  around  Lake  Winnipeg.  'J'he  icesheet  was  probably 
about  a  half  mile  in  thickness  in  tlie  valley  and  during  the  epoch 
of  the  lake  the  ice  margin  was  receding.  The  sediments  of  the 
delta  extend  from  aronuil  McCanna  to  the  vicinity  of  Mayville 
and  Portland  and  also  include  some  of  the  ridgy  land  along  its 
eastern  border.  The  average  thickness  of  this  sedimentary  belt 
is  about,  forty  feet  and  Upham  estimates  its  bulk  at  from  H  to  2 
cubic  miles.  Its  lower  part  is  so  saturated  with  water  as  to  form 
a  quicksand,  which  is  reached  in  wells  from  12  to  24  feet  in 
depth,  and  fnrnidies  an  abundant  supply  of  very  pure  water. 


G  10  N  E  Pv  A  I,     D  E  8  C  R  I  P  T  I  O  \  9 

Tlie  more  recent  land  belt  covering  the  glacial  till  of  the  val- 
ley, is  the  great  bed  of  lacustrine  and  alluvial  silt,  that  has  filled 
its  lower  depression  and  extends  from  Wahpeton  to  Winnipeg. 
This  forms  tlie  flat  valley  plain.  In  this  county  the  formation 
extends  from  eight  to  twelve  miles  west  from  the  river.  Above 
the  bedrock,  according  to  Upham's  view,  most  of  the  formation 
of  the  valley  plain  consists  of  glacial  beds,  with  lacustrine  clay 
above  them  that  was  brought  into  the  lake  by  the  streams  while 
this  ancient  body  of  water  was  falling  to  low  levels,  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  soil  to  the  surface  is  alluvial,  having  been  deposit- 
ed by  Red  river  duri.ig  its  flood  stages. 

But  little  of  the  sediments  of  the  lake  were  deposited  upon  the 
midway  slope,  as  this  tract  was  much  exposed  to  the  erosion  of 
the  waves.  Some  of  the  soil  was  doubtless  eroded  from  the  eastern 
border  of  the  KIk  Valley  delta.  This  land  belt  is  marked  by 
Mian}'  successively  lower  beach  ridges  formed  by  the  waves  dur- 
ing as  many  periods  of  pause  made  by  the  receding  waters  while 
the  lake  was  being  drained  away. 

While  the  lake  stood  at  its  highest  stage  about  five-sixths  of 
the  area  of  the  county  was  submerged  beneath  the  water.  The 
western  shore-line  lay  along  the  foot  of  the  hills,  about  35 
miles  west  of  the  river.  Only  the  upland  district  and  parts  of 
the  ridge  in  Agnes  and  Inkster  townships,  which  formed  a  chain 
of  islands  that  was  continued  nearly  through  Walsh  county, 
alone  remained  above  water. 

'I'he  physical  oiuse  of  this  great  glacial  lake  was  wholly  de- 
pendent upon  the  closing  stages  of  the  Ice  age.  When  the  ice- 
sheet  was  melting  away,  year  by  year,  its  southern  margin 
stretched  across  the  valley  of  Red  river,  thus  forming  a  barrier 
to  the  pent  up  waters  that  prevented  them  from  flowing  away  in 
the  direction  that  the  natural  slope  of  the  land  would  have  led 
them.  The  lake  finally  drained  away  by  successive  stages, 
marking  either  side  of  the  valley  with  many  recurring  beach 
lines,  or  gravel  ridges,  at  lower  and  lower  levels. 

ARTEJ^IAN   AVELLS. 

Grand  Forks  county  does  not  seem  to  lie  within  the  limits  of 
any  of  the  artesian  basins  of  the  Dakotas.  Its  flowing  wells  are 
small  ones  and  none  of  them  go  to  bedrock.  They  are,  perhaps, 
nearly  all  confined  to  the  valley  plain  and  obtain  their  supply 
from  the  drift.  There  are  a  few  with  small  flow  in  and  around 
Ojata,  several  around  Afanvel  and  many  in  the  Forest  river 
drai!iHge  area  in  tiie  northern  part  of  the  county.  Two  inch 
pipe  is  generally  used,  and  <he  wells  vary,  approximately,  in 
depth,  from  60  to  279  feet.  Efforts  to  obtain  flowing  water  on 
the  higher  land  have  not  been  successful.  The  water  of  these 
wells  is  sometimes  good  but  apt  to  be  more  or  less  saline. 


10  HISTORY    OF    GRANO    FORKS    COUNTY 

The  following  record  of  a  boring  niade  at  the  Diamond  Mill, 
Grand  Forks,  shows  the  charncter  of  the  beds  in  this  part  of  the 
vnlley  down  to  bedrock.  It  was  obtained  through  Trof.  F.  S. 
15erg,  of  Lariinore,  from  Prof.  Babcock,  of  the  University. 

Alternating  clay  and  sand  :ind  gravel  to 200  feet. 

Alternating  clay  and  coarse  sand  to 240  feet. 

Alternating  clay  and  sand  to 305  feet. 

Fine  gravel  at 305  feet. 

Blue  clay  mostly  to... 370  feet. 

Coarse  sand  and  graVel  trom 375  to  380  feet. 

(irnnite  at  380  feet  and  penetrated  for  15  feet. 
Depth  of  this    boring,  395  feet. 

Section  of  the  Elk  Valley  delta  at  Larimore:  Soil,  2  feet,; 
sandy  clay,  5  feet;  yellowish  sand,  13  feet;  dark  sand,  particles 
two-thirds  cretaceous  shale,  containing  much  water,  40  feet. 
Total,  60  feet.     Hard  blue  till  at  the  bottom  of  the  delta. 

THE    INIIRAGE. 

FIftt  regions  like  the  lower  depression  of  the  Red  River  Valley 
are  subject  to  mirages,  and  these  aerial  phenomena  are  also 
occasionally  noticeable  on  the  higher  land  of  the  valley*  The 
followi»)g  account  of  the  mirage,  as  commonly  witnessed  in  the 
valley,  is  given  here  as  described  by  Warren  Upham: 

"In  crossing  the  vast  plain  of  the  lied  River  Valley  on  clear 
days,  the  higher  land  at  its  sides  and  the  groves  along  its  rivers 
are  first  seen  in  the  distance  as  if  their  upper  edges  were  raised 
a  little  above  the  horizon,  with. a  very  narrow  strip  of  sky  below. 
The  first  appearance  of  the  tree-tops  thus  resembling  that  of 
dense  flocks  of  birds  flying  very  low  several  miles  away.  By 
rising  a  few  feet,  as  from  the  ground  to  a  wagon,  or  by  nearer 
approach,  the  outlines  become  clearly  defined  as  a  grove,  with  a 
mere  line  of  sky  beneath  it.  This  mirage  is  more  or  less  observ- 
ed on  the  valley  plain  every  sunshiny  day  of  the  spring,  summer 
and  autumn  months,  especially  during  the  forenoon,  when  the 
lowest  stratum  of  the  air,  touching  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
becomes  heated  sooner  than  the  strata  above  it. 

"A  more  complex  and  astonishing  effect  of  mirage  is  often 
seen  from  the  somewhat  higher  land  that  forms  the  slopes  on 
either  side  of  the  plain.  Thus,  in  lookinir  across  the  flat  valley 
a  half  hour  or  two  hours  after  sunrise  of  a  hot  day  following  a 
cool  night,  the  groves  and  houses,  villages  and  grain  elevators, 
loom  up  twice  or  thrice  their  true  height,  and  places  ordinarily 
hidden  from  sight  by  the  earth's  curvature  are  brought  into  view. 
Occasionally  too,  these  objects,  as  trees  and  houses,  are  seen 
double,  being  repeated  in  an  inverted  position  close  above  their 
real  places,  from  which  they  are  separated  by  a  very  narrow  fog- 
like belt.     In  its   most  perfect  development   the    mirage   shows 


('.  F.  S  K  n  A  L    D  E  s  r  n  I  P  T  T  O  X  11 

the  upper  and  lopsy-tui  vey  portion  of  the  view  quite  as  distinct 
MS  the  lower  and  true  portion,  and  the  two  are  separated,  when 
seen  from  land  about  a  iiundred  feet  above  the  plain,  by  an  ap- 
parent vertical  distanc<^  of  75  or  100  feet  for  objects  at  a  distance 
of  six  or  eight  miles,  and  300  to  500  feet  if  the  view  is  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles  away.  Immediately  above  the  inverted  images 
there  runs  a  level  false  horizon,  which  rises  slightly  as  the  view 
grows  less  distinct,  until,  as  it  fades  and  vanishes,  the  inverted 
groves,  lone  trees,  church  spires,  elevators  and  houses  at  last  re- 
semble rags  and  tatters  hung  along  a  taut  line. 

"The  traveler  in  the  Red  River  Valley  is  reminded  the  same 
as  at  sea,  that  the  earth  is  round.  The  surface  of  the  plain  is 
seen  for  a  distance  of  only  three  or  four  iwiles;  houses  and  grain 
stacks  have  their  tops  visible  first,  after  which,  in  approaching, 
they  gradually  come  into  full  view,  and  the  highlands  ten  or  fif- 
teen miles  away,  forming  the  side  of  the  valley  apparently  lie 
beyond  a  wide  depression,  like  a  distant  coast."* 

COUNTY     ALTITUDES. 

'i'l>e  following  table  gives  the  elevation  in  feet  above  sea-level 
of  each  station  on  the  railroad  lines  within  the  county  limits. 
That  for  Merrifield  has  had  to  be  estimated,  but  cannot  be  much 
if  anything,  out  of  the  way. 

Arvilla 1017  McCanna 1140 

Bean 89o  Mekinock.. 861 

Kmeiado 898  Merrifield 850 

Gilbv 879  Niagara 1440 

Grand  Foiks 830  Northwood 1119 

Grand  l*orks  Junction...  836  Ojata 858 

Inkster 1036  Orr 1098 

Johnstown 871  Park  River  Junction..  1133 

Kelley 842  Reynolds 910 

Kempton 1126  Schurmeier 826 

Jvarimore... 1134  ^Shawnee 1232 

Tevant 822  Thompson 865 

Manvel 819  University 834 


The  Glacial  Lake  Agassiz,  pp.  21,  22. 


F-A.R,T    II. 


HISTORICAL   OUTLINE, 


PRE-SETTLE^[EMT  ANNALS. 


THE  TWO  EPOCHS. 

|T  WILL  now  be  proper  to  give  a  general  outline 
of  the  old  plinse  of  life  and  the  sequence  of 
events  in  the  Red  l^iver  Valley  from  the  earliest 
~\y/xj))  time  of  wliich  we  have  any  authentic  date  down 
to  the  period  when  the  present  generation  first 
began  toes^tablish  permanent  settlements  in  this  portion  of  the 
valley.  In  these  affairs  of  the  long  ago,  Grand  Forks  county  was, 
to  some  extent  at  least,  tlie  scene.  Hut  from  amidst  the  shifting 
scenes  of  this  historic  panorama  there  emerges  one  spot  in  the 
valley  that  becomes  prominent  as  its  historical  focus,  and  that 
place  is  Pembina, 

Without  reckoning  anything  on  the  visits  to  the  valley  of 
Verendrye  and  DuLuth  prior  to  the  middle  of  the  last  century, 
it  may  be  said  that  the  past  hundred  years  of  its  history  presents 
two  very  distinctly  marked  epochs.  The  first  of  these  is  that 
characterized  b}-  the  domination  of  the  fur  trading  interests, 
politically  represented  by  the  government  of  the  country  as  ex- 
ercised by  the  Hudson  Bay  company;  the  seconti  epoch  is  that 
marked  by  the  settlement  of  the  valley  by  the  present  popul:«- 
tion,  its  development,  and  founding  of  the  state  of  North  Dakota 
and  the  prijvince  of  Manitoba,  with  the  organization  of  their  re- 
spective governments;  including  also  tlie  occupation  and  develop- 
ment of  that  part  of  the  valley  that  lies  in  Minnesota.  This  epoch 
lias  not  yet  been  succeeded  by  any  other,  though  an  industrial 
and  manufactoring  era,  to  some  extent,  with  a  greater  |)opula- 
tion,  will  be  apt  to  constitute  the  characteristic  features  of  the 
next  epoch,  while  agriculture  and  its  associated  commercial 
operations  will  doubtless  remain  the  chief  sources  of  the  wealth 
of  the  valley. 


p  t;  e  -  s  e  1'  t  l  1-:  m  e  n  t   a  x  x  a  l  s  13 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  when  the  settlement  of  the  valley 
by  an  agricullural  population  had  its  beginning,  its  old  epoch 
abruptly  terminated  and  its  new  one  began.  Generally  speak- 
ing, there  is  no  abrupt  termination  of  any  one  epoch  and  begin- 
ning of  another.  A  transition  period  will  likely  ensue.  The  old 
epoch  insensibly  shades  into,  and  is  absorbed  by  the  new  one, 
each  having  its  characteristic  phase  of  life.  Radical  changes 
may  ensue  so  as  to  bring  about  jinother  and  different  state  of 
things,  but  these  are  the  growth  of  time.  There  is  a  gradual,  a 
slow  change  to  new  conditions,  and  no  one  can  say  just  when  a 
previous  era  has  ended  and  a  new  one  has  been  ushered  in. 

TMR  ABOiaGINES. 

In  early  times  the  plains  of  North  Dakota  formed  a  great 
range  for  the  buffalo.  The  bison  was  a  migratory  animal,  and 
in  winter  ranged  southward  to  northern  Texas.  The  increasing 
wartnth  of  spring:,  which  in  that  latitude  ensues  early,  urged 
these  animals  to  take  to  their  northwardly  leading  trails,  and 
they  migrated  in  vast  herds.  By  the  month  of  June  or  earlier, 
they  reached  the  Ifed  River  Valley. 

The  Dakotas,  and  much  of  the  state  of  INIinnesota,  was  former- 
ly the  domain  of  the  allied  tribes  called  the  Sioux.  The  eastern 
part  of  this  state  was  occupied  by  the  Yankton  sept  of  the  Sioux 
nation,  although  the  Wahpetons  and  Sissetons  were  located 
at  Lake  Traverse  later  tlian  the  middle  of  the  century.  In  north- 
ern INIinnesotji  were  the  Chippeways,  and  to  the  north  of  our 
boundary  dwelt  the  Crees.  Saulteaus  and  Assiniboines.  These 
latler  tribts  were  often  at  war  with  the  Sioux  and  made  the 
northern  part  of  this  state  their  battle  ground.  'I'he  Wahpetons 
and  Sissetons  were  accustomed  to  make  journe3's  to  the  north 
along  Red  river  and  as  far  as  the  Pembina  river,  to  hunt  the 
buffalo  and  to  wage  their  predalory  warfare  against  the  north- 
ern tribes,  including  the  Chippeways,  During  these  journeys 
back  and  forth,  the  site  of  Grand  Forks  was  one  of  their  con- 
venient camping  places  and  an  advantageous  point  to  lay  in  wait 
for  the  scalps  of  members  of  the  last  named  tribe. 

The  Indian  tribes  between  tlie  Mississippi  and  Rocky  mount- 
ains largely  derived  their  subsistenc*;  by  huntiuii:  the  buffalo. 
'I'hese  animals  furnished  them  with  robes  and,  in  a  measure,  a 
living.  But  people  in  the  savage  state  who  depend  on  hunting 
and  fishing  for  subsistence  can  never  form  communities  com- 
prising a  numerous,  much  less  a  dense  population.  Their  mode 
of  life,  exposure  and  liability  to  famine  and  tiieir  almost  constant 
warfare  with  other  tribes,  has  a  tendency  to  thin  their  numbers. 

•'Comparative  few  Indians"  says  Warren  IJpham  "were  able 
to  derive  their  subsistence  by  hunting  and  fishing  upon  the  area 
of  J^ake  Agassiz  or  in  any  other  regio?i.      Trobably  their  number 


14  HISTORY    OF    GRAND     FORKS    COUNT  Y 

living:  {it  any  one  time  upon  the  portion  of  the  lake   area    within 
the  T^iiitec]  ^States  did  not  exceed  5,000." 

MOUND  BUILDEI{S. 

At  a  period  that  was  long  anterior  to  the  occupation  of  this 
region  b}-  the  hunting  tribes  that  were  known  to  the  whites, 
there  lived  other  tribes  here  of  whom  Upham  remarks  thnt  they 
"probably  lived  more  by  agriculture  and  less  by  the  chase,"  and 
who  built  the  mounds  found  in  the  country,  to  some  extent,  by 
ihe  first  settlers.  The  builders  of  these  mounds  appear  to  have 
been  offshoots  of  the  ancient  race  known  by  their  works  as  the 
Moutid  Builders.  Where  they  were  the  most  numerous,  as  in  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  valleys,  they  were  sufficiently  advanced  to 
make  rude  pottery,  build  fortifications  on  a  large  scale,  also  tem- 
ple mounds  and  other  earthworks.  They  also  fashioned  native 
copper  obtained  in  the  Lake  Superior  region,  or  picked  up  more 
sparingly  from  the  glacial  drift,  into  various  utensils,  but  they 
do  not  appear  to  have  been  able  to  smelt  it.  They  must  also  have 
possessed  considerable  skill  in  other  arts,  but  at  their  best  the 
.superiority  of  the  IMound  Buihlers  that  occupied  the  Red  River 
Valley  over  the  later  Indian  tribes  was  but  slight,  and  even  in 
the  Mississippi  Valley  their  handicraft  was  not  at  all  compar- 
able to  that  of  the  aboriginal  races  of  Mexico  and  Peru. 

It  seems  to  be  pretty  well  established  that  the  Mound  Builders 
were  not  racially  distinct  from  the  Indians  and  were  probably 
the  ancestors  of  tribes  that  were  still  existing  within  the  present 
century,  as  the  Mandans,  for  example.  This  early  progress  of 
the  red  race  was  probably  due  to  intercourse  with  Mexico  and 
Yucatan,  also  to  early  migrations  of  the  race  from  those  coun- 
tries. Such  advancement  as  they  were  making  appears  to  have 
been  interrupted  several  hundred  years  before  the  discovery  of 
America  by  reason  of  the  appearance  east  of  the  Mississippi  of 
the  bisoD,  an  event  in  the  animal  world  that  changed  the  pop- 
ulation from  semi-agriculturists  into  bands  of  nomadic  hunters, 
thus  terminating  any  farther  progress  toward  civilization, 

Relics  of  the  occupation  of  this  part  of  the  state  by  the  later 
Indian  tribes,  notwithstanding  their  recent  possession  of  the  coun- 
try, have  not  been  so  abundantly  found  here  as  in  some  of  the 
middle  western  states  where  the  red  men  evidently  were  more 
numerous.  Still,  since  the  settlement  of  this  state,  arrow-heads, 
tomahawks,  mortars  and  pestles  and  other  stone  implements  have 
been  picked  up  on  the  prairies  in  consi(Jerable  numbers.  It 
should  be  remembered  that  the  states  in  which  these  relics  of 
aboriginal  life  liave  been  most  abundantly  found  were  original- 
ly more  or  less  forested,  and  in  wooded  districts  the  ituplements 
were  more  easily  lost  than  in    the  open    prairie  regions.       More- 

•^^  The  Glacial  Lake  Agassiz.  p.  filfi. 


PRE-SETTLK^rE  NT    ANNALS  15 

over,  the  prairies  were  nnmuilly  burned  over  by  the  Indians,  and 
until  the  grass  grew  again,  things  lost  upon  the  surface  were 
easily  seen  and  recovered. 

THE  FITR  COMPANIES. 

In  1670,  the  Hudson  l^ay  Fur  company  was  granted  a  charter 
by  (/harles  II,  of  England,  giving  to  Prince  Rupert  and  fourteen 
other  members,  their  heirs  and  assigns,  the  right  to  the  sole 
trade  of  tbe  region  around  Hudson  and  James  bays.  The  com- 
pany began  to  establish  themselves  on  these  bays  toward  the 
close  ot"  tlie  same  century.  Nearly  a  century  more,  however, 
parsed  beTore  we  read  of  the  lied  River  Valley  being  occupied 
either  by  this  company  or  by  any  other  of  which  the  members 
were  British  subjects.  In  tlie  meantime  exploring  and  trading 
expeditions  of  the  French,  coming  from  Canada  by  way  of  the 
Great  Lakes,  penetrated  the  Northwest  as  far  as  the  Ilea  River 
Valley  and  even  much  farther  west. 

About  the  year  1679,  Sieur  DuLuth.  who  was  conducting 
trading  operations  in  the  country  around  the  head  of  Lake  Su  pe- 
rior.  made  a  brief  and  |>robabIy  hasty  expedition  across  northern 
iMinnesota,  reaching  some  point  inland  about  Lake  VVinnipeg. 

After  DuLuth,  Sieur  Veiendrye,  his  sons  and  nephew  Jer- 
emaye,  next  penetrated  the  country  to  the  valleys  of  the  Red, 
Assiniboine,  Missouri  and  Yellowstone  rivers  for  the  purposes  of 
trade  and  exploration,  and  they  built  a  post  or  two  on  the  Assin- 
iboine. These  operations  were  continued  between  the  years  1731 
and  1748.  4'he  conquest  of  Canada  by  the  English  in  1759  ter- 
minated l^'rench  exploration,  but  the  work  of  the  missions  and 
operations  of  individual  traders  still  continued. 

The  first  settler  on  North  Dakota  soil  is  claimed  to  have  been 
a  Canadian  French  trader  who  located  at  Rembina  in  1780. 
While  his  name  has  n<)t  been  preserved,  the  fact  is  nevertheless 
nientioned  by  Prof.  Keating,  the  chronicler  of  Major  Long's  ex- 
pedition This  party  found  tlie  trader  still  living  at  Pembina 
^3  years  subsequent  to  the  period  of  his  location  at  that  place. 

In  1784  David  Thompson,  a  person  of  sonie  scientific  attain- 
ments, entered  the  service  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company  and  was 
appointed  clerk.  Later  he  was  employed  by  the  Northwest  com- 
pany as  explorer  and  geographer.  He  was  also  an  accomplished 
astronomer.  In  1797  he  visited  the  valleys  ot  the  Bed,  Assini- 
boine, Mouse  and  Missouri  rivers.  He  was  also  sent  by  the 
Northwest  company  to  visit  the  Missouri  and  the  sources  of  the 
Mississippi  for  the  purpose  of  making  geographical  and  astron- 
omical observations.  In  1798  he  was  at  Cass  lake,  in  Minnesota, 
and  fixed  the  latitude  of  the  cotnpany's  post  at  that  point.  He 
also  fixed  and  recorded  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  many  points 
thron<>hout  the  Northwest. 


](>  [IISTOT^Y     OF    fUIAND    FO  R  K  i^    COUNTY 

The  Northwest  Fur  company  whs  orgiinized  nt  INfontreal  in 
1783.  Their  ciiief  stiongholfl  in  the  Northwest  was  Fort  William 
«»n  Ivrike  Superior,  now  Port  Arthur.  Here,  every  antumn,  the 
coiireurs  <les  bois,  or  men  of  the  woods,  and  other  employees  of 
the  comp.tny  were  accustomed  to  gather,  spend  their  earnings 
for  liquor  and  luxuries,  and  hold  high  carnival.  'I'he  Northwest 
company  controlled  most  of  the  fur  trade  ot  the  Red  River  Val- 
ley. Capt.  Alexander  Henry,  an  officer  of  this  company,  came 
to  the  valley  in  1799  and  was  engaged  in  establishing  trading 
posts.  In  the  winter  of  1797-8  a  Oana<lian  French  trader  named 
Ohabollier  built  a  post  at  Pembina,  but  when  Capt.  Henry  visit- 
ed that  point  in  1800,  he  found  the  post  unoccupied,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  establish  his  headquarters  there, 

About  this  time  C;ipt.  Henry  had  a  post  built  on  the  Pembina 
river  about  nine  miles  below  the  point  wherf^  the  stream  issues 
from  the  Pembina  mountains,  which  in  those  times  were  called 
fhe  Hair  hills.  This  post  was  soon  afterward  removed  farther 
np  the  river  to  the  vicinity  of  the  site  ot  St.  Joseph,  now  the  vil- 
lage of  Walhalla,  where,  as  ('aptain  Henry  says,  "the  waters  of 
the  Paubian  leave  the  steep  hills." 

On  September  8,  1800.  Capt.  Henry  selected  the  site  for  a  trad- 
ing post  on  the  plain  between  the  lied  and  Park  rivers,  and  not 
far  from  the  mouth  of  the  latter  stream.  One  year  later,  to  wit. 
in  September,  1801,  he  sent  a  party  of  men  to  build  another  on 
the  site  of  Grand  Forks.  This  post,  however,  was  not  long  main- 
tained.* At  this  time  Capt.  Henry's  party  consisted  of  eighteen 
men,  four  women,  and  four  children.  Of  the  men,  one  was  his 
clerk,  and  another  acted  as  interpreter  in  dealing  with  the  Indians. 
'J'he  same  month  and  year,  Thomas  Miller,  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
company,  with  eight  Orkney  men  arrived  at  Pembina  and  estab- 
lished a  post  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  where  Emerson  now  is. 
Agents  of  another  organization  called  the  X.  Y.  company  also 
appeared  in  that  part  of  the  valley  at  this  time,  and  for  awhile 
maintained  a  post  on  the  Pembina  river.  In  1801  also,  the  lied 
iliver  cart  was  devised. 

The  canoe,  the  travial  and  the  dog-sledge  seen)  to  have  been 
the  only  means  of  communication  prior  to  the  introduction 
of   the    lied   River    cart.      At    first    Captain    Henry    considered 

*  It  is  a  question  in  the  mind  of  the  writer  Avhether  Captain  Henry  ever  es- 
tablished a  trading  post  on  the  site  of  Grand  Forks  at  all.  He  was  one  of  the 
few  men  of  that  period  who  thought  it  worth  the  effort,  while  in  the  country, 
to  keep  a  record  of  their  movements  and  observations.  His  journal  is  care- 
fully preserved  in  the  Government  Historical  Library  at  Ottawa,  Canada, 
and  only  extracts  from  it  seem  to  have  been  published.'  His  references  to  the 
"forks  of  the  river"  appear  to  have  meant  the  confluence  of  thf  Red  and  As- 
siniboine,  that  is,  the  site  of  Winnipeg,  It  is  therefore  doubtful,  whether  or 
not,  there  has  been  some  misunderstanding  as  to  the  location  meant  by  him. 
unless  he  specially  designates  the  forks  of  Red  and  Red  Lake  rivers  as  tho 
site  of  this  post. 


r  R  E  -  >  E  T  T  L  K  -M  E  N  T     A  N  X  A  L  S  17 

tliem  to  be  a  great  improvement  on  the  means  of  transportation 
previously  in  use,  but  two  years  later  he  says  in  his  journal  that 
the  introduction  of  horses  and  carts  into  the  country  had  the  ten- 
dency of  making  the  employees  of  the  company  more  lazy  and 
shiftless  than  before. 

In  18U6  Captain  Henry  visited  the  country  about  the  ^Fouse 
and  upper  Missouri  rivers.  He  speaks  of  Pembina  affairs  again 
in  1808,  when,  besides  the  annual  shipment  of  peltries,  there  was 
exported  from  the  country  3,159  pounds  of  maple  sugar.  That 
year  the  Rocky  mountain  locust  made  one  of  their  periodical 
visits  and  swarmed  over  the  country.  Captain  Henry  came  to  an 
untimely  end.  Having  gone  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  to 
which  region  the  Northwest  company  had  extended  their  oper- 
ations, he  was  drowned  in  the  Columbia  river,  May  28,  1814. 

THE  SELKIRK  COLONY. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  century  the  Red  River  Valley  be- 
gan to  be  occupied  and  traversed  i»y  the  trappers  and  voyageurs 
of  the  fur  companies,  and  soon  afterward  by  a  few  independent 
traders.  Rut  a  different  class  of  people  now  came  to  the  valley. 
These  were  the  Selkirk  colonists  and  their  coming  is  the  next 
important  matter  in  valley  history  after  the  operations  of  Capt. 
Henry.  This  colony  was  composed  of  Higli landers  who  had  been 
evicted  from  the  estate  of  the  Duchess  o!  Sutherland,  in  the  north 
of  Scotland.     Says  Warren  Upham: 

"The  first  immigration  of  white  men  to  colonize  the  fertile 
basin  of  the  Ked  Iviver  of  the  Xorth,  bringing  the  civilize<l  arts 
and  agriculture  of  Europe,  was  in  the  years  1812  to  1816,  when, 
under  Lord  Selkirk's  farsishted  and  patriotic  supervision,  the 
early  pioneers  of  the  Selkirk  settlements,  coming  by  wMiy  of  Hud- 
son bay  and  York  Factory,  reached  Manitoba  and  estal>lished 
their  homes  along  the  river  from  the  vicinity  of  Winnipeg  to 
Pembina.  In  its  beginning  this  colony  experienced  many  hard- 
ships, but,  in  the  words  of  one  of  these  immigrants,  whose  nar- 
rative was  written  down  in  his  old  age,  in  3881,  'by  and  by  our 
troubles  ended,  war  and  famine  and  flood  and  poverty  all  passed 
away,  and  now  we  think  there  is  no  such  place  to  be  found  as 
the  valley  of  lied  river.' "^ 

In  1811,  Thomas  Douglas,  earl  of  Selkirk,  having  gained  con- 
trol of  the  Hudson  Ray  Fur  Company  interests  so  frtr  as  to  en- 
able him  to  do  so,  secured  a  tract  of  il>3J3(Xl  acres  of  land  in  the 
Red  River  Valley  on  which  he  designed  to  plant  his  prospective 
colony.  Its  first  ctnitingent  arrived  in  1812.  The  lands  on  which 
they  settled  included  the  site  of  the  city  of  Winnipeg  which  was 
founded  about  sixty  years  later.     About  the  year  1814  the  locusts 

*  Tho  Glacial  f.ako  Aszassiz.  )..  tW2. 


18  H  [  S  T  (>  K  \      O  F     c;  R  A  X  I)     F  0  R  K  S     C  O  F  X  T  Y 

destroyed  their  crops  and  \v;mt  drove  tlif^m  to  the  post  of  Pembina 
for  food  Mild  shelter.  But  the  Northwest  Vur  company  were 
opposed  to  the  settlement  of  an  agricultural  population  in  the 
country.  'They  instigated  their  employees  to  annoy  and  harass 
the  C(donists  in  many  ways.  About  150  of  them  they  induced  to 
desert,  and  the  remainder  they  tried  to  frighten  away  by  setting 
their  halfbreed  employees  upon  ihem  disguised  as  Indians.  In 
1815  another  contingent  of  the  colonists  arrived  from  Scotland. 
The  Northwest  C(»mpany  now  endeavored  to  expel  them  from  the 
country.  An  affray  ensued  at  Seven  Oaks  near  the  site  of  Win- 
nipesT,  in  1816,  in  which  about  twenty  persons  lost  their  lives, 
among  whom  was  the  Hudson  Bay  governor  Semple.  Lord  Sel- 
kirk now  interfered,  protecting  his  colony  Dy  force  of  arms,  and 
re-imbursed  them  for  the  losses  of  property  they  had  sustained. 
The  hostile  criticism  evoked  by  these  troubles  finally  led  to  the 
coalition  of  tlie.^e  antagonistic  fur  companies,  which  was  effected 
in  1821.     In  that  year  the  first  l^'ort  Garry  was  built. 

The  success  of  an  agricultural  colony  such  as  this  was,  mainly 
depends  upon  favorable  climatic  and  physical  conditions,  also  a 
fair  degree  of  competency  to  obtain  subsistence  from  the  region 
colonized,  upon  accessions  in  number,  both  to  counterbalance 
losses  and  to  increase  the  population,  and  largely,  besides,  upon 
the  adaptability  of  the  colonists  themselves  to  adjust  their  mode 
of  life  to  the  usual  changed  conditions  of  new  settlements.  The 
Selkirk  colonists  found  a  fertile  soil  in  the  valley  that  was  in 
strong  contrast  with  that  of  the  partially  sterile  and  mountainous 
region  of  the  north  of  Scotland,  well  adapted  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  a  country  posses.sing  a  healthy  and  tolerable  cli- 
mate. Coming  from  a  high  northern  latitude  in  their  former 
homes,  the  long  days  of  summer  and  short  ones  of  winter  in  I  heir 
new  abode  presented  no  marked  contrasts;  but  the  physical  as- 
pect of  the  country  they  found  to  be  far  different,  and  Climatic 
conditions  considerably  so.  .Already  inured  to  hard  conditions  of 
life  in  their  old  homes,  they  were  the  kind  of  people  to  succeed 
and  were  deserving  of  the  fair  measure  of  success  to  which  they 
ultimately  attained. 

Gradually  the  colony  began  to  see  some  measure  of  prosperity. 
Other  additions  came  from  time  to  time,  and  they  began  to 
enlarge  and  extend  their  settlements.  In  1821  two  hundred  Swiss 
emigrants  arrived,  who  had  been  induced  to  leave  their  native 
country  by  an  agent  of  Lord  Selkirk.  The  colonists  built  church- 
es and  established  .schools.  They  maintained  amicable  relations 
with  the  Indians  from  whom  they  purchased  more  land,  extend-, 
ing  tfieir  settlements  up  the  Assinil)oine  and  up  Red  river  as  far 
as  Fembina.  Their  settlements  were  conipact,  the  individnnl 
holdings  beiiiij  six  chains  in  width,  and  extending  back  from  the 
river  two  miles  on  each  side.     They  had  mills  for  grinding  grain, 


r  11  E  -  8  E  T  T  L  ]■:  ^r  E  N  T    A  N  X  A  L  S  19 

spini  their  own  wool,  wove  their  own  cloth,  and  made  their  own 
clothinj^.  lo  guard  against  losses  by  locusts  and  drought,  they 
were  accustomed  to  keep  three  years  supply  of  food  and  forage 
on  hand.  Thouuh  liquor  wsis  to  be  had  at  the  posts,  intoxication 
among  them  was  almost  unknown.  Presbyterians  in  Scotland, 
they  niiiintained  their  religeous  integrity  in  this  country.  Not- 
withstanding their  privations  and  hardships  and  the  dangers 
they  were  called  upon  to  face,  they  succeeded  in  establishing  in 
this  remote  part  of  the  continetit  a  sturdy  civilization. 

There  was  but  little  communication  between  the  colony  and 
the  old  world.  A  vessel  or  two  arrived  about  August  of  each 
year  bringing  ilie  goods  ordered  before  by  dog-sledge  packet  to 
Montreal.  They  h;iil  mail  from  (ireat  Britain  but  once  a  year. 
It  is  related  of  Alexiinder  Murray,  a  colonist  of  1812.  that  he 
was  a  subscriber  to  the  London  Times,  which  had  been  issued 
under  tliat  name  daily  since  .latiuary  1,  1788,  and  that  he  receiv- 
ed a  full  yearly  volume  when  the  ship  came.  He  was  accustomed 
to  read  one  copy  a  d;iy,  that  of  the  corresponding  day  of  the  pre- 
vious year,  and  thus  he  kept  up  to  within  one  year  of  the  daily 
record  of  current  events  occurring  in  the  old  world. 

ISOLATION  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

While  these  events  were  in  pr(»gress,  that  is  to  say  throughout 
the  first  two  decades  of  the  century  and,  of  course,  earlier,  the 
Red  liiver  Valley  was  so  isolated  from  the  United  States  that 
even  the  geographers  of  the  eastern  states  seem  to  have  known 
little  or  nothing  of  it.  The  school  geographie.s  of  those  days 
were  like  sciiool  readers,  mainly  descriptive,  having  no  map 
questions,  and  containing  a  crudely  engraved  map  or  two,  uncolor- 
ed,  and  folded  into  the  book.  Jedadiah  Morse,  the  father  of  one 
of  the  inventors  of  the  telegraph,  published  the  first  American 
geography  for  the  schools  of  this  country,  in  1789.  An  exam- 
ination of  the  editions  of  1807  and  ISll,  in  possession  of  the 
writer,  shows  no  knowledge  rf  Red  river  as  a  stream  of  the  Unit- 
ed States,  nor  can  this  be  expected,  since  the  region  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river  is  spoken  of  as  comprising  '•unknown  coun- 
tries." Jonathan  Carver,  an  Americiin  traveler  of  the  last  cent- 
ury heard  of  the  Ked  river  Irom  the  Indians  while  wintering 
among  them  at  the  mouth  of  tiie  Cottonwood,  and  calls  it  a  cap- 
ital branch  of  the  IJiver  Bourbon,  tliat  is,  of  Nelson  river.  But 
during  the  tvvo  decades  under  consideration,  certain  official  and 
commercial  classes  in  Canada  and  England  »vere  in  possession  of 
a  larger  amount  of  infornuition  concerning  this  then  far  ofFnortii- 
we.'dern  country  than  was,  at  that  time,  known  to  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States. 

"The  war  of  the  Revolution,"  says  N.  H.  Winchell,  "which 
left  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  \n  possession  of  the    United 


20  II I  s  r  o  R  V    ()  F  (;  n  a  n  d   f  o  n  k  s  c  u  u  n  t  y 

States  and  the  west  hank  in  the  possession  of  the  French,  operat- 
ed not  only  to  tertnitjute  English  and  French  exploration,  but  to 
retard  that  of  llie  United  States.  It  was  not  till  after  the  cession 
of  Louisiana  by  France  that  the  trovernment  of  the  United  States 
instituted  measures  for  tiie  exploration  of  the  unknown  coun- 
tries west  of  the  Mississippi,  when  in  1804  Captains  J^ewis  and 
Clarke  were  despatched  to  explore  the  Missouri  river  and  l^ient- 
enant  Z.  M.  Pike  to  asceini  the  Mississippi  to  its  source.  J^ieut. 
FiUe  found  the  upper  Missisd[)pi  country  occupied  by  trading 
posts  of  the  Northwest  b^ir  company  over  which  was  still  flying 
the  l*]nglish  flag,  a  fact  which  attests  the  isolation  of  thjit  region 
since  the  peace  concIude<l  in  1783."* 

MAJOR  long's  expedition. 

Betwt^en  the  years  1818  and  1823,  Major  Stephen  H.  Long,  of 
the  United  Stales  Army,  had  charge  of  the  exploration  of  the 
country  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Rocky  mountains.  In 
the  latter  year  lie  was  directed  by  the  Secretary  of  War  to  pro- 
ceed to  I'embina  and  establish  the  international  boundary  at 
that  point.  Several  scientific  gentlemen  of  Philadelphia,  among 
whom  was  Prof.  William  Keating,  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, accompanied  the  expedition.  'I'he  Italian  traveler,  Bel- 
trami, a  political  exile  from  his  own  country,  also  joined  the 
party  at  Fort  Snelling, 

]\[ajor  Long's  party  arrived  at  Fort  Snelling  July  2,  1823;  on 
the  6th  Prof.  Keating,  Beltrami  and  other  gentlemen  of  the  par- 
ty, visited  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  which  then  existed  in  their 
primeval  condition;  and  on  the  9th  ihe  expedition  set  out  for  the 
Ked  River  Valley.  Proceeding  in  canoes  up  the  Minnesota  river, 
they  abandoned  this  mode  of  conveyance  at  old  Traverse  des 
Sioux,  and  the  remainder  of  the  journey  to  Pembina  was  made 
by  marching.  After  crossing  Nicollet  county,  Minn.,  to  \ied- 
stone,  so  as  to  cut  off  the  great  bend  of  the  Minnesota  river,  the 
route  pursued  was  up  the  course  of  the  strean>,  the  march  being 
more  upon  the  prairie  above  the  south  line  of  bluffs  than  along 
its  valley  bottoms.  'I'hey  reached  Big  Scone  lake  on  July  22. 
Here  Major  Long  met  and  held  a  conference  with  Wanata,  the 
chief  of  the  Yanktons.  After  passing  Lake  Traverse,  the  line  of 
march  was  next  down  the  west  side  of  Hed  river  along  which 
route  the  old  Red  River  trail  was  struck  out  some  years  after- 
ward. This  took  the  expedition  through  Grand  Forks  county 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  river.  The  [)arty  reached  I'enibina 
on  the  5th  of  August.  This  was  the  upper  settlement  of  the  Sel- 
kirk colony,  and  a  number  of  families  were  located  arouinl  this 
place.     The  tradijig    post  of  the  Northwest  coujpany,  estalilislied 

=*'  Cioolnoical  and  Natural  History  Suryoy  of  Minnosfita.  vol.  i.  ]>.  L'o. 


HISTORY     OF    GRANI>     FORKS     COUNTY  21 

there  in  1800  by  Captain  Henry,  hsid  been  maintained  down  to 
within  a  few  months  of  the  arrival  of  Major  Long's  party.  He 
found  about  three  hundred  halfbreeds  there  living  in  sixty  log 
huts,  and  the  traders  located  there  possessed  about  two  hundred 
horses.  The  day  after  his  arrival,  the  buffalo  liunters  cume  in 
from  the  chase,  forming  a  procession  consisting  of  116  carts  each 
loaded  with  about  800  pounds  of  buff'iilo  meat.  After  several 
days  observ;iti.)n  the  boundary  was  located  and  marked  by  set- 
ting up  a  few  oak  posts.  On  Augusc  8th,  the  American  flag  was 
officially  displayed  at  Pembina  for  the  first  time,  and  proclama- 
tion made  that  all  land  on  the  river  south  of  the  established 
boundary  was  United  States  territory. 

Hitherto,  the  colonists  at  Peml)in;i  had  supposed  themselves 
to  be  in  British  territory,  but  finding  themselves  really  between 
one  and  two  miles  south  of  the  boundary  line,  they,  being  in- 
tensely loyal  to  the  Britsh  crown,  abandoned  their  holdings  and 
removing  farther  north,  they  settled  at  Kildonan,  a  few  miles 
from  the  modern  city  of  Winnipeg.  The  Italian  traveler,  Bel- 
tr.wni,  considering  himself  discourteously  treated  by  INIajor  Long, 
separated  from  his  party  at  Pembina.  Procuring  a  halfbreed 
and  two  Chippeway  Indians  as  attendants  and  guides,  lie  traveled 
southeast  to  Red  Lake  riyer,  thence  up  to  ited  lake,  from  whence 
he  sought  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi  river,  by  no  means  an 
easy  task  to  accomplish  in  those  times  single  handed.  He  next 
passed  down  the  "Father  of  Waters"  to  New  Orleans,  and  having 
returned  to  Europe,  he  published  in  l.oudon  a  book  of  his  trav- 
els in  1828. 

After  leaving  Pembina,  ALajor  Long's  party  descended  the  river 
to  Lake  Winnipeg,  thence  ascended  the  Winnipeg  river  to  the 
Lake  of  the  Woods,  and  returned  to  the  United  States  by  way  of 
the  llainy  Lake  region  and  I^ake  Superior.  Major  Long  was 
born  in  1784,  lived  to  an  advanced  age,  and  died  at  Washington 
in  1864.     Beltrami  died  in  1855. 

Prof.  Keating  was  the  historian  of  this  expedition.  He  em- 
bodied the  notes  and  manuscripts  ot  different  membei^  of  the 
party  in  a  work  of  two  volumes,  which  was  published  in  London 
in  1825.  Accompanying  Keaiing's  work  was  a  map  compiled 
from  the  observations  made  during  the  progress  of  the  expedition 
and  from  various  other  sources  of  information.  On  this  map  the 
names  and  location  of  the  streams  tributary  to  Red  river  appear 
for  the  first  time.  On  the  whole.  Prof.  Keating's  work  "may  be 
correctly  pronounced  the  first  attempt  to  apply  the  accurate  meth- 
ods of  modern  science  to  the  exploration  of  any  portion  of  the 
Northwest."*  Major  Long's  official  report  was  not  publi<*hed 
until  some  time  after  the  appearance  of  Keating's  work,      lieap- 

*  Zoological  and  Natural  History  Survey  of  Minnesota,   vol.  i.  p.  HI. 


22  HISTORY     OF     (iUAND    F  0  IMi:  S    COUNTY 

pears  to  have  been  the  first  person  who  ever  made  any  authentic 
report  concerning-  the  Red  Jiiver  country  to  the  government. 

In  1824  a  family  of  the  name  ufTilly  goin^  from  Pembina  to 
Fort  Snelling,  was  murdered  near  the  site  of  Cirand  Forks  by  a 
band  of  Sioux  Indians,  who  carried  two  children  of  this  family, 
both  boys,  into  captivity.  The  facts  being  made  known  to  the 
C(  mmandant  at  Fort  Snelling  by  a  trader,  a  scouting  party  was 
sent  from  the  fort  to  the  vsilley  in  1826  and  iescued  the  children. 
In  the  early  part  of  the  present  decade,  one  of  the  rescued  boys, 
having  lived  to  become  a  man  of  advanced  age,  died  in  New 
.lersey. 

The  earl  of  Selkirk  had  died  in  the  year  1820.  Six  years  later, 
to  wit,  in  1826,  a  great  flood  occurred  in  the  lower  valley  that 
effected  his  colony  and  which  appears  to  have  been  the 
earliest  one  of  which  we  have  any  record.  ,  On  INFa}'  2d  the 
waters  rose  nine  feet,  and  on  the  5th  the  plains  were  submerged. 
'I'he  waters  continued  to  rise  until  the  21st,  doing  considerable 
damage  to  the  property  of  the  colonists.  Houses,  barns,  bodies  of 
drowned  cattle,  household  furniture,  amidst  logs  and  uprooted 
trees  moved  down  strejim  on  the  surface  of  the  raging  waters, 
and  one  night  the  house  of  a  colonist  floated  by  in  flames,  fo-m- 
ing  an  impressive  spectacle  to  the  awe  struck  beholders.  'J'he 
Swiss  contingent  of  the  Selkirk  colony,  becoming  discouraged 
and  dissatisfied  with  the  country  by  reason  of  the  losses  they  li:id 
sustained  from  the  flood,  left  the  valley  that  year  and  removed 
to  Minnesota,  journeying  to  their  destination  by  way  of  the  lakes 
and  streams  of  tiiat  state.  They  numbered  243  persons  and  be- 
came the  first  settlers  upon  and  around  the  site  of  St.  Paul. 

OLD  TIMES  IN  THE  VALLEY. 

For  the  next  dozen  or  more  years  following  the  flood  of  1826, 
there  seems  to  occur  a  sort  of  Liatus  in  the  history  of  the  valley. 
At  least,  we  have  been  able  to  find  but  little  that  has  been  re- 
corded which  pertains  to  those  years.  Probably  no  expeditions 
visited  the  country  during  thnt  interval. 

During  each  recurriuir  summer  tliere  ensued  the  annual  buf- 
falo hunt,  the  chief  event  of  the  year.  The  hunting  parties  of 
the  Northwest  assembled  at  some  appointed  place  between  June 
8th  and  18th.  Sometimes  as  many  as  a  thousand  or  more  per- 
sons took  part  in  these  hunts,  their  caravans  at  times  consisting^ 
of  as  many  as  600  carts.  The  hunters  were  accompanied  by  their 
women  and  children.  I'hey  were  mainly  hal (breeds,  with  some 
Indians  and  occasionally  a  few  whites.  Bands  from  some  of  the 
posts  in  Manitoba  also  joined  them.  Scouts  w^ere  first  sent  out 
to  locate  the  herds,  and  on  their  return,  the  leaders  having  heard 
their  reports,  they  determined  from  them  the  direction  of  the 
march  to  the  prairies.       The    bnffa.lo    ranges    of  the    Northwest 


rRE-KETTLElV[  ENT    ANNALS  23 

were  along  tlie  Sheyenne,  the  Mouse,  the  neighborhood  of  the 
'rnrile  mountains,  and  tlie  upper  portion  of  the  Red  .liiver  Val- 
ley. Reacliing  any  one  of  these  ranges,  the  hunters  attacked  the 
herds  on  horseback,  using  long  stocked  guns  with  flint-lock  fire, 
and  slew  the  animals  in  large  numbers.  The  remainder  of  the 
lierd  stampeded  away  with  a  loud  noise,  raising  a  great  cloud  of 
dust.  The  men  skinned  the  slain  animals  for  their  hides,  and 
the  women  assisted  m  cutting  up  the  meat  and  loading  it  into  the 
carts  for  transportation  to  camp  where  it  was  cut  into  strips  and 
dried  for  winter's  use,  and  for  making  pemmican.  The  tongues 
of  the  buffalo  were  considered  a  choice  part  of  these  animals, 
'i'hough  not  as  choice  as  beef,  buffalo  meat  nevertheless  formed 
the  chief  article  of  food  on  the  plains.  The  hides  were  brought 
to  the  posts  for  shipment  with  other  peltries. 

The  pemmican.  the  only  kind  of  bread  known  to  the  Indians, 
was  made  by  cutting  up  the  meat  in  long  thin  strips,  drying  and 
smoking  it  over  a  slow  fire  as  it  hung  on  racks  made  of  small 
poles,  and  it  was  next  placed  upon  tlie  flesh  side  of  a  buffalo  hide, 
whipped  to  fine  shreds  with  flails,  and  then  mixed  with  hot  tal- 
low in  large  kettles.  The  thick,  pliable  mass  was  then  pcuired 
into  sacks  made  of  buffalo  hide,  liolding  from  50  to  150  pounds 
according  to  the  size  of  the  skin,  and  would  keep  many  years 
when  hung  up  so  as  to  allow  the  air  to  circulate  around  them. 
When  used,  the  pemmican  needed  no  further  preparation,  or  it 
could  be  cooked  with  vegetables  in  several  different  ways. 

The  aristocracy  of  the  plains  consisted  of  the  officers,  traders 
and  clerks  at  the  posts,  and  the  buffalo  hunters.  While  the  Sel- 
kirk colonists  generally  dressed  in  homespun  clothino:  and  lived 
plainly,  the  men  at  the  posts  had  every  luxury  that  they  could 
procure,  including  a  stock  of  the  finest  liquors  The  importsition 
of  some  01  the  finer  products  of  civilized  life  gradually  became 
more  common,  even  to  silk  dresses  for  the  women  of  the  posts.  In 
dress  the  trappers  and  voyageurs,  or  caiuje  men,  and  some  other 
of  the  employees  of  the  fur  companies  used  a  common  sort  of 
cloth  that  was  imported,  gray  sui\s  being  much  worn  by  them. 
With  these  classes,  including  the  haifbrceds.  there  was  also  some 
admixture  of  vestments  made  ot  the  skins  (»f  animals,  especially 
buckskin. 

The  buffalo  whs  the  harvest  of  those  days — running  the  buf- 
falo, making  pemmican  and  shipping  furs.  Trapping  was  the 
business  of  the  spring,  bnfl'alo  hunting  in  the  summer  and  fall, 
and  in  the  winter  the  trappers,  hunters  and  voyageurs  devoted 
their  principal  attention  to  living  and  they  lived  right  royally 
on  the  fruits  of  the  summer's  chase.  *  Those  with  many  succeed- 
ing years  constituted  the  "good  old  buffalo  days." 

*  This  and  the  three  preceding  paragraphs  are  mainly  based  upon  various 
sketches  in  the  earlier  numbers  of  The  Record  Magazine. 


24  P  liE-S  ETTLE.M  EX  T    ANNALS 

The  guns  used  in  the  Northwest  were  niiide  in  England  spec- 
ially for  puvposes  connected  with  the  fur  trading  business.  They 
were  imported  by  way  of  York  l^^actory  and  exchanged  at  the 
posts  for  peltries  at  certain  values.  They  continued  to  have 
flint  fire  locks  long  after  the  percussion  cap  had  came  into  gen- 
eral use,  on  account  of  the  great  distances  to  the  points  at  which 
the  caps  might  be  obtained.  If  an  Indian  or  other  liunter  hap- 
pened to  get  out  of  his  supply  of  percussion  caps,  on  the  suppos- 
ition that  lie  used  a  percussion  fire  gun,  it  might  be  a  hundred  or 
more  n>iles  from  the  nearest  |)()st,  in  which  case  his  piece  would 
be  (t?  no  use  to  him,  while  a  flint-lock  gun  was  generally  service- 
able at  any  time. 

'I'here  were  some  salt  springs  in  the  valley  that  were  utilized 
to  some  extent  by  the  Selkirk  colonists  and  the  fur  companies, 
on  account  of  the  expense  of  importing  salt.  "Considerable 
quantities"  says  Warren  Upham  "were  yearly  made  by  the  evap- 
oration of  the  water  of  salt  springs.  One  of  these  springs  from 
which  much  salt  was  made  for  the  Hudson  Bay  compan}'  is  sit- 
uated in  the  channel  of  the  south  branch  of  Two  Rivers,  about 
li^  mile  above  its  junction  with  the  north  branch,  and  some 
six  miles  west  of  Hallock.  It  is  exposed  only  when  the  river 
runs  low,  and  in  such  part  of  the  summer  the  work  of  salt-mak- 
ing was  done."* 

During  the  period  mentioned  above  life  in  and  around  the 
trading  posts  continued  the  same  as  it  had  been.  The  country, 
the  surroundings,  the  mode  of  life  of  the  people,  and  its  object, 
wa^  of  that  character  which  admitted  ol  but  little  change  from 
one  generation  to  another.  The  Selkirk  colonists  also  continued 
their  simple  and  isolated  mode  of  life,  having  at  last  attained  a 
fair  measure  of  prosperity  and  happiness,  and  but  little  mindful 
of  the  continual  progress  and  irresistible  advancement  of  that 
westward  tide  of  eniigration,  which,  both  in  Canada  and  in  the 
United  States,  was  destined  in  future  yciirs  to  close  in  upon  them 
and  merge  their  descendants  amidst  the  present  population  of 
the  Northwest. 

JEAN  N.  NICOLLET. 

Jean  N.  Nicollet  was  a  Frenchman  in  the  service  of  the  bu- 
reau of  topographical  engineers.  After  exploring  the  basin  of 
the  Mississippi  in  the  south  with  its  vvestern  affluents  for  geo- 
graphical and  natural  history  purposes,  he  was  next  assigned  to 
the  region  of  the  upper  Mississippi.  These  latter  explorations 
covered  the  period  between  the  years  1836  and  1843.  Lieut.  .1,  C. 
Fremont  was  Nicollet's  principal  aid  and  assistant.  Fremont 
was  born  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  in  1813,  consequently  he  was  merely 
a  young  man  while  in  the  service  of  government  under   Nicollet. 

*  The  Glacial  Lake  Agassiz,  r-  <>"-''^- 


r  R  E  -  S  E  T  T  L  E  ]\r  E  N  T     A  N  N  A  L  P  25 

his  fame  a«  aii  explorer  of  western  wilds  being  still  in  the  future. 
But  he  was  thus  early  gathering  a  profitable  experience  as  an 
aid  to  Nicollet.  * 

The  interior  of  Minnesota  was  now  more  thoroughly  explored 
than  it  ever  had  been  since  the  visits  of  the  French  explorers  of 
the  two  preceding  centuries,  or  of  that  of  the  y\merican  traveler, 
.Jonathan  Carver.  The  chief  object  of  Nicollet's  expeditions  was 
for  geographical  purposes,  as  he  and  his  party  mapped  out  the 
streams,  lakes  and  land  heights,  locating  these  physical  features 
of  the  country  in  respect  to  their  latitude  and  longitude  as  accu- 
rately as  their  imperfect  appliances  would  admit  of  being  done. 
Nicollet's  party  was  again  in  the  field  during  the  warm  season 
of  1839.  Passing  up  the  Missouri  river,  they  left  its  banks  in  the 
vicinity  of  Pierre,  S.  J^.,  early  in  July,  and  struck  out  for  the 
Devils  Lake  country.  At  first  the  party  traveled  northeast  to 
the  James  river,  which  was  then  called  the  "Riviere  a  Jacques." 
On  reaching  this  stream,  its  valley  was  followed*  north  to  Bone 
hill  in  LaMoure  county,  N.  I).,  whence  the  expedition  crossed 
over  to  the  Sheyenne.  This  stream  was  followed  up  toward  Dev- 
ils Lake  wlieie  the  party  arrived  in  the  latter  part  of  July. 

Several  days  were  spent  in  exploring  and  mapping'  out  the 
shores  of  the  lake  and  all  prominent  physical  objects  in  its  vicin- 
ity. Its  western  end,  however,  was  not  visited,  but  the  party 
traversed  both  its  north  and  south  shores  to  considerable  dis- 
tances toward  the  west.  The  lake  lay  in  the  country  of  the 
Yankton  Sioux.  The  salinity  of  its  waters  was  noted  and  Nicol- 
let designated  the  country  around  the  lake  on  his  published  map 
as  a  '"'salt  water  region." 

On  August  G.  1839,  the  party  were  at  Stump  lake,  which  Nic- 
ollet calls  Wamdushka,  its  prevalentlndian  name.  Thence  the 
party  with  its  military  escort  marched  eastward  as  far  as  the 
western  part  of  Grand  Forks  county,  probably  camping  on  the 
night  of  August  8th  near  the  center  of  Moraine  township.  Al- 
though headed  toward  lied  river,  the  expedition  next  day  wheel- 
ed about  at  nearly  r\ii,ht  angles  to  the  line  of  march  since  leav- 
ing Stump  lake  and  passed  southward  to  explore  and  map  th« 
physical  features  of  the  Coteau  des  Prairies.     This  took    the  ex- 

*  >Jicoilet  was  born  in  the  village  of  Cluses,  department  ot  Haute  Savoie, 
France,  in  1786,  He  studied  astronomy  under  La  Place,  and  in  1817  he  was 
appointed  secretary  and  librarian  of  the  Paris  observatory.  With  a  good 
equipment  of  the  physical  knowledge  of  his  time,  he  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1882,  and  entered  the  service  of  the  Bureau  of  Topographical  En- 
gineers. So  far  as  the  historical  sketches  relative  to  North  Dakota  have  come 
under  the  writer's  notice,  Nicollet  has  never  received  that  recognition  which 
his  services  entitle  him  to,  or  to  sneak  more  truly,  almosf  no  recognition  at 
all.  The  allusions  to  his  expedition  are  coupled  with  Fremont's  name  and 
that  of  Nicollet  ignored,  thus  creating  in  the  mind  of  the  reader  a  false  im- 
pression as  to  the  officer  in  charge.  Nicollet  died  at  Washington  in  184 <„ 
while  his  report  on  his  explorations  was  undergoing  revision  for  the  press. 


26  HISTORY    OF    fiRAND     FORKS     C  O  U  xV  T  Y 

peditioii  through  what  is  now  Steele  county,  some  distance  to  the 
west  of  where  May  ville  and  Portland  now  stand.  It  was  more 
to  Nicollet's  purpose  to  penetrate  and  explore  a  region  hitherto 
but  little  visited,  than  to  traverse  the  level  plains  of  the  valley 
already  mapped  and  described  by  Major  Long  and  Prof.  Keating. 

Nicollet's  map  was  published  by  government  in  1812.  It  was 
called  the  "Map  of  the  Hydrographical  Basin  of  the  Upper  Miss- 
issippi River."  It  covered  the  entire  states  of  ]\linnesota  and 
Iowa  and  portions  of  the  other  states  that  adjoin  them.  In  re- 
spect to  the  physical  features  of  the  country,  it  was  rather  min- 
ute for  one  of  that  period,  and  in  later  years  Gen.  G.  K.  Warren 
pronounced  it  "one  of  the  greatest  contributions  ever  made  to 
American  geography." 

N.  H.  Winchell,  in  his  historical  sketch  prefixed  to  the  "Geo- 
lo<:ical  and  Natural  History  Survey  of  Minnesota,"  makes  the 
following  remarks  on  Nicollet's  methods  and  work:  "He  aims  to 
locate  correctly^  by  astronomical  observations,  the  numerous 
streams  and  lakes,  and  the  main  geographical  features  of  the 
country,  filling  in  by  eye-sketching,  and  by  pacing,  the  inter- 
mediate objects.  His  methods,  allowing  for  the  imperfection  of 
his  applilinces,  and  the  meagerness  of  his  outfit  and  supplies, 
were  established  on  the  same  principles  as  the  most  approved 
geodetic  surveys  of  the  present  day.  It  would,  perhaps,  liave 
been  well  if  the  methods  of  Nicollet  could  have  been  adhered  to 
in  the  further  surveying  and  mapping  of  the  territories.  Their 
geography  would  have  been  less  rapidly  developed,  but  it  would 
have  been  done  more  correctly.  Nicollet's  map  embraces  &  mult- 
itude of  names,  including  many  new  ones,  which  he  gave  to  the 
lakes  and  streams." 

A  BUFFALO  HUNT. 

As  has  been  stated,  white  men  sometimes  accompanied  the 
halfbreeds  to  the  buffalo  ranges,  either  to  participate  in  or  to 
witness  the  slaughter  of  these  animals.  Alexander  Ross  de- 
scribes a  hunt  which  he  witnessed  near  the  Sheyenne,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  site  of  Fargo,  in  1840.  He  writes:  "At  eight 
o'clock  the  cavalcade  made  for  the  buffalo;  first  at  a  slow  trot, 
then  at  a  gallop,  and  lastly  at  full  speed.  Their  advance  was  on 
a  dead  level,  the  plain  having  no  hollow  or  shelter  of  any  kind 
to  conceal  their  approach.  Within  four  or  five  hundred  yards, 
the  buffalo  began  to  curve  their  tails  and  paw  the  ground,  and 
in  a  moment  more  to  take  flight  and  the  hunters  burst  in  among 
them  and  fired.  Those  who  have  seen  a  squadron  of  horse  dash 
into  battle  may  imagine  the  scene.  The  earth  seemed  to  tremble 
when  the  horses  started;  but  when  the  animals  fled  it  was  like 
the  shock  of  an  earthquake.  1  he  air  was  darkened,  and  the 
rapid  firing  at  last  became  more    faint   as    the    hunters    became 


r  R  E  -  S  E  T  T  I.  E  M  E  N  T     ANNALS  27 

more  distant.  During  the  day  at  least  two  thousand  buffalo  must 
have  been  killed  for  there  were  brouglit  into  camp  1,375  tongues. 
The  hunters  were  followed  by  the  carts  whicli  brought  in  tb& 
carcasses.  Much  of  the  meat  was  useless  because  of  the  heat  of 
the  season,  but  the  tongues  were  cured,  the  skins  saved  and  the 
pemmicaii  prepared." 

TRADERS  AND  TRAPPERS. 

As  time  in  its  course  neared  the  middle  of  the  century,  com- 
munication between  the  valley  and  the  outside  world  became  all 
the  more  frequent.  Cart  routes  leading  to  the  head  of  navigation 
on  the  Mississippi  began  to  be  established  by  the  traders,  who,  in- 
dependent of  the  American  and  the  Hudson  Bay  fur  companies, 
had  begun  to  locate  at  Pembina,  St.  Joseph  and  a  few  other 
points  in  the  Northwest.  At  first,  the  objective  point  of  these 
cart  trails  was  Mendota,  near  Fort  Snelling,  but  St.  Paul  having 
gotten  its  first  start  about  the  year  1846,  the  cart  trains  with 
their  great  packs  of  buffalo  robes  and  bales  of  mink  and  other 
.skins  thereafter  went  to  that  place.  Here  the  steamboats  took 
the  peltries  foi  shipment  to  St.  Louis.  In  these  enterprises  the 
famous  Joe  Rolette  first  appears. 

Joe  was  a  noted  trader  of  those  times.  He  was  born  at  Prairie 
du  Chien,  October  23,  1820,  his  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Que- 
bec, liaving  been  an  Indian  trader  of  note  in  the  early  days  of 
Wisconsin.  In  early  life  Joe  was  sent  to  New  York  to  be  educated 
under  the  supervisionof  Ramsey  Crooks,  president  of  the  Amer- 
ican Fur  company.  On  his  return  to  the  west,  he  entered  the 
service  of  his  father  in  the  fur  trade.  General  Sibley  was  then 
residing  in  a  stone  built  house  at  Mendota,  which  was  his  head- 
quarters, and  he  had  charge  of  the  company's  fur  trading  busi- 
ness in  the  Northwest.  The  elder  Rolette  died  in  1842,  and 
about  that  time  the  general  sent  Joe  to  Pembina  in  connection 
with  the  company's  interests  there,  and  he  came  in  company  with 
liis  mother's  brother,  a  Mr.  Fisher,  who  had  spent  the  most  of  his 
life  trading  with  the  Indians.  Thenceforth  Joe  made  Pembina 
his  future  home. 

In  1843  Norman  \V.  Kittson,  who  was  a  relative  of  Captain 
Henry,  and  in  modern  times  a  wealthy  railroad  ofl!icial  of  St.  Paul, 
also  came  to  Pembina  and  began  laying  the  foundation  of  his 
subsequent  large  fortune.  In  connection  with  Rolette,  he  es- 
tablished a  trading  post  at  Pembina,  and  removed  in  1852  to  St. 
Joseph,  being  associated  there  for  awhile  with  a  trader  named 
Forbes,  and  a  little  later  with  Charles  Cavileer. 

Only  six  carts  went  from  Pembina  to  the  Mississippi  in  1844, 
but  with  the  passing  years  this  small  number  increased  to  some 
hundreds  as  t!ie  trade  developed.  The  establishment  in  the  Red 
River  Valley  of  distinctively  American  traders,    whatever   their 


i'S  I  r  I  8  T  o  R  V    ( )  r  ( ;  r  a  n  J)   forks  c  o  u  x  t  y 

ancestry  tnay  h;ive  been,  led  to  the  diversion  of  a  part  of  the  fur 
trade  of  this  region  to  the  hend  of  navigation  on  the  Missis-^ippi. 
This  trade  had  ari  important  influence  on  the  founding  and  early 
growth  (>•  St.  Paul.  Some  say  that  it  was  the  making  of  that  city, 
hut  a  large  metropolis  would  have  risen  upon  that  site  had  there 
heen  no  fur  trade,  since  conditions  pertaining  to  physical  geog- 
raphy and  other  factors  had  already  determined  tliat  question. 

The  American  traders  at  the  Red  Iliver  posts  suffered  great 
losses  from  time  to  time  from  the  agsfressions  of  the  Hudson  Hay 
company's  men.  They  also  furnished  the  Indians,  in  the  way  of 
traffic,  with  large  quantities  of  whiskey,  which  the  American 
traders  were  forbidden  to  do  under  severe  penalties.  In  vain  did 
Kittson  protest  and  remonstrate  and  ask  for  protection  and  re- 
dress. General  Sibley  could  not  help  him  and  the  government 
would  not.  At  last,  in  1847,  some  Canjidian  traders  came  near 
Pembina  and  set  up  a  post  two  miles  from  Rolette's,  and  serjt 
out  runners  to  the  Indians  that  they  wanted  their  furs  for  money 
and  whiskey,  liefore  they  had  fairly  beguci  operations,  Rolette 
took  a  dozen  or  so  of  his  plucky  retainers,  half  breeds  for  the  most 
part,  marched  against  the  intruders,  tumbled  their  goods  out  of 
their  buildings,  and  burned  them  to  the  ground  and  drove  the 
traders  and  their  retainers  back  into  Canada.* 

The  streams  of  the  Northwest  were  everywhere  traversed  by 
the  voyageurs  in  the  employment  of  the  fur  companies,  and  their 
banks  were  familiar  to  the  trappers  and  hunters  of  those  limes. 
Probably  most  of  the  tributaries  of  Red  river  bear  the  names 
that  these  adventurous  men  applied  to  them.  rhe  Hudson  Bay 
company  engaged  men  from  Canada,  Scotland  and  England  as 
employees  in  the  varied  services  of  the  fur  trading  business,  and 
many  of  the/n  spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  the  company's 
service.  I'he  Canadian  French  element  predominated.  All  of 
them  were  men  of  vigorous,  hardy  constitutions,  and  their  lives 
and  labors  were  full  ot  hardship  and  often  of  excitement  and 
peril.  Out  ()f  every  hundred,  at  least  forty,  it  has  been  com- 
puted, perished  through  the  perils  that  beset  their  dangerous 
mode  of  life.  i3ut  the  men  liked  the  business  and  the  places 
of  those  who  lost  their  lives  by  untimely  deaths  were  soon  filled 
by  others.  In  the  absence  of  white  women  many  of  these  men 
took  Indian  wives,  and  there  grew  up  around  the  trading  posts  a 
numerous  progeny  of  half  breeds.  At  one  period  this  element  in 
the  population  of  North  Dakota  and  Manitoba  must  have  num- 
bered about  3,000. 

The  voyageurs,  trappers  and  hunters  led  a  gay,  joyous,  but,  on 
the  whole,  rather  hard  and  dangerous  sort  of  life,  remote  from 
most  of  the  conversiences,  comforts  and  luxuries   of  civilization. 

*  From  a  sketch  written  for  the  Minnesota  Historical  Society  by  Jii^l^e 
Flandrean.— The  Record  Magazine.  .Tnly  1895, 


r  R  E  -  S  E  T  T  T>  E  ^r  E  N  T    A  N  N  A  L  S  29 

Hut  little  concernina;  their  adventures  and  perils  was  ever  left 
upon  record.  During  the  warm  season  of  nnost  every  year  the 
buffalo  ranged  over  parts  of  the  Northwest  in  immense  herds  and 
elk,  deer,  antelope,  coyote,  fox,  beaver  and  many  varieties  of 
smaller  animals  were  more  or  less  common  denizens  of  this  re- 
gion, and  it  was  occasionally  frequented  by  the  hear.  The  hides 
and  skins  of  these  animals  were  eagerly  sought  afler,  as  collected 
by  the  trappers,  hunters,  Indians  and  halfbreeds,  by  tlie  agents 
of  the  fur  companies  and  by  the  independent  traders.  Some  of 
the  skins  were  rated  more  valuable  than  others  on  account  of 
rarity.  The  great  bulk  of  the  packs  and  bales  of  furs  annually 
shipped  from  the  country  consisted  of  buffalo  hides  notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  there  wa^5  a  vast  amount  of  other  peltries  also 
collected  besides. 

The  cart  brigades  started  for  St.  Paul  in  the  latter  part  of 
June  and  were  a  month,  niore  or  less,  in  making  the  down  trip, 
according  to  the  weather  and  the  condition  of  the  trails.  "F'or 
shipment"  says  Charles  Cavileer  in  one  of  his  sketches  "the  robes 
were  packed,  ten  robes  to  the  pack,  u^ing  the  wedge-press,  mak- 
ing as  compact  a  bale  as  the  screw-press,  but  requiring  more 
labor.  Of  furs,  there  were  500  skins  to  the  pack,  of  mink,  musk- 
rats,  martin,  fishers,  skunlf  and  all  small  animals.  Of  bear,  fox- 
es, wolverines,  lynx,  there  were  twenty  to  the  pack.  When  not 
having'  enough  for  the  regulation  bale  we  niade  mixed  packages, 
endeavoring  to  make  all  bales  as  nearly  as  possible  of  the  same 
size  and  weight,  in  order  that  we  might  correctly  estimate  the 
weight  of  the  load  of  the  cart.  From  eight  to  ten  packs  were 
carried  on  each  cart." 

The  Red  River  cait  consisted  of  two  strongly  constructed  wheels 
with  large  cylindrical  hubs  each  bored  through  with  a  large  hole 
for  the  axle,  heavy  oak  rims  or  felloes  four  or  five  inches  thick, 
an  axle  with  straight  phills,  a  bottom  of  boards  or  poles  and  a 
frame  around  and  above  the  bottom  about  two  feet  high.  'I'hey 
resembled,  at  least  in  form,  the  two  wheeled  cart  of  the  whites. 
They  were  made  mostly  of  oak,  the  wheels  were  not  banded  with 
tires  of  any  kind,  and  no  iron  whatever  was  used  in  their  con- 
struction. In  place  of  nails  and  bolts,  wooden  pins  were  used 
for  the  fastenings.  The  carts  were  used,  eighty  or  a  hundred  in 
long  strung  trains  which  was  called  a  brigade. 

DAVID  DALE  OWEN. 

In  1848  Prof.  David  Dale  Owen,  a  distinguished  geologist  of  a 
past  generation,  visited  the  Red  River  Valley.  He  had  been 
appointed  the  previous  year  by  government  to  make  a  geological 
survey  of  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and  jAlinnesota.  Its  primary  object 
was  to  derive  information  for  the  removal  of  such  lands  as  were 
valuable  for  their  mineral  resources  from  sale  in  the  land  office 
at  Washington.     Owen  had  a  large  number  of  assistants  and  hi.s 


30  HISTORY     OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

report  was  published  in  1852.  In  coming  to  the  valley,  he  made 
a  canoe  voyage  down  Red  river  as  far  as  J^ake  Winnipeg,  and 
also  passed  up  the  Pembina  river  as  far  as  the  vicinity  of  Wal- 
halla.  In  what  is  now  the  western  part  of  Pembina  county,  he 
examined  the  great  delta  of  the  Pembina  river,  called  the  First 
Pembina  mountain,  formed  there  during  the  highest  stages  of 
the  ancient  J.ake  Agassiz.  Owen  surmised  from  the  appearance 
of  the  Red  River  Valley  that  in  some  past  epoch  this  great  basin 
had  been  the  bed  of  a  fresh  water  lake  of  large  proportions,  but 
neither  its  physical  cause  nor  the  extent  of  the  country  it  had 
covered  were  then  known  nor  lor  many  years  afterward.'.. 

MAJOR  WOODS  AND  CAPTAIN  FOFE. 

In  the  summer  of  1849  Major  Woods  was  despatched  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  to  the  Pembina  settlement  for  the  purpose  of 
selecting  the  site  for  a  military  post.  He  was  accompanied  by 
Captain  John  Pope,  of  the  Engineering  Corps,  who  made  a  val- 
uable report  on  the  country  that  was  traversed  by  the  ex- 
pedition. This  left  Fort  Snelling  on  June  6th,  proceeded  up  the 
Mississippi  valley,  thence  across  IMinnesota  by  way  of  the  Sauk 
valley  and  J^ake  Osakis,  reaching  the  Ked  river  at  a  point  about 
fifteen  miles  below  the  site  of  Wahpeton,  having  followed  through 
Minnesota  a  cart  route  already  well  traveled  by  trains  of  Red 
River  carts  that  went  from  Pembina  to  St.  Paul.  Crossing  to 
the  west  side  of  the  stream  the  remainder  of  their  journey  was 
down  the  valley  in  the  footsteps  of  IMajor  Long.  On  account  of 
the  near  approach  of  the  seventh  decennial  census  of  the  United 
States,  Major  Woods  had  been  (>rdered  by  Gov.  llamsey,  of  the 
territory  of  Minnesota,  to  take  it  for  the  Pembina  settlement. 
He  found  in  and  around  this  place  295  males  and  342  females, 
the  most  of  this  population  presumably  being  halfbreeds.  In 
1840  the  traders  had  1,210  carts  and  at  the  time  of  the  takiug  of 
Woods'  census  the  number  must  have  been  many  more. 

Major  Woods  with  the  most  of  his  party  returned  up  the  valley 
by  the  trail  that  they  had  followed  down  the  same,  but  Captain 
Pope  organized  a  secondary  expedition  at  Pembina  and  returned 
up  stream  in  canoes  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  river.  He 
notes  the  streams  that  enter  Red  river  Irom  either  side.  Those 
between  Pembina  and  ihe  mouth  of  Ked  Jiake  river  are  stated  by 
him  to  be  as  follows:  'I'wo  Rivers,  Park,  Marais  No.  1.  (from 
the  east)  Big  Salt,  Marais  No.  2,  (from  the  we.st.)  Turtle,  Ma- 
.rais  No.  3,  (from  the  east)  and  a  small  stream  called  Coulee  de  V 
Anglais.  The  Park,  Big  Salt  and  Turtle  he  states  to  be  about 
eighteen  yards  wide,  and  the  Red  Lake  river  as  being  fifty  yards 
in  width  near  its  mouth,  fourteen  feet  deep,  and  as  having  a  more 
rapid  current  than  Red  river.  He  placed  the  head  of  navitration 
on  Red  river  at  the  month  of  the  Bois  des  Sioux. 


TRE-SETTLEMENT    ANNALS  31 

In  speaking  of  the  country  Captain  Pope  says:  "The  valley 
of  Red  liiver  is  entirely  alluvial  in  its  formation,  no  rocks  iu 
place  being  found  in  its  entire  length  within  the  territory  of  the 
United  States.  It  abounds  with  bowlders  or  erratic  blocks  of 
granite,  which  in  all  cases  are  very  much  rounded  by  the  action 
of  water.  They  are  most  abundant  upon  the  highest  ridges  of 
the  prairies,  and  cause  all  the  rapids  in  the  small  streams  trib- 
utary to  Red  river.  About  seventy  miles  to  the  north  of  our 
frontier  a  secondary  limestone  appears  at  the  falls  of  Red  river, 
which  is  unquestionably  the  basis  of  the  whole  valley,  but  at  what 
depth  below  the  surface  it  is  impossible  to  say." 

Captain  Pope's  error  m  supposing  that  the  partially  rounded 
form  of  bowlders,  really  chiefly  due  to  glacial  agency,  was  the 
result  of  decomposition  aided  by  running  water  or  any  form  of 
fluvatile  action,  was  but  that  of  his  time.  His  speculation  re- 
specting the  bedrock  of  the  whole  valley  being  the  same 
Silurian  limestone  that  outcrops  below  Winnipeg,  is  but  little 
borne  out  by  the  records  of  artesian  wells  that  have  been  bored 
at  many  different  points  in  the  valley  within  the  last  dozen  years. 
The  limestone  beds  beneath  the  valley  are  of  different  epochs, 
and  wherever  present  at  all  beneath  the  flat  land  of  its  lower 
depression,  are  apt  to  be  overlain  by  successive  beds  of  shale, 
though  this  is  not  invariably  the  case.  The  depth  down  to  bed- 
rock on  the  valley  plain  and  through  soil,  clay,  sand  and  gravel, 
varies,  approximately,  from  100  to  400  feet.  And  the  first  rock 
struck  may  be  either  shale,  limestone,  sandstone  or  Laurentian 
granite,  according  to  locality.  .    (For  this  county  see  pages  7-10.) 

Captain  Pope  also  states  that  there  were  then  three  diflferent 
cart  routes  leading  from  the  Red  River  Valley  to  St.  Paul  that 
were  used  by  the  traders  and  trappers  of  those  times.  These 
constituted  a  southern,  middle  and  northern  route.  The  first 
was  by  way  of  the  Minnesota  river  to  Big  Stone  lake,  often  tak- 
ing to  the  prairies  instead  of  following  the  valley  bottom;  the 
other  two  led  as  one  up  the  Mississippi  valley  and  then  diverged, 
the  middle  route  following  the  course  of  the  Sauk  river  and  across 
country  to  the  site  or  vicinity  of  Fort  Abercrombie.  this  being 
the  route  of  the  expedition;  the  more  northern  route  was  by  way 
of  Crow  W;ng  valley,  passing  around  the  north  end  of  Otter  Tail 
lake  and  reaching  Red  river  at  the  mouth  of  the  Buffalo  river. 
These  divergent  trails  passed  down  to  Pembina  on  either  side 
of  Red  river.  In  crossing  Mitmesota,  where  the  country  was 
partially  wooded,    they  followed  the  prairie  as  much  as  possible. 

THE  FIRST  POST-OFFICE  IN  NORTH  DAKOTA. 

The  first  post-office  in  this  state  was  established  at  Pembina 
about  the  year  1849.  Previously,  the  Hudson  Bay  company  had 
been  forwarding  their  mail  destined    for   Canada   and    England, 


32  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

twice  a  year,  spring  and  fall,  by  special  messengers  or  carriers 
to  St.  F;iiil,  from  whence  it  was  forwarded  to  its  destination. 
Each  half  year  the  mail  as  gathered  from  the  company's  numer- 
ous outposts  consisted  of  a  thousand  or  more  packages.  From 
England  mail  still  came  by  ship  through  Hudson  Bay. 

Kittson  interested  himself  in  the  etablishment  of  a  monthly 
mail  between  Pembina  and  St.  Paul.  The  mail  was  to  leave 
Pembina  the  first  of  each  month  for  Crow  Wing  village,  but  there 
was  no  specified  time  as  to  its  arrival  at  that  place  or  at  Pem- 
bina on  the  return  trip.  The  route  was  by  way  of  Thief  ri'er, 
Ked,  Cass  and  Leech  lakes.  The  carriers  were  halfbreeds,  and 
the  mail  was  forwarded  either  way  by  cart  trains  in  summer,  a 
part  of  the  way  by  canoe,  and  by  dog-sledges  in  winter.  Joseph 
k.  Brown  was  contractor  for  the  route  between  Pembina  and 
Crow  Wing,  another  route  already  being  in  use  from  the  latter 
place  down  to  St.  Paul. 

Norman  W.  Kittson  was  appointed  postmaster  sometime  in 
1849.  In  1851  Charles  Cavileer  came  to  Pembina  and  a  few  days 
after  his  arrival  there  was  appointed  assistant  postmaster  by 
Kittson  and  did  all  the  business  of  the  office.  By  that  time  the 
transportation  business  of  the  country  had  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  the  government  established  a  custom-house  at  Pem- 
bina and  Charles  Cavileer  was  appointed  collector.  'I'he  custom- 
house was  one  of  the  log  buildings  of  the  place,  as  was  also  the 
post-office.  Arrangements  were  also  made  with  the  Hudson  Bay 
company  to  deliver  their  mail  at  Pembina  and  have  it  forwarded 
from  that  point. 

POLITICAL  REPRESENTATION. 

From  1849  to  1858  this  portion  of  the  Red  lliver  Valley  was  a 
part  of  Minnesota  territory.  Originally  a  part  of  the  JA)uisiana 
purchase,  the  changes  of  name  and  of  boundaries  of  the  north- 
western country  down  to  the  time  Minnesota  territory  was  creat- 
ed, were  many,  as  this  region  became  attached  to  one  or  another 
of  the  successive  territories  that  from  time  to  time  were  being 
formed.  When  the  territory  was  organized  on  June  1,  1849,  St. 
Paul,  which  became  its  capital,  was  nothing  more  than  a  village 
and  at  that  time  mainly  dependent  on  the  northwestern  fur  trade, 
while  Minneapolis  was  not,  as  yet,  founded,  the  site  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river  then  being  a  part  of  the  Fort  Snelling  military 
reserve.  Northwestern  31innesota  and  the  Ked  River  country 
constituted  the  Pembina  leo;islative  district,  and  although  the 
white  population  was  scant,  it  was  presumed  that  it  was  entitled 
to  be  represented  in  ihe  territorial  legislature.  'J'he  district  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  represented  in  the  first  and  second  ses- 
sions of  the  legislature,  nor  to  have  voted  in  the  first  and  second 
elections  for  delegate  to  Congress.      But  in  1852,    at    the    third 


PRE-SETTLEMENT    ANNALS  33 

session  of  the  territorial  legislature,  Norman  VV.  Kittson  was 
elected  to  the  council  (Renate)and  Anton  Gingras  to  the  house. 

In  the  election  of  1853  there  were  128  votes  cast  at  Pembina. 
In  this  election  liolette,  Gingras  and  Kittson  were  sent  to  the 
legislature,  the  two  former  to  the  house  and  the  latter  to  the 
council.  For  several  years  thereafter,  Rolette  was  sent  to  the 
legislature,  in  1855  as  a  member  of  the  council.  "Joe  was  a  trad- 
er without  method  and  with  but  little  idea  of  the  value  of  money, 
and  if  the  whole  truth  were  to  be  told  it  would  appear  that  the 
opposition  traders  sent  him  to  the  legislature  in  order  to  take 
him  away  from  his  business  and  leave  the  trade  open  to  them, 
without  his  competitiim,  which  was  entirely  too  sharp," 

It  was  during  the  session  of  the  winter  of  1856-7  that  Kolette 
saved  the  cnpital  of  Minnesota  to  St.  Paul.  A  bill  providing  for 
its  removal  to  St.  Peter  had  been  introduced  by  VV.  I).  Lowry, 
member  of  the  council  from  St.  Cloud,  and  had  passed  the  coun- 
cil February  12,  and  the  house  February  18,  1857.  Itonly  need- 
ed tiie  signature  of  Gov.  Gorman,  who  had  been  appointed  by 
President  Pierce  to  succeed  (Jov.  Ramsey,  to  become  a  law. 
Rolette  was  chairman  of  the  committee  that  had  the  matter  in 
charge,  and  the  session  being  within  five  days  of  its  close  when 
he  received  the  bill  on  the  27th,  he  made  away  with  it  by  ab- 
senting himself  from  the  session,  and,  with  the  connivance  of 
friends  who  were  hostile  to  the  project,  hesecluded  himself  in  his 
room  at  a  hotel  called  the  Fuller  house.  Tradition  states  that 
these  friends  of  .loe  got  him  intoxicated,  and  detained  him  at  the 
hotel  in  that  way.  These  interested  in  having  the  bill  become  a 
law  made  strenuous  effoit^-i  to  have  Joe  found,  but  without  avail. 
Unable  to  report  a  true  bill  fur  the  governor's  sigtiature,  the  leg- 
islature adjourned  and  the  project  of  removing  the  capital  fell  by 
the  wayside. 

THE  GRIP  OF  THE  FUR  TRADK. 

The  vast  region  now  comprised  in  the  Canadian  provinces  to 
the  north  of  onr  boundary  was  controlled  by  the  Hudson  Bay 
Fur  company.  As  the  charter  granted  to  the  original  company 
had  never  been  annulled,  the  region  in  question  could  be  opened 
up  to  general  settlement  only  by  an  act  of  Parliament  that  would 
terminate  their  control  over  this  region.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  portion  of  the  valley  within  the  United  States  could  be  oc- 
cupied by  settlers  at  any  time,  subject  only  to  the  extinguish- 
ment of  Indian  titles,  which,  in  this  case,  was  effected  about  as 
early  as  any  need  of  actual  settlement  required  it.  Both  the 
agents  of  the  fur  company  and  the  independent  traders  were 
doubtless  opposed  to  the  opening  up  of  the  country  on  either  side 
of  the  boundary  line  so  long  as  they  could  by  any  means  prevent 
or  hinder  its  inevitable  occupation. 


34  HISTORY     OF    GRAN])    FORKS    COUNTY 

The  colonization  of  a  reajion  in  wliich  the  larger  game,  and 
the  smaller  fur  bearing  animnis  abound,  leads  to  the  gradual 
extinction  of  the  fur  trade.  When  such  a  region  begins  to  be 
settled,  the  larger  animals  quickly  retire  before  this  first  wave 
of  advancing  civilization;  then,  a  little  later,  as  the  settlements 
spread  and  agriculture  and  its  associated  commercial  operations 
are  introduced  into  the  newly  occupied  country,  the  smaller  ones 
lessen  in  number,  or,  as  in  the  case  of  the  beaver,  entirely  dis- 
appear. Hence  the  reason  of  the  hostility  that  the  Northwest 
Fur  company  exercised  toward  Lord  Selkirk's  colonists  in  1815 
and  1816.  They  saw  in  the  planting  of  this  colony  in  the  wild- 
erness a  menace  to  their  business  and  its  profitable  gains.  Had 
not  L<>rd  Selkirk  possessed  the  requisite  influence,  the  province 
of  Manitoba  would  never  have  contained  an  agricultural  pop- 
ulation for  nearly  sixty  years  later,  than,  in  this  instance,  hap- 
pened to  be  the  case. 

The  fur  traders  of  later  times  are  believed  to  have  circulated 
exaggerated  reports  respecting  the  rigors  of  the  climate  so  as  to 
deter  emigration  to  the  valley.  In  the  nature  of  the  case,  con- 
sidering the  steady  and  continuous  west-by-north  movement  of 
the  surplus  population  of  the  northern  states,  ever  on  the  in- 
crease by  the  yearly  arrival  of  thousands  from  Europe,  the  pos- 
session of  the  Northwest  by  the  fur  traders  necessarily  became 
limited  in  time,  being  one  of  those  conditions  of  life,  which,  both 
in  the  Canadian  Dominion  and  in  United  States  territory,  must 
sooner  or  later  reach  its  destined  end,  and  be  terminated,  either 
by  peaceable  or  violent  measures.  The  former  method  happily 
prevailed,  but,  in  the  meantime  those  engnged  in  the  fur  trade 
held  a  close  grip  upon  the  country.  It  is  npparant  that  they 
preferred,  that  things  should  remain  much  as  they  had  been  and 
continue  so  as  long  as  it  was  possible  to  maintain  this  phase  of  life. 
This  long  period  of  seventy  or  more  years  duration,  devoted  to  the 
fur  trade  in  the  Red  River  Valley,  has  very  aptly  been  called  the 
"halfbreed  epoch."  Its  duration  was  too  long  for  it  to  be  classed 
as  an  incident  in  the  history  of  the  Northwest. 

In  1857,  the  English  House  of  Commons  took  the  initial  step 
toward  opening  the  British  possessions  in  North  America. in  the 
control  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company  to  civilization  and  un- 
resticted  commerce.  The  committee  having  the  matter  in  charge 
reported  in  favor  of  terminating  the  control  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
company  at  the  end  of  their  then  21  year  ternri  expiring  in  1869. 

In  1857  the  Hudson  Bay  company  completed  arrangements 
with  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States  whereby 
goods  for  that  company  could  be  carried  in  bond  through  the 
United  States,  thus  practically  doing  away  with  the  Hudson  bay 
post  known  as  York  Factory,  to  which  goods  were  then  being 
shipped,  vessels  arriving  and  departing  once  a  year.     In  the  sum- 


TRE-SETTLEMENT    ANNALS  35 

mer  of  1858  two  or  three  shipments  of  goods  were  so  made,  leav- 
u\(r  the  Mississippi  river  at  St.  Paul  and  conveyed  thence  by  Red 
Kiver  carts  under  the  direction  of  James  McKey.* 

As  soon  as  boat  navigation  on  the  northern  lai^es  and  streams 
opened  in  the  spring,  the  company's  fleet  of  Mackinaw  boats 
was  put  into  active  service.  These  boats  had  a  capacity  of  about 
five  tons  each.  There  were  distant  posts  on  the  Saskatchawan, 
Athabasca  and  Mackenzie  rivers  to  which  supplies  had  to  be 
forwarded  that  had  come  by  vessel  from  England  the  previous 
year,  and  was  brought  by  the  boats  up  as  far  as  Norway  House 
near  the  foot  of  Lake  Winnipeg.  Leaving  Fort  Glarry,  the  boats 
took  down  to  Norway  House  the  collected  stores  of  furs,  which, 
for  the  time  being,  were  left  at  this  post,  then  reloading  with  the 
supplies  mentioned,  the  boats  passed  up  the  Saskatchawaii,  some 
of  them  going  as  far  as  Edmonton.  On  their  return  to  Norway 
House  they  brought  back  the  winter's  catch  of  furs  forwarded 
from  the  distant  posts,  and  taking  on  the  boats  again  the  peltries 
that  had  been  left  there,  they  proceeded  down  Nelson  river  to 
York  Factory  where  a  vessel  was  ready  to  ship  these  collected 
stores  to  England.  Reloading  with  the  cargo  that  the  vessel  had 
brought  over,  the  boats  returned  up  to  Norway  House  where  the 
goods  were  stored  as  first  mentioned,  and  then  returned  to  Fort 
Garry,  by  which  time  September  had  come.  Boats  merely  going 
from  Fort  Garry  to  York  Factory  and  back,  could  make  two 
round  trips  a  year.  Meanwhile,  such  stock  of  furs  as  had  been 
collected  at  Fort  Garry  after  the  departure  of  the  fleet  in  the 
spring,  was  forwarded  through  the  United  States.  The  freight 
taken  through  this  country  in  bond,  was  merely  for  the  supply- 
ing of  Fort  Garry  and  its  outlying  posts,  f 

FORT  ABERCROMBIE. 

In  1858  a  military  post  called  Fort  Abercrombie  was  founded 
on  the  west  bank  of  Red  river  fifteen  miles  below  the  site  of 
Wahpeton.  The  fort  was  laid  out  in  August,  and  was  occupied  but 
one  year,  when  Secretary  of  War  Floyd,  as  a  part  of  his  plan  to 
despoil  the  North  of  government  property  and  supplies  and  pre- 
pare the  south  for  rebellion,  dismantled  the  fort,  sold  the  build- 
ings at  a  great  sacrifice,  and  withdrew  the  troops.  In  1860  the 
post  was  again  occupied  and  rebuilt  under  charge  of  INLijor  Day, 
and  maintained  until  the  building  of  the  Northern  Pacific  rail- 
road rendered  its  farther  occupation  unnecessary. 

*  Sketch  by  Capt.  Russell  Blakeley  —We  do  not  know  in  what  publication 
this  valuable  historical  article  on  the  opening  up  of  the  Red  River  Valley 
first  appeared;  bxit  it  is  contained  in  The  Record  Magazine  for  April,  1897: 
also  "The  Long  Ago,"  pp.  36-40.  The  sketch  is  also  nearly  all  used  in  this 
work,  but  owing  to  our  plan  of  following  Red  River  Valley  history  in  as  strict 
Chronological  order  as  conveniently  possible,  it  has  been  necessary  to  use  it 
in  detached  paragraphs. 

t  From  information  furnished  by  John  Cromarty,  of  Larimore. 


36  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

About  the  time  the  fort  was  established,  speciihitive  parties 
endeavored  to  create  a  number  of  townsites  in  western  Minnesota, 
some  of  them  being  located  on  Red  river.  There  bein^  then  so 
few  white  inhabitants  in  this  regjion  and  the  country  undeveh)p- 
ed,  these  ventures,  even  if  attempted  in  ^ood  faith,  could  not  be 
otherwise  than  unsuccessful. 

REDMEN  BURY  THE  HATCHET. 

It  was  to  the  interest  of  the  fur  traders  to  keep  the  separate 
tribes  of  Indians  at  peace  with  one  another  as  much  as  possible, 
but  in  this  undertaking  they  were  not  always  successful.  In  the 
fur  trading  days  the  allied  tribes  of  the  Sioux  were  the  deadly 
enemies  of  the  Chippeways  (also  spelled  Ojibways)  and  the  more 
northern  tribes.  About  the  year  1858,  members  of  these  tribes, 
or  of  most  of  them,  met  on  the  plains  of  Nelson  county,  near 
Stump  lake  and  agreed  at  this  council  to  bury  the  hatchet.  The 
pipe  of  peace  was  smoked,  and  they  mutually  agreed,  one  tribe 
with  another,  to  cease  from  their  murderous  forays  against  each 
other.  William  H.  INfoorhead,  one  of  the  old  timers  of  the  lied 
River  Valley  who  came  in  1857,  happened  to  be  in  the  Devils 
lake  region  and  was  present  at  this  peace  council. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  RED  RIVER  STEAMBOAT  ERA. 

About  this  time  interest  began  to  be  taken  by  those  engaged 
in  commercial  pursuits  in  the  navigation  of  Red  river  by  steam- 
boats, since  it  was  known  that  it  had  long  been  used  to  transport 
goods  by  the  use  of  canoes.  In  October,  1858,  Captain  Russell 
Blakely,  of  St.  Paul,  accompanied  by  John  R.  Irvine,  visited  the 
]led  River  Valley  for  the  purpose  of  examining  into  the  practic- 
ability of  navigating  this  stream  by  steamboats.  Resulting  from 
the  report  of  Capt.  Blakely  the  St.  Paul  Chamber  of  Commerce 
offered  to  pay  a  bonus  of  $2,000  to  whoever  would  place  a  steam- 
boat upon  Red  river. 

The  Red  River  of  the  North  is  neither  a  wide  nor  deep  stream, 
and  is,  or  formerly  was,  practically  navigable  from  J.ake  Winni- 
peg up  stream  as  far  as  Breckenridge  and  Wahpeton.  This,  at 
least,  in  respect  to  the  latter  points,  was  practicable  when  the 
river  was  above  its  ordinary  stage.  After  the  founding  of  Moor- 
head  and  Fargo  the  bridges  stopped  the  boats  from  going  above 
those  places.  The  river  is  very  crooked  in  respect  to  its  minor 
bends,  increasing  to  a  long  stretch  the  distances  that  the  boats 
had  to  travel  over  and  above  a  nearly  straight  course  such  as  the 
railroads  in  the  valley  now  have.  Thus,  the  distance  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Boh  des  Sioux  at  Wahpeton  to  the  international 
boundary  is  186  miles  by  a  straight  course,  and  397  miles  by  the 
numerous  twists  and  turns  of  the  river  channel,  yet  in  all  this 
part  of  its  course  the  river  does  not  deviate  from  one  side  to  the 
other  of  a  meridian  line  more  than  five  or  six  miles.      At    Wah- 


r  R  E  -  S  E  T  T  L  E  M  E  N  T    A  N  N  A  L  S  37 

peton  the  river  at  its  ordinary  stage  is  943  feet  above  sea-level; 
the  altitude  of  Lake  Winnipeg  is  710  feet,  hence  the  fall  of  what 
has  here  been  alluded  to  as  the  navigable  part  of  the  river 
amounts  to  233  feet.  For  nbout  24  miles  as  the  river  runs,  or 
twelve  in  a  straight  course  next  below  the  mouth  of  the  Goose, 
the  stream  crosses  a  morainic  belt  of  bowlder  clay  that  extends 
across  the  valley  here  at  this  point,  and  its  bed  is  obstructed  with 
bowlders,  forming  the  Goose  rapids.  The  fall  in  this  part  of  the 
river  is  twenty-four  feet  in  its  low  water  stage  and  fourteen  feet 
during  high  water.  These  slight  rapids  were  often  a  hindrance 
to  the  passage  of  the  boats  during  any  season  of  low  water  in  the 
days  of  steamboat  navigation. 

The  range  between  extreme  low  and  high  water  at  the  differ- 
ent points  named  is  as  follows:  Wah peton,  15  feet;  Fargo,  32 
feet;  Belmont,  50  feet;  Grand  Forks,  44  feet;  Pembina,  40  feet, 
and  at  Winnipeg  39  feet.  The  maximum  point  of  extreme  high 
water,  occuring  only  during  occasional  spring  floods,  is  Belmont, 
in  Traill  county,  where  the  river  channel  is  narrowed  betweeu 
high  batiks  of  bowlder  clay;  the  next  point  of  extreme  high  wa- 
ter level  at  (}rand  Forks  is  connected  with  the  entrance  into  the 
Red  at  that  place  of  the  Red  Lake  river.  The  years  in  which 
extraordinary  floods  have  occurred  on  lied  river,  and  been  re- 
corded, are  those  of  1826,  1852,  1860,  1861.  1882  and  1897. 

The  steamboat  era  on  Red  river  may  be  considered  as  having 
had  its  beginning  in  1859  and  as  practically  terminating  in  1886, 
in  consequence  of  most  of  the  boats  having  been  driven  out  by 
the  railroads  by  that  time.  There  are  two  rather  distinct  periods 
to  this  era.  The  first  came  within  the  epoch  of  the  fur  trading 
business  and  was  not  helped  by  any  settling  or  agricultural  de- 
velopment of  the  country;  the  second  period  was  coeval  with  tlie 
settling  and  earlier  stages  of  the  development  of  the  valley.  Of 
the  earlier  Red  River  steamboats,  four  of  them  have  now  become 
historic.  'I'hese  are  the  FVeighter,  the  A.nson  Northup,  the  In- 
ternatiorial  and  the  Selkirk.  For  the  present,  we  are  only  con- 
cerned with  the  first  three  of  these  boats. 

THE  EPISODE  OF  THE  FREIGHTER. 

The  dates  of  many  of  the  facts  relative  to  Red  River  Valley 
history,  as  usually  published  in  various  pamphlets,  sketches,  etc., 
are  very  discrepant,  though  generally  they  vary  but  one  year 
forward  or  backward  of  that  which  should  be  the  correct  one. 
But  in  respect  to  the  last  trip  ever  made  by  the  steamer  Freiii;ht- 
er,  they  reach  a  perfect  climax  of  confusion.  While  the  general 
facts  of  the  matter  need  not  be  called  in  question,  the  date  of  the 
attempt  that  was  made  to  transfer  this  boat  into  Red  river  seems 
to  be  involved  in  almost  hopeless  entanglement.  Manifestly, 
only  one  date  to  the  incident  here  following  can  be  the  correct 
one,  yet  every  year  from  1857  to  1862  inclusive  has  been  assigned 


38  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

by  different  sketch  writers  as  the  one  that  terminated  the  career 
of  this  boat.  In  this  respect,  nearly  every  writer  mentioning 
the  circumstance,  and  assigning  a  date,  is  at  variance  with  nearly 
every  other.  Moreover,  some  have  confounded  the  Freighter 
with  the  Anson  Northup,  rendering  a  bad  matter  in  respect  to 
chronology  still  worse. 

In  the  spring  of  1859  or  '60*  an  attempt  was  made  to  transfer 
a  steamboat  from  the  Minnesota  into  the  Red  river  of  the  North 
by  passing  it  through  the  long  trough  connecting  the  valleys  of 
these  rivers  and  in  which  nestle  lakes  Traverse  and  Big  Stone. 
The  heads  of  these  lakes  are  about  five  miles  apart,  but  the  low 
bottom  land  between  them  called  Browns  Valley,  is  occasionally 
sufficiently  flooded  in  the  spring  so  that  they  are  connected  to- 
gether, although  draining  in  opposite  directions.  It  was  known 
that  on  a  few  occasions  laden  canoes  had  made  this  passage  from 
Pembina  to  St.  Paul.  A  small  steamer  called  the  Freighter  was 
then  plying  on  the  Mississippi  and  Minnesota  rivers,  with  Capt. 
C.  B.  Thiemmens,  master.  J'he  boat  was  owned  by  Capt.  John 
B.  Davis,  of  St.  Paul,  and  is  stated  to  have  been  a  flat  bottomed, 
square  bowed  aff"air,  about  125  feet  in  length,  of  200  tons  burden, 
and  was  presumably  of  the  stern  wheeled  style  of  build.  Its 
owner  seems  to  have  conceived  the  idea  of  taking  the  boa.t  into 
Red  river  in  the  manner  above  mentioned.  Those  directly  in- 
terested in  the  enterprise  were  .1.  C.  Burbank,  Russell  lilakely 
and  associates,  parties  who  about  that  time  organized  a  company 
to  operate  a  stage  line  from  St.  (Uoud  to  the  lied    River   Valley. 

The  Freighter  was  accordingly  run  up  the  Minnesota  river 
during  the  spring  rise,  but  the  water  subsiding,  the  boat  ground- 
in  the  river  ciiannel  and  was  left  stranded  about  nine  miles  be- 
low the  outlet  of  Big  Stone  lake,  f  It  was  then  deserted  by  its 
crew,  and  one  account  says  it  was  pillaged  and  nearly  destroyed 
by  the  Indians.  Capt.  Davis  afterwards  stated  that  if  he  had 
started  the  boat  off  from  St.  Paul  some  three  or  more  weeks  ear- 
lier he  could  have  gotten  her  through  Browns  Valley  and  into 
Red  river  with  lictle  trouble.     'J'he  boat  was  afterwards  sold    for 

*  N.  H.  Winchell,  a  good  authority,  in  the  Geological  and  Natural  HIstorv 
Survey  of  Minnesota,  vol.  i.  p.  134,  gives  the  date  as  18.59.  Russell  Blakely 
states  that  it  was  in  1860.  This  attempt  to  take  the  boat  into  Red  river  is  said 
to  have  been  an  incident  of  a  gold  excitement  that  had  broken  out  on  the 
Saskatchawan.  If  this  statement  is  correct,  then  the  episode  of  the  Freighter 
would  have  fallen  in  the  spring  following  this  gold  craze. 

t  The  distance  to  the  place  below  Big  t^tone  lake  at  which  the  Freighter 
was  abandoned  has  been  misstated  nearly  as  often  as  the  date.  Warren  Up- 
ham.  who  saw  the  remains  of  the  hull  of  the  boat  in  1879,  and  states  that  the 
boat  was  burned  after  being  abandoned,  adds  that  the  locality  where  she 
grounded  is  near  the  east  line  of  Section  33,  Odessa  township.  Big  Stone 
county,  Minn.  (Geological  and  Natural  History  Survey  of  Minnesota,  vol.  i. 
p.  G24.)  If  the  hull  of  the  boat  was  ever  burned  it  was  not  until  sometime 
after  the  cabin,  machinery  and  other  tixtures  had  been  removed.  In  that 
case  it  could  have  been  set  on  tire  with  equal  facilitv  bv  white  men  as  bv  the 
Indians. 


TRE-SETTLEMENT    ANNALS  39 

its  machinery  to  Burbank  &  Co.,  at  sheriff's  sale,  and  finally  its 
heavier  equipments  were  removed  as  presently  to  be  stated.  In 
after  years  no  repetition  of  this  experiment  was  practicable  on 
account  of  mill  dams  on  the  upper  Minnesota,  and  ultimately 
numerous  bridges  over  the  upper  portions  of  both  streams. 

THE  FIRST  STEAMER   ON  RED  RIVER. 

The  first  steamboat  to  navigate  Red  river  was  called  the  An- 
son Northup  and  this  boat  was  placed  on  the  river  in  1859. 
Some  years  before  the  civil  war,  a,  steamboat  called  the  North 
Star  was  in  use  on  the  Mississippi  above  the  Fallsof  St.  Anthony. 
'I'his  boat  was  bought  at  INFinneapolis  in  the  fall  of  1858  by  Capt. 
Anson  Northup,  who  took  it  up  the  river  to  Crow  Wiug  where  it 
was  dismantled.  Here  lumber  was  sawed  for  a  prospective  boat 
to  navigate  lied  river.  Early  the  next  spring  an  expedition  left 
Crow  Wing  consisting  of  34  ox  teams  and  44  men  enroute  for  the 
Red  River  Valley  with  the  boilers,  engine  and  furnishings  of  the 
North  Star  and  the  sawed  lumber.  The  expedition  followed  one 
of  the  cart  trails  to  Detroit  lake,  the  remainder  of  the  journey 
being  across  a  stretch  of  country  without  trails,  bridges  or  in- 
habitants and  i  ather  difficult  to  pass  through  in  March..  A  town- 
site  named  Lafayette  had  been  laid  out  a  year  or  two  before  this 
time  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Sheyenne,  and  this  place  contain- 
ed a  log  cabin  or  two.  Tlie  party  arrived  here  on  the  evening  of 
the  first  of  April.  Here  the  hull  of  the  boat  was  built.  This 
being  completed  and  the  boilers  and  machinery  having  been 
placed  in  position,  it  was  launched  and  next  run  up  to  Fort 
Abercrombie  where  the  cabin  was  constructed. 

This  first  boat  to  navigate  Red  river  had  a  capacity  of  from  50 
to  75  tons.  Its  machinery  had  previously  been  used  in  other  boats 
and  is  said  to  have  been  brought  to  the  west  from  the  state  of 
Maine  about  the  year  1851.  The  steamer  started  for  Fort  Garry 
on  IMay  17,  and  arrived  there  on  June  5,  1859.  She  returned  up 
to  Fort  Abercrombie  bringing  on  the  trip  twenty  passengers. 
Here  she  was  tied  up  and  when  Capt.  Blakely  and  others  desired 
her  further  services  they  were  informed  that  they  would  have  to 
buy  tiie  Anson  Northup  if  they  wanted  to  run  her.  Capt.  North- 
up had  agreed  to  place  a  steamer  on  Red  river  for  the  bonus  that 
had  been  offered,  but  had  not  agreed  to  run  the  the  boat  on  any 
regular  trips.     Later  on  the  boat  was  bought  by  J.  C.   J^urbank. 

STAGE  LINE  TO  RED  RIVER. 

The  Hudson  Bay  company  maintained  a  few  posts  this  side  of 
the  boundary  line  in  the  capacity  of  a  commercial  organization. 
One  of  these,  called  Cileergetown,  located  on  the  Minnesota  side 
of  Red  river,  16  miles  north  of  the  site  of  Moorhead,  was  estab- 
lished August  12,  1859.  The  post  was  located  by  James  McKey. 
During  the  same  year  an  association  called  the  Minnesota  Stage 


40  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

company  wms  organized  by  J.  C.  Burbank,  Russell  Blalcely  and 
their  associates,  to  put  on  a  line  of  stage  coaches  between  St. 
Cloud  and  F'ort  Abercrombie,  the  route  being  by  way  of  ^auk  Cen- 
ter,Osakis,  Alexandria  and  Breckenridge.  This  stage  line  result- 
ed from  mail  contracts  of  1858,  whereby  mail  was  to  be  carried  by 
way  of  the  places  named  to  Fort  Abercrombie  and  other  worth- 
western  points.  An  expedition  was  sent  out  in  June  to  bridge 
streams  and  open  the  road.  This  being  done  and  stations  es- 
tablished, the  stages  began  running  in  the  fall  of  1859.  The  next 
spring  the  stage  line  was  extended  down  to  the  Georgetown  post. 

There  accompanied  the  road-making  expedition  a  party  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen  from  Great  Britain  bound  for  the  Hudson 
Bay  posts  in  British  America.  Of  the  party  were  the  Misses 
Ellenora  aud  Christina  Sterling,  of  Scotland.  The  party,  it 
seems,  expected  to  travel  by  boat  to  Fort  Garry,  but  Captain 
Northup  havinir  refused  to  run  the  steamer,  a  flatboat  was  built 
at  Fort  Abercrombie  and  the  party  proceeded  down  the  river, 
the  flatboat  being  in  charge  of  Geo.  VV.  Northup.  On  the  trip 
down  one  morning  a  small  band  of  Chippeway  Indians  fired 
several  shots  at  the  party.  George  asked  why  and  what  reason 
they  had  for  shooting  at  them.  Their  answer  was:  "You  must 
not  talk  our  enemies'  language  if  yon  don't  want  to  be  shot  at." 
It  took  twent3'-two  days  to  reach  Fort  Garry,  and  the  ladies  went 
on  to  liake  Athabasca  where  they  arrived  just  as  winter  set  in. 

While  on  his  return  to  St.  Paul,  Capt.  Blakely  learned  of  the 
purchase  of  the  Anson  Northup  by  his  associate,  ]\Ir.  Burbank. 
He  appears  to  have  returned  at  once  to  the  valley.  Under  her 
new  ownership  the  boat  made  another  trip  to  Fort  Garry.  The 
water  now  being  low  the  boat  could  not  get  through  the  Goose 
rapids.  Her  cargo  was  unloaded,  the  intention  being  to  have  it 
taken  to  its  destination  by  McKey's  carts,  when  the  timely  ar- 
rival of  Capt.  Blakely  resulted  in  the  construction  of  wing  dams, 
and  the  goods  being  reloaded,  the  boat  proceeded  safely  to  Fort 
Garry,  but  the  crew  returned  to  St.  Paul  by  a  cart  train. 

In  the  spring  of  1860,  Capt.  Blakely  and  associates  completed 
a  contract  with  Sir  George  Simpson  for  the  transportation  of 
500  tons  of  freight  annually  from  St.  Paul  to  Fort  Garry  for  a 
period  of  five  years.  1'he  steamer  was  refitted  the  same  spring, 
was  renamed  the  Pioneer,  and  was  con)manded  that  summer  by 
Capt.  Sam  Painter,  with  Alden  Bryant,  clerk. 

Nick  Huffman  said  in  the  sketch  written  by  him:  ''Stations 
had  been  built  along  the  [stage]  road,  and  teams  by  the  hundred 
were  hauling  freight  for  Fort  Garry  and  Georgetown.  The  old 
steamer  Ans  Northup  was  then  making  regular  trips  from  George- 
town to  Fort  Garry.  There  was  life  and  good  pay  everywhere. 
John  Campbell  and  Bill  Kerr  were  batching  at  Campbell  station. 
J  got  work  and  good  pay  haying.      Captain  Munn  sent  for  me  to 


PRE -SETTLEMENT    ANNALS  41 

work  Oil  the  steamboat,  which  they  then  called  the  Pioneer. 
There  was  no  pleasure  in  this  as  the  water  was  low  and  the  men 
had  to  haul  on  the  lines  all  day  and  chop  wood  all  night  by  lan- 
tern, and  we  had  a  hard  time  to  get  the  boat  to  Georgetown.  " 

The  mail  was  now  extended  from  Fort  Abercrombie  to  Pem- 
bina, and  William  Tarbell  and  Geo.  W.  Northup  were  employed 
as  carriers,  using  carts  in  summer  and  dog-trains  in  winter. 
Ultimately  the  Pioneer  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
company,  was  dismantled,  and  her  engines  used  to  run  a  saw-mill. 

THE  INTERNATIONAL. 

The  next  boat  to  be  placed  upon  Red  river  was  called  the  Inter- 
national. She  was  built  at  Georgetown  in  1861.*  This  boat 
contained  the  machinery  and  other  belongings  of  the  stranded 
Freighter  which  had  been  hauled  by  ox-teams  across  the  prairies 
late  the  previous  fall  and  in  charge  of  C.  P.  V.  JiUll.f  The  timber 
for  the  hull  was  cut  along  Red  river,  and  sawed  by  the  old  fash- 
ioned pit  method,  one  man  working  the  lower  end  of  the  saw 
below  in  a  pit,  and  another  the  upper  end  upon  the  log  above. 
The  International  measured  137  feet  in  length,  26  feet  beam,  and 
was  rated  at  133  tons.      She  was  owned  by  Burbank  &  Company. 

Nick  Huffman,  evidently  referring  to  the  year  1862,  wrote: 
"In  the  spring  we  all  went  on  the  boat,  with  Capt.  Barrett,  Pilot 
John  K.  Swan,  and  the  usual  crowd  of  rousters.  We  run  by  day, 
and  chopped  wood  by  night,  as  the  Indians  did  not  allow  any 
woodchoppers  to  stay  on  the  river,  and  so  the  boat  had  to  get  its 
own  wood.  The  Indians  owned  the  whole  country  then.  It  was 
steamboating  under  difficulties  as  the  Indians  were  inclined  to 
be  hostile  and  took  everything  from  the  settlers.  The  whole 
crew  soon  gave  out  and  had  to  quit." 

*  According  to  the  sketches  the  date  of  the  International  runs  from  1859  to 
1863  inclusive.  A.  W.  Kelly,  of  Jamestown,  N.  D.,  came  to  St.  Paul  in  1861, 
arriving  there  on  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Bull  Run.  He  then  went  to  George- 
town where  he  helped  to  build  the  International.  This  fixes  the  building  of 
the  boat  in  the  latter  half  of  the  year  1861.  The  boat  was  probably  not 
launched  imtil  the  spring  of  1862. 

t  "There  was  an  old  steamboat  lying  in  the  Minnesota  river  six  miles  be-" 
low  Big  Stone  lake  which  was  intended  to  come  over  into  Red  river  in  1857. 
There  was  a  big  flood  in  the  Miiinesota  river  and  Captain  Davis  thought  he 
could  run  the  old  Freighter,  for  that  was  the  name  of  the  boat,  into  the  Red 
river,  but  the  water  went  down  and  the  boat  was  left  stranded.  The  boat  was 
sold  at  sheriff's  sale,  and  was  bought  by  Burbank  of  the  stage  company. 
There  was  a  Welshman  left  in  charge  of  the  boat  and  here  he  stayed  nearly 
four  years  away  from  wife  and  children  with  nothing  to  eat,  only  what  he 
could  hunt  and  fish. 

"In  the  fall  of  1860  we  took  a  lot  of  teams,  wagons  and  tools,  under  orders 
from  Burbank  and  took  the  boat  to  pieces  and  brought  it  to  Georgetown, 
We  found  the  boat  and  the  little  Welshman  all  right. 

"A  second  trip  was  necessary  for  the  machinery.  There  were  two  big  boil- 
ers, but  we  brought  them  safely  to  Georgetown  where  the  boat  was  rebuilt. 
We  did  not  reach  Georgetown  till  after  Christmas  with  the  last  load  and  the 
weather  was  very  cold."— Nick  Huffman's  Story. 


42  HISTORY     OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

Russell  Blakely  says:  ''The  Indians  had  protested  against  the 
use  of  the  river  for  steamboats  complaining  that  the  boats  drove 
away  the  game  and  killed  the  fish,  while  the  whistle  made  such 
an  unearthly  noise  that  it  disturbed  the  spirits  of  their  dead  and 
their  fathers  could  not  rest  in  their  graves.  I'hey  demanded 
four  kegs  of  yellow  money  to  quiet  the  spirits  of  their  fathers  or 
that  the  boats  be  stopped.  At  this  time  Clark  VV.  Thompson, 
superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  and  Indian  Commissioner  Dole, 
were  on  their  way  to  the  mouth  of  Ked  Lake  river,  opposite 
Grand  Forks,  to  hold  a  treaty  with  the  Indiajis.  They  were 
turned  back  by  the  opening  of  Indian  hostilities  in  August,  1862," 

The  Sioux  Indian  outbreak  was  confined  more  to  central  and 
western  Minnesota  than  to  the  Red  River  Valley,  though  in  the 
upper  part  of  it  they  killed  a  few  settlers,  plundered  teams  load- 
ed with  supplies,  burned  what  there  then  was  of  Breckenridge 
and  besieged  Fort  Abercrombie  for  six  weeks.  ■  Most  of  the  set- 
tlers then  located  along  the  Minnesota  side  of  the  river,  in  that 
part  of  the  valley  were  warned  in  time  and  fled  for  shelter  both 
to  the  fort  and  the  fur  trading  post  at  Georgetown. 

Duriijg  these  troubles  the  International  was  taken  to  Fort 
Garry.  A  cart  train  from  8t.  Paul  loaded  with  Hudson  Bay 
goods  had  just  arrived  at  Georgetown  in  charge  of  Norman  W. 
Kittson;  the  teamsters  and  others  were  organized  into  a  defensive 
force  consisting  of  44  men,  but  as  they  were  indifferently  armed 
and  the  post  unable  to  stand  a  siege,  it  was  decided  after  keeping 
guard  for  two  weeks,  to  abandon  it  and  seek  safety  at  Fort  Garry. 
Pierre  Bottineau  was  sent  to  Pembina  for  a  relief  guard,  and 
the  people,  carts  and  goods  were  ferried  across  the  river  at  night. 
Elm  river  was  crossed  the  first  day  and  the  Goose  river  on  the 
second  when  the  relief  party  was  niet.  Among  these  men  were 
Joe  Rolette,  \Vm.  Moorhead,  Hugh  J)onaldson  and  other  old 
time  frontiersmen.  I'he  third  night  out,  the  party  camped  three 
miles  south  of  the  site  of  Grand  Forks.  At  the  forks  of  the  river 
they  found  several  hundred  Chippeways  who  had  gathered  to 
meet  the  Indian  commission.  This  band  took  whatever  food  they 
could  lay  their  hands  upon  and  allowed  the  party  to  proceed  to 
Fort  Garry  without  further  molestation.  The  Georgetown  post 
remained  vacant  until  1864  when  it  was  again  occupied. 

The  International  was  brought  to  Fort  Abercrombie  in  1863 
by  Capt.  Barrett,  and  in  1864  was  sold  to  the  Hudson  Bay  com- 
pany, it  having  bocome  apparant  that  the  country  could  not  be 
opened  up  against  the  interest  of  that  powerful  organization. 
They  did  not  want  immigration  and  trade,  nor  mails  or  other  ap- 
pliances of  civilization.  The  boat  made  but  one  trip  that  year. 
The  cart  brigades  again  put  in  an  appearance  and  the  country 
became  devastated  by  grasshoppers.* 
*  Sketch  by  Capt.  Russell  Blakely. 


PEE-SETTLEMEyj    A  S  K  A  L  5  43 

HAICH?   BATTALION. 

On  aeooQDt  of  the  Sioux  outbreak  of  18^2  and  continuation  of 
Indian  troobles  into  the  jear  following,  it  was  thought  to  be  ad- 
▼isable  to  occupr  the  valley  with  troops.  The  Seeretarj  of  War 
eomisBioned  Major  E.  A.  C,  Hatch,  of  St.  Pan],  to  recruit  a  bat- 
talion of  four  companiei:  of  cavalry.  It  was  late  in  the  fail  be- 
before  the  expedition  with  it«  aocompanin^  wa^n  trains  »ot 
started.  They  marched  by  way  of  St.  Cloud,  Sauk  Center  and 
Alexandria,  tmt  they  divided  the  line  of  marcJi  at  Pomme  de 
Terre.  Major  Katch  with  one  division,  proceeded  to  Georgetovn 
direct,  but  Lieut.  Charles  Mix,  with  the  other  division,  went  by 
way  of  Fort  Abercrombie.  Major  Hatch  arrived  at  Geor^town 
Oct<»ber  oO.  and  Lieut.  Mix  came  in  several  days  later.  The 
expedition  reached  Pembina  November  13,  1863.  The  march 
down  the  valley  was  an  arduous  one  on  aeeoont  of  scarcity  of 
forage  for  the  teams  and  cold  weather.  Upward  of  ^0  animals, 
horses,  mules  and  oxen,  were  lost.  That  winter  the  troops  built 
Fort  Pembina.  Gov.  Alexander  Ramsey,  of  Minnesota,  made  a 
"treaty"  with  the  Indians  in  Octot)er,  1863,  and  this,  with  the 
patrolling  of  the  river,  endcl  the  trouble  with  them  in  the  valley. 
In  the  spring  of  IS^  Hatch's  battalion  left  the  valley  and 
returr-i  -     "-t.  Paul. 

CrX.VISGHAM%   EXPEDiriOX. 

CoDDiGgnam's  was  also  a  military  expedition  made  in  1^5. 
It  eonsisted  of  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  and  upward  of  two  hundred 
ciTilians,  employed  in  various  capacities,  such  as  teamsters, 
cooks,  etc  The  expedition  left  Fort  Sneliing  with  >fajor  Cun- 
ningham  in  eommand,  and  crossing  the  state  oi  Minnesota,  they 
marched  to  Devils  lake  by  way  of  the  Sheyenne  river.  The  ob- 
ject of  entering  l>akota  with  United  States  troops  at  that  time 
appears  to  have  been  to  mxke  a  reconnalaBance  or  to  aemit  thtoogh 
the  ooantry  and  impress  the  Indians  with  a  show  of  military 
strength,  for  their  depredations  in  other  parts  of  the  territory 
had  n/jt  wholly  ceased.  From  Devils  lake  the  expedition  pro- 
ceeded eastward  toward  Sed  river.  This  was  in  August,  and 
the  line  of  march  wa<«  probably  through  the  «<LUth western  pitut  of 
this  county,  for  the  expedition  headed  for  the  i^eorgetown  post 
on  their  way  back  to  Fort  Snelling.  This  expedition  had  some 
influence  on  the  settlement  of  the  eastern  part  of  North  Dakota, 
for  it  oiade  the  country  better  known  to  men  of  Cunningham^s 
command.  who,'some  years  later,  emigrated  hither. 

DIFAPPEARAXrE  OF   THE  Bt^H^AUD. 

About  the  year  1S67  or  dS,  the  last  of  the  buffalo  that  roamed 
over  the  ea-tern  part  of  >orth  Dakota  disappeared  from  the  Red 
Kiver  Valley.  The  bi-^jn  instinctively  avoided  all  localities 
frequented  by  man,  and  on  that  account  the   herds  did   not   ap- 


44  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

proach  very  near  to  the  old  Red  River  trail  during  the  later  years 
of  their  visits  to  the  valley,  but  rather  ranged  somewhat  back 
from  the  river,  'i'hat  they  were  extensively  hunted  in  this  part 
of  the  state,  the  abundance  of  their  bones  that  the  settlers  found 
scattered  over  the  prairies  bore  convincing  testimony.  The  last 
roving  herd  left  in  the  west  was  wiped  out  in  eastern  Montana 
in  1883.  A  few  were  saved  from  total  destruction  by  being  pro- 
tected in  the  Mational  Park,  also  some  in  corrals  by  a  few  ranch- 
ers. While  the  last  of  the  herds  were  being  killed  off,  their  hides 
by  the  car-load  were  shipped  over  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad, 
to  be  followed  a  few  years  later  by  car-loads  of  their  bones  over 
the  same  and  other  lines,  destined  to  eastern  sugar  refineries  and 
bone  mills.  The  immense  bone  piles  at  some  of  the  railroad 
stations  in  North  Dakota,  as  collected  by  the  settlers  and  sold  to 
shippers  during  the  later  'eighties,  presented  surprising  objects. 

MANITOBA  OPENED  UP. 

In  Afarch,  1869,  the  Earl  of  Granville  succeeded  in  terminating 
the  Hudson  Bay  contracts  and  that  company  surrendered  posses- 
sion of  the  country,  thus  ending  a  twenty-one  year  contest  on  the 
part  of  the  Imperial  government  for  the  opening  of  the  country. 
The  organization  of  the  Manitoba  government  was  provided  for 
in  1870,  and  on  August  23  of  that  year,  Colonel  Wolsey  at  the 
head  of  the  GOth  Canadian  Rifles  entered  Fort  Garry,  and  on 
September  2,  Lieutenrnt  Governor  Archibald  arrived  and  the 
colony  was  duly  organized.  James  W.  Taylor,  the  American 
consul,  arrived  in  November. 

At  the  time  of  the  surrender  of  their  privileges  to  the  crown, 
the  Hudson  Bay  company  occupied  twenty  districts  and  possessed 
120  posts  in  Manitoba  and  the  Northwest  territory,  and  employ- 
ed 3,000  men.  Fore  Garry  was  their  principal  stronghold.  The 
first  Fort  Garry  was  established  in  1821,  at  the  time  of  the  coal- 
ition of  the  Northwest  and  Hudson  Bay  compunies.  A  second 
fort,  that  so  often  mentioned  in  Red  River  Valley  history,  was 
built  in  the  vicinity  of  the  first  in  1835,  the  old  one  heing 
disnjantled.  Both  of  these  forts  stood  upon  the  site  of  the  city 
of  Winnipeg  which  was  founded  in  1870.  The  political  power 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  company  now  being  gone,  they  dwindled  to  a 
mere  commercial  organization,  and  in  that  capacity  they  con- 
tinued to  maintain  a  few  posts  this  side  of  the  boundary  line  so 
long  as  it  was  of  any  profit  to  them  to  do  so.  The  British  North- 
west now  being  open  to  settlement,  a  large  immigration  soon  fol- 
lowed from  Ontario  and  other  eastern  provinces  of  Canada. 

THE  APPROACH  OF  THE  RAILROADS. 

The  railroads  have  wielded  a  vast  influence  on  the  later  devel- 
opment of  the  Red  River  Valley.  As  we  shall  have  to  take  up 
again  this  subject,  as  these  neared  an<l  were  next  built   through 


P  R  E  -  S  E  T  T  L  E  M  E  N  T    A  N  N  A  L  S  45 

this  county,  it  will  be  proper  at  this  point  to  give  some  account 
of  the  time  and  manner  of  their  approacli  to  the  valley  itself. 
Two  great  railroad  lines,  more  than  any  others,  finally  exercised  a 
potent  influence  on  the  settlement  and  development  of  the  valley. 
These  were  the  Great  Northern  and  Northern  Pacific  railroads. 
While  the  latter  road  has  always  borne  its  present  name,  it 
should  be  stated  of  the  former  named  system  that  its  lines  were 
at  first  called  the  St.  Paul  &  Pacific  Railroad.  This  name  was 
retained  until  1879;  in  that  year  there  was  a  reorganization  of  the 
company  and  the  road  then  took  the  name  of  the  St.  Paul,  Minne- 
apolis &  Manitoba  JIailway.  In  1890  the  Great  Northern  system 
took  its  present  name.     The  original  road  was  chartered  in  1856. 

On  June  25,  1862,  in  the  midst  of  the  civil  war,  a  short  ten 
mile  stretch  of  track  was  put  in  operation  between  St.  Paul  and 
the  village  of  St.  Anthony,  now  comprised  in  the  east  side  of 
]\linneapolis.  This  short  line  was  the  first  railroad  to  be  built 
in  Minnesota  and  it  was  the  beginning  of  the  present  Great 
Northern  system.  An  isolated  railroad  system,  coniprising  a 
few  short  lines  of  track  and  owned  by  different  companies,  next 
began  to  radiate  outward  in  various  directions  from  St  Paul  and 
Minnen polls.  These  lines  were  confined  to  eastern  Minnesota 
and  were  isolated  in  the  sense  that,  while  interconnected,  none 
of  them  for  about  a  half  dozen  years  had  any  connection  with 
any  of  the  lines  then  radiating  from  ^lilwaukeeor  Chicago.  To 
equip  them,  the  rails,  cars,  locomotives,  etc.,  all  had  to  be  brought 
up  the  .Alississippi  river  from  the  nearest  points  below  St.  Paul 
at  which  they  could  be  delivered  to  the  boats  by  railroad. 

By  the  year  1866  the  northern  line  of  the  St.  Paul  &  Pacific 
had  been  extended  up  to  Sauk  Rapids,  near  St.  Cloud,  76  miles 
above  St.  Paul.  In  1872  this  line  was  built  through  St.  Cloud  to 
Melrose,  34  miles  west  of  the  former  place,  and  here  the  track 
halted  for  several  years.  In  the  meantime,  the  southern  route  of 
this  system  was  begun  at  Minneapolis  in  1867,  was  pushed  year 
by  year  toward  the  Red  Pviver  Valley  and  reached  Brecken ridge, 
according  to  some  old  settler's  recollections.  October  21,  1871.     . 

The  conception  of  a  railroad  from  the  head  of  Lake  Superior 
to  Puget  Sound  originated  during  the  early  years  of  railroad  con- 
struction in  this  country.  After  the  beginning  of  the  first  trans- 
continenral  line,  the  original  conception  took  definite  form  and 
shape  and  a  company  was  organized  to  build  it.  The  road  was 
chartered  by  Congress  July  2,  1864.  Preliminary  work  on  the 
Northern  Pacific  was  begun  near  Thompson,  Minn.,  February  15, 
1870,  and  by  the  close  of  that  year  50  miles  of  track  had  been  laid 
west  of  the  point  of  its  divergence  from  the  St.  Paul  &  Duluth 
railroad.  The  next  j^ear  179  miles  more  of  track  were  added  to 
that  first  laid,  thus  completing  the  road  as  far  west  as  the  Red 
river  at  Moorhead  by  December  1,  1871. 


46  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

ALONG  RED  RIVER  IN  1870-71. 

There  had  been  a  few  frontiersmen  located  along  the  Minne- 
sota side  of  Hed  river  above  Georgetown  since  about  1858,  but 
the  Dakota  side  of  the  upper  part  of  the  valley  practically  remain- 
ed unoccupied  until  about  the  year  1870.  John  Lindstrom, 
now  a  resident  of  Lind  township  in  this  county,  came  from  Doug- 
las county,  Minn.,  and  settled  on  the  Dakota  side  of  the  river 
May  18,  1870.     He  writes  to  author  as  follows: 

"When  I  came  to  Dakota  in  1870,  I  settled  on  the  Red  river  in 
what  is  now  Cass  county,  fifteen  miles  north  of  where  Fargo  now 
stands.  At  that  time  there  were  very  few  white  people  anywhere 
on  the  ])akota  side  of  Red  river.  At  Fort  Abercrombie  there 
was  the  garrison,  but  below  that  place  there  were  no  settlers  for 
fifty  miles.  At  the  point  right  opposite  the  Hudson  Bay  post  of 
Georgetown  there  lived  a  Frenchman  called  Jjick — I  never  heard 
any  other  name  applied  to  him — who  traded  with  the  halfbreeds 
and  Indians  that  came  along  the  river.  I  used  to  trade  with  him 
too,  sometimes.  He  charged  fifteen  dollars  a  barrel  for  flour, 
thirty  cents  a  pound  for  pork,  two  dollars  a  gallon  for  kerosene, 
two  dollars  a  gallon  for  black  strap  molasses,  four  dollars  a  gal- 
lon for  vinegar,  three  pounds  of  sugar  for  a  dollar,  and  2|  pounds 
of  coffee  for  a  dollar.  He  sold  gunpowder,  shot  and  gun-caps, 
always  charging  three  times  as  much  as  at  the  general  stores. 

"Jack  also  sold  whiskey,  but  the  sale  of  that  article  came  to  a 
sudden  stop  when  the  soldiers  who  were  to  garrison  Fort  Pem- 
bina went  by  his  place.  Tliey  camped  for  the  night  south  of  his 
place,  but  they  found  out  that  he  sold  whiskey.  So  two  of  them 
walked  down  there  so  as  to  'get  the  lay  of  the  thing'  as  they  gen- 
erally expressed  it.  They  took  a  few  candles  along  which  they 
traded  off  for  whiskey  so  as  to  find  out  where  it  was  kept.  The 
next  morning,  as  they  were  about  to  pass  by,  the  whole  gang  turn- 
ed into  his  place,  crowded  into  the  house,  coralled  Jack  at  the  table 
where  he  was  eating  his  brejikfast,  and  some  of  them  commenced 
to  help  themselves  to  what  was  on  the  table  so  as  to  draw  his 
attention  while  the  others  helped  themselves  to  the  whiskey. 
The  keg  was  nearly  full,  and  as  this  held  ten  gallons,  they  could 
not  afford  to  leave  what  their  canteens  would  not  hold,  so  they 
shouldered  the  keg  and  walked  off.  Their  officers  took  them 
about  three  miles  down  the  river;  there  they  had  a  rest  which 
lasted  until  the  next  morning  and  they  had  a  glorious  time,  sing- 
ing and  shouting.  This  wound  up  Jack's  saloon  business,  for  he 
was  afraid  of  having  more  customers  of  that  kind. 

"One  day  a  contractor  that  hauled  goods  to  Pembina  came 
along  the  river  with  about  twenty-five  yoke  of  oxen  and  as  many 
wagons.  His  teamsters  were  all  white  men,  or  would  have  been 
such  if  washed.  Each  man  drove  two  or  three  teams,  according 
to  his  ability,  but  his  cook  was  considered  one  of  the  smartest  of 


PRE-SETTLEMENT    ANNALS  47 

them,  though  he  only  drove  two  teams.  But  in  addition  to  his 
driving  the  teams  he  was  furnished  with  an  old  smooth-bore  mus- 
ket and  ammunition  so  as  to  do  a  little  hunting  along  the  road. 
When  they  had  gotten  between  Georgetown  and  Elm  river,  a 
bear  came  along  on  the  outer  side  of  the  road  so  as  to  cross  it 
behind  the  line  of  teams.  Some  one,  as  a  joke,  shouted  to  the 
cook  to  take  his  gun,  run  out,  and  kill  the  bear.  'J'he  man  took 
his  gun,  loaded  with  duck-shot,  and  the  rest  of  his  ammunition, 
and  ran  out  to  meet  the  bear.  All  thought  that  they  would  lose 
their  cook,  but  none  of  them  had  sense  enough  to  warn  the  fellow 
back.  But  fools  generally  have  good  luck  and  so  had  this  one. 
When  he  had  gotten  within  five  rods  of  Bruin,  the  latter  parly 
thought  he  had  better  get  ready  for  a  fight.  Rising  on  his  hind 
legs  he  waited  for  ah  attack.  The  cook  fired  his  charge  of  shot 
square  into  the  bear's  forehead,  but  the  gun  being  dirty,  the  shot 
scattered  and  blew  out  the  bear's  eyes.  That  was  the  only  thing 
that  saved  the  man's  life.  Now  there  was  time  to  reload  and  a 
man  was  hastily  sent  out  by  the  train  boss  to  shout  to  the  cook 
that  he  should  go  close  up  to  the  animal,  take  aim  behind  the 
shoulder,  and  fire  forward.  He  did  so,  and  put  an  end  to  the 
roaring  and  distracted  animal. 

"But  the  greatest  novelty  we  had  to  look  at  in  those  days  was 
when  the  Hudson  Bay  company's  freighters  passed  by  us,  going 
between  Fort  Garry  and  St.  Cloud.  Sometimes  they  had  trains 
consisting  of  one  hundred  and  six  Ked  River  carts  drawn  by 
ponies  or  oxen,  both  kinds  of  animals  beins:  used  in  the  same 
train.  The  drivers  rode  alongside  on  horseback.  They  were 
generally  halfbreeds,  as  could  be  seen  by  their  long  hair  hanging 
down  on  their  shoulders  and  mocassins  on  their  feet;  otherwise 
they  were  clothed  like  white  men.  From  eight  to  ten  carts  were 
managed  by  each  driver.  The  equipment  of  each  man  was  a 
short  whip,  generally  hung  by  a  string  around  the  wrist  of  the 
right  hand,  a  muzzle-loading  shot  gun,  a  powder-horn  and  a 
shot-bag.  The  boss  was  always  a  white  man,  and  he  generally 
had  one  or  more  white  men  with  him  as  a  kind  of  bodyguard. 

"The  last  buffalo  seen  in  this  region  was  in  1867  when  one  was 
seen  and  shot  on  the  Dakota  side  six  miles  below  Georgetown. 
Jn  1871  there  were  some  wild  Texas  steers  roaming  across  the 
country,  one  being  shot  at  Rush  river,  one  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Sheyenne  and  another  near  the  mouth  of  Elm  river." 


F^K,T    III. 


THE  FIRST  SETTLEMENT. 


CIVIL  ORGANIZATION. 


TNTRODUCrOK'Y   REMARKS. 

E  HAVE  now  arrived  at  the  period  when  settlers 
be^an  to  occupy  the  west  side  of  Red  river  with 
•  the  intention  of  establishing  permanent  settle- 
ments. With  the  spreading  of  the  incoming 
population  over  the  North  Dakota  side  of  the 
ey,  this  work  is  not  specially  concerned,  excepting  in  so  far 
as  this  immigration  was  confined  to  the  limits  of  Grand  Forks 
county  with  its  present  boundaries.  That  subject  will  presently 
be  given  considerable  attention,  since  county  histories,  at  least 
in  the  western  states,  are  mainly  concerned  with  settlements, 
phases  of  life  and  the  progress  in  different  decades  of  their  ma- 
terial development. 

As  viewed  from  the  historic  standpoint.  Grand  Forks  county, 
relative  to  its  progress  for  the  last  thirty  years,  may  be  said  to 
present  the  following  points  as  characteristic  of  this  comparative- 
ly brief  period:  Here  was  made  the  second  settlement,  so  far  as 
the  occupation  of  a  townsite  is  concerned,  of  white  families  in 
the  state;  the  first  was  made  at  Pembina  by  a  part  of  the  Selkirk 
colony  about  1813.  During  the  first  seven  or  eight  years  of  the 
period  referred  to,  the  settlement  of  the  county  progressed  in  a 
slow  and  fitful  manner,  not  much  advancement  being  made  within 
that  time  to  any  particular  distance  west  of  Ked  river  excepting 
up  the  course  of  Goose  river.  In  the  meantime,  conditions  were 
such  that  the  agricultur<il  development  of  the  county  was  being 
held  in  abeyance.  During  most  of  this  interval  the  history  of 
the  county  is  chiefly  bound  up  in  that  of  the  settlement  at  Grand 
Forks.  When,  finally,  its  interior  portion  began  to  be  occupied 
by  the  incoming  settlers,  it  was  along  the  timbered  streams  and 
not  upon  the  open  prairie  that  these  earlier  locations  were  made. 


C  I  V  I  L    O  Tl( ;  A  N  I  Z  A  T  I  O  N  49 

Then,  from  one  to  two  years  Inter,  a  movement  west  from  Grand 
Forks  began  by  which  the  prairie  lands  were  rapidly  taken,  this 
westward  advancement  of  population  being  throua:h  the  central 
part  of  the  county,  but  with  considerable  deflection  in  some 
localities  north  and  south  of  the  course  of  the  main  movement. 
In  1880,  the  year  that  the  railroad  development  of  the  county 
began,  immigration  into  it  commenced  in  earnest,  the  floodtide 
reaching  high-water  mark  in  1882,  so  that  by  the  year  following 
the  county  had  been  quite  generally  overran  and  the  most  of  its 
vacant  lands  filed  upon.  Toward  the  end  its  settlement  progress- 
ed with  accelerated  rapidity. 

Within  about  ten  years  after  the  initial  settlement  had  been 
made,  the  railroad  development  of  the  county  was  begun  and 
was  completed  to  its  present  mileage  in  a  little  more  than  seven 
years.  Within  this  second  interval  the  existent  towns  and  vil- 
lages of  the  county,  built  upon  these  lines,  had  their  beginning 
and  have  been  gradually  building  up  since  that  time.  The  city 
of  Grand  Forks,  especially,  has  made  phenomenal  progress  since 
becoming  a  railroad  center.  Since  1882,  yet  more  particularly 
within  the  last  dozen  years,  the  farms,  generally,  have  been  un- 
dergoing improvement,  increasing  in  respect  to  what  is  really 
substantial  valuation,  and  the  aggregate  wealth  of  the  county 
has  also  increased  until  it  is  now  rated  as  one  of  the  wealthy 
ones  of  the  state.  Though  considerable  was  brought  in,  the  most 
of  this  wealth  has  been  created  here. 

Since  the  county  was  overrun  by  settlers,  or  what  is  more  to 
the  point,  since  the  last  decennial  census,  its  gain  in  population 
has  resulted  more  from  what  is  called  natural  increase,  and  from 
the  building  up  of  the  towns  and  peopling  of  the  same  by  later 
comers  than  from  any  farther  occupation  of  land  or  division  of 
farms  into  smaller  holdings.  Since  1883,  speculation  has  sub- 
sided, society  chrystalized,  education  advanced  and  existing  con- 
ditions along  all  lines  have  had  time  to  become  long  aud  firmly 
established. 

Before -speaking  of  the  creation  and  organization  of  the  county, 
it  will  be  in  order  at  this  point  to  take  a  glance  at  the  conditions 
existent  here  about  the  time  that  the  first  settlement  was  made 
within  its  present  boundaries.  We  have  only  to  go  back  about 
thirty  years.  In  the  case  of  counties  originally  well  forested, 
and  which  contained  swamps  and  small  marshes  capable  of  be- 
ing drained,  the  changes  that  have  been  wrought  in  their  phys- 
ical aspect  within  thirty  or  forty  years  after  settlement  have  often 
been  of  a  very  marked  character,  but  with  counties  like  Grand 
Forks,  the  changes,  though  considerable,  are  more  of  a  superficial 
nature,  the  result  of  town  and  other  building,  railroad  con- 
struction, cultivation  of  land,  planting  of  artificial  groves  and 
hedge-rows  on  the  farms  and  shade  trees  in  the  towns. 


50  HISTORY     OF    GRAND     FORKS    COUNTY 

ASPECTS  AND  CONDITIONS   IN  1870. 

There  being  no  great  amount  of  timber  land  in  the  county  in 
comparison  with  its  area,  the  greater  portion  of  it  lay  in  1870  as 
wild  prairie  land  exists  in  its  primitive  state.  The  natural  prai- 
rie grass  was  short,  only  attaining  a  height  suitable  for  use  as 
hay  in  moist  or  wet  places  where  there  had  been  some  gathering 
of  the  waters  when  the  snow  melted.  Of  wet,  sedgy  places,  oc- 
cupying shallow  depressions  of  the  prairie,  there  were  then  a  far 
greater  number  of  them  than  there  are  now.  Interspersed  with 
the  prairie  grass  there  grew  quite  a  variety  of  botanical  plants, 
many  of  them  of  the  flowering  kind.  The  buffalo  had  but  recently 
disappeared  and  had  not  been  gone  long  enough  for  their  wal- 
lows to  have  become  grassed  over  or  their  trails  obliterated,  but 
the  elk,  antelope,  coyote,  fox,  etc.,  still  remained  as  denizens  of 
the  country.  The  gopher  was  not  abundant,  for  the  coyote  and 
fox  thinned  their  number.  Thus  these  prairie  lands  lay  vacant, 
awaiting  the  coming  of  the  settler  and  the  touch  of  the  plow. 

There  were  then  no  claimants  to  the  limited  tracts  of  timber 
that  border  the  interior  streams  of  the  county.  The  timber  was 
more  or  less  clogged  in  places,  with  the  floatwood  and  flotage  of 
these  watercourses,  the  fallen  and  dead  timber,  vines  and  under- 
brush, and  occasionally  there  were  to  be  found  a  few  fire-scarred 
and  blackened  trunks  of  trees  still  standing  where  they  had 
grown.  There  were  then  to  be  seen  in  places  along  the  streams 
the  worn  trails  of  the  buffalo,  where  they  had  wended  their  way 
down  the  slopes  to  drink  or  to  cross  from  the  prairie  on  one  side 
to  that  on  the  other.  Where  the  banks  were  steep  the  herds 
made  iise  of  the  coulees  that  occasionally  occur  in  such  places, 
in  their  movements  in  and  out  of  the  stream  valleys.  Follovved 
upward,  the  trails  were  soon  lost  on  the  prairies,  and  upon  any 
of  the  slopes  they  were  deepened  somewhat  by  winds  and  rains 
at  the  time  that  the  buffuloes  used  them,  and  not  wholly  so  by 
the  treading  ot  the  animals  themselves. 

In  the  spring  and  fall,  wild  fowl  of  all  kinds  that  were  birds  of 
passage  to  this  region,  paused  for  awhile  iti  and  around  the  ponds 
and  marshy  plRces  of  the  valley  plain  and  higher  back  country, 
in  large  numbers,  and  with  little  probability  of  being  disturbed 
by  man,  though  it  should  be  said  that  Indians  and  halfbreeds 
occasionally  visited  the  county  during  their  hunting  expeditions, 
but  at  that  time  there  were  but  few  even  of  these.  In  the  same 
yejir  also,  there  were  a  couple  of  cabins  of  white  men  at  the  forks 
of  the  river,  the  only  habitations  in  the  present  county,  and 
a  well  worn  cart  route  passed  the  same  point,  the  timbered 
banks  of  the  stream  each  summer  being  made  resonant  with  the 
noise  of  trains  of  the  creaking  Ked  Uiver  carts  of  famous  memory, 
mingled  with  the  oaths  and  shouts  of  the  drivers. 


CIVIL    ORGANIZATION  51 

There  was  plying  on  the  river  in  those  days  a  single  steamboat 
— the  Internjitional — owned  by  and  operated  in  the  interest  of 
the  Hudson  Bay  company.  During  the  spring,  when  there  was 
a  good  stage  of  water,  the  boat  sometimes  went  up  stream  as  far 
as  Fort  Abercrombie  in  running  between  Fort  Garry  and  any  of 
the  up  river  points,  and  later  in  the  season  only  as  far  as  George- 
town. In  the  fall,  when  the  water  ran  low  in  the  Goose  rapids, 
she  only  ran  up  as  far  as  Frog  Point.  The  boat  was  then  making 
as  many  as  three  trips  each  season  and  the  cart  brigades  but  one. 

THE  OLD  CART  TRAILS. 

There  were  three  cart  routes  or  "half breed  trails,"  as  the  early 
settlers  called  them,  that  crossed  through  different  parts  of  the 
present  county.  Tiie  river  route  has  already  been  referred  to. 
It  was  one  of  the  cart  routes  from  Pembina  and  Fort  Garry  to 
St.  Paul  and  later  to  St.  Cloud  after  that  place  became  a  railroad 
point.  It  followed  the  general  trend  of  the  river,  of  course,  cut- 
ting off  the  bends.  It  was  already  old  when  Griggs  and  Vaughn 
first  saw  it  in  the  fall  of  1870,  and  it  probably  dated  from  the 
early  'forties  if  it  was  first  struck  out  by  the  independent  traders 
of  Rolette's  time.  At  all  events,  it  was  no  recently  marked  way 
when  Major  Woods  and  Capt.  Pope  followed  its  course  in  1849, 
and  the  mail  appears  to  have  been  carried  over  it  ten  years  later 
than  that  date.  In  1870  it  was  a  well  worn  trail.  ''Hundreds  of 
carts  in  summer  and  dog-sleds  in  winter  traveled  over  it,"  writes 
Vaughn,  and  at  the  close  of  the  preceding  part  of  this  work  an- 
otlier  old  timer  has  mentioned  what  impressed  himself  concern- 
ing it  during  the  same  year. 

Next  in  age  was  the  old  Georgetown  trail  that  passed  through 
the  western  part  of  the  county.  This  had  been  abandoned  for 
several  years  when  first  observed  by  the  settlers  who  had  located 
in  that  section,  and  it  was  then  already  grass-grown.  It  follow- 
ed the  lower  slope  of  the  uplands  through  this  county,  at  least  to 
a  considerable  extent,  if  not  wholly  so,  and  on  account  of  avoid- 
ing such  wet  or  sedgy  places  as  existed  toward  the  western  side 
of  the  Elk  Valley,  then  occurring  more  frequently  than  now. 
This  trail  led  from  Fort  Garry  to  Fort  Abercrombie,  thence  to 
St.  Paul  by  orie  of  the  Minnesota  routes  that  have  been  mention- 
ed. A  branch  trail,  or  cross-cut,  from  Georgetown  ran  northwest 
through  parts  of  Cass  and  Traill  counties  intersecting  the  inland 
trail,  and  together  these  formed  a  continuous  route  between  the 
Georgetown  and  St.  Joseph  posts,  thence  to  Fort  Garry.  Hence 
it  came  to  be  called  by  the  early  settlers  of  Traill  county  who 
found  it  still  plainly  marked  upon  the  surface  the  "old  George- 
town trail." 

Chas.  H.  Lee,  of  VValhalla,  the  compiler  of  the  "Long  Ago" 
sketches,  writes  to  the  author:     "This  trail,  I  think,  was  opened 


52  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

up  about  1859.  Mr.  J.  F.  Mager,  now  a  resident  here,  came  in 
over  that  trail  that  year  with  his  father,  and  he  states  that  it  was 
not  a  trail  at  that  time  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  word,  as  it  was 
hardly  discernable  and,  at  points,  would  have  been  lost  entirely 
but  tor  the  knowledge  of  their  Indian  guide." 

The  reason  why  this  route  was  opened  so  far  west  of  Red  river 
was  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  in  spring  and  early  summer 
the  route  near  the  river,  in  some  places,  became  well  nigh  im- 
passable. On  that  account  a  more  dry  route  upon  higher  land 
was  desirable.  In  1870,  men  with  teams,  materials  and  supplies 
were  sent  from  Fort  Abercrombie  to  re-establish  Fort  Pembina. 
Some  were  sent  down  the  river  by  flatboat,  but  one  party,  which 
included  about  twenty-five  carpenters,  were  obliged  to  proceed 
by  the  back  country  route.  At  first  they  traveled  by  way  of  the 
trail  along  the  river,  but  this  being  found  impassable  for  the 
many  loaded  teams  accompanying  the  party,  a  detour  was  made 
Mild  the  more  western  route  was  struck  at  Maple  river. 

The  third  one  of  these  cart  routes  that  crossed  the  area  of 
country  now  comprised  in  Grand  Forks  county  appears  to  have 
l>een  a  cross-cut  between  the  river  and  inland  trails  and  which 
formed  a  route  from  the  Hudson  Bay  post  of  Goose  River  (now 
Calerlonia)  to  St.  Joseph  and  Fort  Garry.  This  trail  led  in  a 
northwestern  direction  and  passing  the  "lone  tree,"  it  crossed 
Turtle  river  at  the  Newell  C.  Morgan  place,  thence  bearing  west- 
by-north  it  recrossed  the  stream  near  the  line  between  Elm  Grove 
and  Hegton  township,  and  intersected  the  other  trail  some  dis- 
tance north  of  Elm  grove.  The  "lone  tree"  is  a  large  Cottonwood 
in  Section  21,  Blooming  township,  and  is  now  surrounded  by 
smaller  ones  of  the  same  kind.  In  the  old  days  it  stood  as  a  land- 
mark to  travelers  coming  down  the  trail  and  going  to  Turtle 
river  and  the  section  around  Gilby, 

Now  the  halfbreed  trails  were  unlike  those  worn  upon  the 
prairies  by  the  settlers  in  using  the  common  farm  wagon.  They 
consisted  of  three  separate  and  closely  parallel  paths,  each  about 
sixteen  inches  in  width,  the  outer  ones  being  worn  by  the  thick 
rimmed,  heavy  wheels  of  the  carts,  and  the  center  one  by  the 
treading  of  the  animals  drawing  them,  both  ponies  and  oxen 
being  used  and  harnessed  single  between  the  phills  of  each  cart. 
Thus  peculiar  roadways  were  worn  upon  the  prairie  surface  by 
the  passage  (»f  the  cart  trains  that  annually  traversed  these  routes 
and  the  worn  trails  remained  visible  for  many  years  after  they 
had  ceased  to  be  used. 

THE  CREATION  OF  COUNTIES. 

The  territory  of  Dakota,  which,  as  originally  formed,  extended 
from  the  state  of  Minnesota,  as  at  present  bounded,  westward  to 
the  Rocky  mountain   divide,    was   created    by    act   of   Congress 


CIVIL    ORGANIZATION  53 

shortly  before  the  opening  of  the  civil  war,  the  bill  having  been 
signed  by  President  Buchanan  on  March  2,  1861,  which  was  two 
days  prior  to  his  being  succeeded  by  President  Lincoln.  The 
bill  had  passed  the  Senate  February  26,  and  the  House  March  1. 
The  newly  inaugurated  president  appointed  William  Jaynes,  of 
Illinois,  governor  of  the  territory.  He  arrived  at  Yankton  on 
May  27,  1861. 

The  first  territorial  legislature,  consisting  of  thirteen  members 
of  the  house  and  nine  of  the  council,  convened  at  Yankton 
March  17,  1862,  and  held  its  session  until  I\lay  15,  following. 
This  body  created  four  counties  in  what  is  now  North  Dakota, 
and  which  bordered  on  Red  river.  These  were  named  from  north 
to  south  as  follows:  Kittson,  Chippeway,  *  Stevens  and  Shey- 
enne.  Not  a  single  county  in  either  North  or  South  Dakota  now 
bears  any  one  of  these  four  names.  There  were  no  white  inhab- 
itants in  any  of  these  counties  when  they  were  created,  except- 
ing a  few  at  Pembina  and  St.  Joseph,  (now  Walhalla)  and  the 
officers,  soldiers  and  employees  at  Fort  Abercrombie.  They 
were  never  organized,  and  although  they  found  a  place  on  maps 
and  in  some  of  the  school  geographies  of  the  next  few  years, 
nothing  appears  to  have  been  done  toward  permanently  maintain- 
ing them  either  under  their  prescribed  boundaries  or  names. 

In  1867,  a  large  county  was  erected  out  of  the  present  eastern 
portion  of  North  Dakota.  It  was  named  Pembina  county,  and 
the  territorial  governor  appointed  Charles  Cavileer,  Joseph  Ko- 
lette  and  Charles  Grant  county  commissioners,  who  met  and 
organized  the  county,  August  12,  1867.  The  following  county  offi- 
cers were  appointed:  John  E.  Harrison,  register  of  deeds;  Wm. 
H.  Moorhead,  sheriff;  James  McFetridge,  judge  of  probate;  and 
John  Dease,  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  Pembina  was 
made  the  county  seat. 

The  tenth  session  of  the  territorial  legislature  convened  at 
Yankton  December  2,  1872,  and  continued  its  session  until  Jan- 
uary 10,  1873.  Among  other  acts  this  assembly  passed  a  bill 
creating  a  number  of  counties  in  that  portion  of  the  territory  now 
included  in  the  eastern  part  of  North  Dakota;  'i'hese  were  Pem- 
bina, (of  less  area  than  that  of  1867)  Grand  Forks,  Cass,  Rich- 
land, Cavalier,  Foster,  Ransom,  LalMoure,  Renville,  and  Stuts- 
man, with  boundaries  more  or  less  different  from  their  present 
ones.     'J'his  act  was  signed  by  the  governor  January  4,  1873. 

Probably  Judson  LaMoure  who  was  elected  the  previous  fall 
to  the  house  and  Enos  Stutsman  to  the  council,  both  from  Pem- 
bina, were  more  instrumental  in  fathering  the  creation    of  these 

*  Chippeway  county  took  in  all  of  Tra?ll  and  Steele  excepting  their  south- 
ern tier  of  townships,  and  all  but  the  southern  and  western  tier  of  townships 
in  Griggs,  likewise  ail  of  Nelson  excepting  its  western  range  of  townships, 
and  Grand  Forks  county  in  its  entirety. 


54  HISTORY     OF    GRAND     FORKS    COUNTY 

counties  than  any  other  members  of  that  assembly,  and  the  latter 
named  gentleman  arranged  for  the  naming  of  them  while  stop- 
ping at  the  house  of  Morgan  T.  Rich,  the  first  settler  of  Rich- 
land county,  on  his  way  to  Yankton.* 

ORGANIZATION  OF  GRAND  FORKS  COUNTY. 

In  the  act  creating  these  counties  commissioners  were  appoint- 
ed to  organize  them.  Geo.  B.  VVinship,  John  W.  Stewart  and  Ole 
Thompson  were  named  as  the  board  of  county  commissioners  to 
organize  Grand  Korks  county.  No  attempt  to  accomplish  this  end 
was  made  until  July,  1873,  when  Messrs.  VVinship  and  Stewart 
met  at  the  tavern  or  stage  station  kept  by  the  latter  gentleman 
at  Grand  Forks.  As  Mr.  Thompson  had  refused  to  qualify  as  a 
commissioner,  the  other  two  designated  O.  S.  Freeman  as  a  third 
commissioner  in  place  of  that  gentleman.  Alter  four  days'  ses- 
sion the  work  of  completing  this  first  organization  of  the  county 
was  accomplished  and  with  the  following  result:  Register  of 
deeds  and  county  clerk,  J.  J.  Mulligan;  judge  of  probate,  Thomas 
Walsh;  county  attorney  and  superintendent  of  schools,  O.  S.  Free- 
man. The  other  oHicers  cannot  now  be  so  positively  named,  no 
record  of  their  proceedings  having  been  preserved,  but  probably 
Alex.  Griggs  was  appointed  treasurer  and  Nicholas  Huffman 
sheriff.  Alex.  Griggs,  M.  L.  McCormack  and  O.  S.  Freeman 
were  appointed  a  commission  to  locate  the  county-seat,  and  they, 
of  course,  selected  Grand  Forks.f 

Thus  the  county  was  fully  organized  according  to  law  in  1873. 
Rut  owing  to  the  apathy  of  the  county  officers  and  what,  perhaps, 
was  a  more  potent  cause,  the  sparse  settlement  of  the  county  at 
that  time,  the  orgatn'zation  was  suffered  to  lapse,  which  made 
necessary  its  re-organization  the  following  year.  Mr.  Winship 
has  stated  that  he  does  not  believe  that  there  were  then  75  white 
men  in  the  whole  county. 

In  the  fall  of  1874,  the  county  was  re-organized  by  the  territorial 
governor,  John  A.  JJurbank,  who  appointed  a  new  board  of  county 
commissioners,  to  wit,  David  P.  Reeves,  Alexander  Griggs  and 
George  A.  Wheeler.  Messrs.  Wheeler  and  Reeves  met  at  the  res- 
idence of  the  latter  commissioner  (Griggs  being  absent)  and  com- 
pleted the  organization  of  the  county  March  2,  1875.  The  first 
officers  of  the  county  were:  James  Elton,  register  of  deeds; 
Nicholas  Huffman,  sheriff;  Thomas  Walsh,  treasurer  and  judge 
of  probate;  Geo.  A.  Wheeler,  superintendent  of  schools;  Thos. 
Walsh  and  D.  P.  Reeves,  justices  of  the  peace.  Thomas  Camp- 
bell and  James  Mulligan  were  appointed  constables  and  O.  S. 
Freeman,  district  attorney,  but  failed  to  qualify.  The  appoint- 
ment of  a  coroner  was  deferred. 

*  The  Record  Magazine,  September,  1896. 
i  From  data  furnished  by  Geo.  B.  Winship. 


CIVIL    ORGANIZATION  55 

Thus  by  the  spring  of  1875  Grand  Forks  county  finally  entered 
upon  the  period  of  its  civil  history  as  a  distinct  and  organized 
division  of  Dakota  territory.  As  first  created,  the  county  covered  a 
very  large  area  of  the  Red  River  Valley,  with  a  considerable  ex- 
tension into  the  higher  country  that  lies  to  the  west  of  the  proper 
limits  of  the  valley.  It  comprised  all  of  the  present  county,  to- 
gether with  parts  of  Traill,  Steele.  Nelson  and  Walsh  counties. 
As  to  the  time  when  the  confluence  of  Red  and  Red  Lake  rivers 
was  first  called  Urand  Forks,  we  find  no  mention;  but  while  the 
locality  was  likely  designated  as  "the  forks"  by  the  voyageurs  of 
the  fur  companies,  we  suspect  that  the  prefixed  word  did  not  long 
ante-date  the  settlement  of  the  place,  if  at  all.  But  it  was  ap- 
lied  to  the  settlement  made  there  and  afterward  was  also  adopted 
HS  the  name  of  the  county. 

Traill  county,  formed  from  parts  of  Grand  Forks  and  Cass,  was 
organized  February  23,  1875.  The  commissioners  met  at  Goose 
River  (now  Caledonia)  and  proceeded  to  organize  the  county. 
Steele  county  was  of  later  origin;  it  was  formed  from  parts  of 
Traill  and  Griggs  and  was  organized  June  14,  1883.  In  the  year 
1880,  Grand  Forks  county  was  still  one  of  the  largest,  if  not  the 
largest  county  in  the  territory  of  Dakota.  It  still  included 
the  southern  half  of  Walsh  county,  and  its  western  border  ex- 
tended to  the  vicinity  of  Lakota.  In  1881  two  tiers  of  townships 
were  separated  from  its  northern  border  and  added  to  Walsh 
county  which  was  created  that  year  by  being  formed  from  parts 
of  Grand  Forks  and  Fembina  counties.  The  county  was  organ- 
ized August  30th  of  the  same  year.  In  1883,  townships  in  three 
ranges  weie  also  taken  from  its  western  part  and  given  to  the 
newly  created  county  of  Nelson,  which  was  organized  May  15th 
of  that  year.  This  reduced  the  area  of  Grand  Forks  county  to  its 
present  dimensions. 

LEGISLATIVE  AND  JUDICIAL  DISTRICTS. 

During  the  earlier  years  of  Dakota  territory,  when  the  pop- 
ulation to  be  represented  was  sparse,  the  legislative  and  judicial 
districts  were  apportioned  on  a  large  scale.  As  the  population 
increased  and  the  counties  were  reduced  in  area  by  the  creation 
of  others,  the  districts  became  more  circumscribed,  but  like  the 
counties,  they  increased^in  number.  In  the  case  of  the  legislative 
districts,  this  resulted  in  a  gradual  increase  of  the  members  of 
the  territorial  council  and  house  of  representatives,  but  the  dis- 
trict judges  hardly  increased  in  like  proportion.  At  every  ses- 
sion of  the  legislature  changes  were  made  either  with  the  legis- 
lative or  judicial  districts,  or  both,  effecting  their  boundaries, 
designated  numbers,  etc.,  as  new  ones  were  created.  We  are 
only  interested  in  those  in  which  this  county  was  concerned  and 
can  only  indicate  the  general  trend  of  matters. 


56  HISTORY     OF    GRAN1>    FORKS    COUNTY 

At  first  the  eastern  part  of  the  territory  constituted  one  legis- 
lative district,  the  Fourth,  called  the  Big  Sioux  and  Red  River  dis- 
trict, rhe  members  of  the  first  legislature  were  elected  Sept.  16, 
1861,  and  Hugh  Donaldson  was  a  member  of  the  house  from 
Pembina  that  session.  In  the  second  session,  which  convened 
Dec.  1,  1862  and  held  to  Jan.  9,  1863,  James  McFetridge  was  n 
member  of  the  council  and  James  Y.  Buckman  and  Hugh  Don- 
aldson were  members  of  the  house.  At  this  session  the  Red 
River  district  was  created.  For  one  or  two  sessions  thereafter 
this  district  was  not  represented  in  the  legislature. 

Enos  Stutsman  came  to  the  territory  from  Des  Moines,  Iowa, 
as  private  secretary  to  Gov.  Jaynes.  After  representing  the 
Yankton  district  for  several  sessions  during  which  p6riod  he  was 
three  times  chosen  president  of  the  council,  he  took  up  his  res- 
idence at  Pembina  and  was  sent  to  the  house  in  the  legislature 
of  1867-8  and  was  chosen  speaker  of  the  house.  It  was  this  leg- 
islature that  created  the  big  county  of  Pembina. 

In  1877  the  counties  of  Grand  Forks  and  Pembina  conitituted 
the  Eighth  council  district  which  was  entitled  to  one  member  of 
the  council.  In  ] 879,  the  counties  of  Traill,  Grand  Forks  and 
Pembina  formed  the  Tenth  district  and  was  entitled  to  one 
member  of  the  council  and  two  members  of  the  house.  In  1881, 
Grand  Forks,  Traill  and  Walsh  were  made  to  constitute  the 
Twelth  district,  the  member  of  the  council  to  be  elected  from 
Grand  Forks  county.  In  1885,  Grand  Forks  county  was  des- 
ignated as  the  Nineteenth  legislative  district. 

Under  statehood  Grand  Forks  county  is  divided  into  three  dis- 
tricts, the  Fifth,  Sixth  and  Seventh,  and  each  is  entitled  to  one 
senator  and  two  representatives.  For  the  townships  and  city 
wards  that  comprise  each  of  these  districts  the  reader  is  referred 
to  the  state  constitution  or  to  the  Revised  Codes  of  1895. 

The  territorial  judges  were  appointed  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  but  the  legislature  created  the  judicial  districts 
and  made  the  frequent  changes  of  subdivisions,  boundaries,  etc., 
that  became  necessary.  The  judges  were  also  associate  justices 
of  the  supreme  court  of  the  territory.  It  was  then  divided  only 
into  three  districts.  The  counties  comprising  these  districts. 
Avere  often  grouped  together  in  subdivisions  and  the  terms  of 
court  held  at  some  oHe  designated  place  /or  each  subdivision  of 
a  district.  In  other  cases  single  counties  constituted  a  sub- 
division, if  siilficiently  populous. 

A  North  Dakota  judicial  district  was  created  by  the  territorial 
legislature  of  1870-1  and  Pembina  was  designated  as  the. place 
where  the  court  was  to  sit.  The  first  session  was  held  there  in 
June,  1871,  Judge  George  W.  French  presiding.  George  I.  Fos- 
ter was  clerk;  li.  H.  J.ichfield  United  States  Marshal;  Judson 
LaMoure  Deputy,  and  Warren  Cowles  United    States    Attorney. 


C  1  V  1  J.    O  R  G  A  N  I  Z  A  T  I  O  N  57 

This  was  the  first  coiirl  held  in  North  Daicota.  Judge  Peier  CI 
Shannon  succeeded  French  and  held  two  terms  of  court  at  Pem- 
bina in  1872.  Judge  A.  H.  Barnes  wms  appointed  associate  jus- 
tice by  President  Grant  in  1873  and  held  office  until  succeeded 
by  Judge  Hudson. 

In  1877,  the  counties  of  Cass,  Stutsman,  llichland.  Hansom, 
LaMoure,  Traill,  Grand  Forks,  Peinbina.  Barnes,  Foster,  Ram- 
sey, Cavalier,  Gingras  (now  Wells).  French  (now  Benson  and 
Peirce),  and  Itolette  constituted  a  large  subdivision  of  the  Third 
judicial  district,  the  whole  district  then  comprising  nearly  all  of 
the  area  of  North  Dakota.  The  court  for  this  subdivision  was  to 
be  held  at  Fariro  twice  each  year.  In  1879  the  district  was  made 
to  comprise  six  subdivisions  with  as  many  designated  county- 
seats  at  which  terms  of  the  district  court  were  to  be  held.  The 
county  of  Grand  Forks  singly  was  made  one  of  these  subdivisions. 
It  was  while  Judge  Barnes  was  in  office  that  the  first  term  of  dis- 
trict court  was  held  at  Grand  Forks. 

In  1881  Judge  S.  A.  Hudson  became  the  incumbent  of  the  Third 
judicial  district,  and  held  the  office  four  years.  He  was  succeed- 
ed by  Judge  VVm.  B.  McConnell,  appointed  by  President  Cleve- 
land, May  8,  1885.  The  'I'hird  district  was  still  quite  extensive. 
In  1888  there  were  six  districts;  the  northeastern  counties,  in- 
cluding Grand  Forks,  were  now  formed  into  a  new  district  called 
the  Fourth,  Charles  F.  Templeton  being  appointed  judge. 

Under  state  government  the  the  counties  ofPembina,  Cavalier, 
Walsh,  Nelson  and  Grand  Forks  were  designated  as  the  First 
judicial  district.  In  1895  the  three  northern  counties  of  the  five 
just  named  v^ere  formed  into  a  separate  district,  called  the 
Seventh,  Grand  Forks  and  Nelson  counties  remaining  as  the  First 
judicial  district.  Judge  Templeton  was  elected  to  fill  the  office  of 
district  judge  when  the  present  state  government  was  organized, 
was  re-elected  in  1892,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Judge  Charles 
J.  Fisk,  who  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  January  4,  1897. 

U.  S.  LAND  OFFICE. 

The  first  United  States  Land  Office  in  Dakota  territory  was 
opened  at  Vermillion  in  1862.  The  first  one  established  in  North 
Dakota  was  opened  at  Pembina,  December  19,  1870,  with  (ileo.  F. 
Potter,  Register  and  B.  F.  Brooks,  Receiver.  Its  location  being 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  territory  and  not  conveniently 
situated,  it  was  removed  to  Fargo  and  opened  there  Aug.  1,  1874. 
Six  years  later  a  new  land  district  was  creatied  in  the  northeast- 
ern part  of  what  is  now  North  Dakota,  and  the  U.  S.  J^and  Office 
at  Grand  Forks  was  accordingly  opened  April  20,  1880,  B.  C. 
Tiffany  being  its  first  Register  and  W.  J.  Anderson,  Receiver. 

Sections  16  and  36  of  each  surveyor's  township  are  reserved  as 
school  lands.      In  this  county  these  lands  amount  to 51,520  acres. 


58  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

In  1893,  the  legislature  made  provision  for  the  sale  or   rental    of 
the  school  lands  of  the  state  for  benefit  of  the  school  fund. 

POPULATION. 

When  the  United  States  census  for  1860  was  taken,  there 
were  no  white  inhabitants  in  the  area  now  comprised  in  Grand 
Forks  county.  In  1871  there  were  about  fifty  at  the  settlement 
made  that  year  at  Grand  Forks.  The  population  in  1875  was 
something  over  2,000.  The  census  of  1880  gave  Grand  Forks 
county  a  population  of  6,248  inhabitants,  but  probably  about 
one  thousand  of  these  were  located  in  the  southern  half  of  Walsh 
county,  then  a  part  of  this  county.  There  was  a  territorial 
census  taken  in  1885;  this  gave  the  county  with  present  bound- 
aries, 20,454  inhabitants.  The  census  of  1890  showed  that  the 
population  was  then  18,321.  This  indicates  a  considerable  de- 
crease since  1885,  probably  chiefly  due  to  re-emigration.  The 
present  population  is  reckoned  at  25,000,  which  is  apt  to  be  an 
over-estimate. 

THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  GRAND  FORKS. 

THE  TOWNSITE. 

The  Red  river  at  Grand  Forks  averages  about  two  hundred 
feet  in  width,  flowing  between  sloping  banks,  and,  at  its  ordinary 
stage,  is  about  forty  feet  below  the  common  prairie  level.  There 
is  but  little  show  of  bottom  land  along  the  river  at  this  point. 
'I'he  Med  Lake  river,  debouching  into  the  larger  stream  here,  so 
enters  it  that  the  timber  belt  along  its  south  bank  and  that  along 
the  east  bank  of  the  Red,  merges  together  so  as  to  terminate  in 
a  triangular  shaped  point. 

The  city  is  built  upon  the  valley  plain  that  stretches  outward 
from  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  the  site  being  mainly  below  the 
confluence  of  the  two  streams.  The  original  townsite  was  mostly 
platted  in  the  S.  Ei  of  Section  3,  which  is  partly  fractional,  but 
the  city  now  covers  eight  or  nine  different  quarter-sections  and 
portions  of  others.  The  most  of  them  are  in  the  north  part  of 
Grand  Forks  township,  but  the  many  additions  to  the  original 
townsite  that  have  successively  been  platted,  has  caused  the  city 
to  overlap  into  the  south  part  of  Falconer  township.  The  site  of 
the  city  is  essentially  level  and  was  a  good  location  upon  which 
to  found  a  town.  In  building  it  upon  this  site  there  was  no  heavy 
forest  to  clear  away,  no  hills  to  be  leveled  down,  and  practically 
no  hollows  to  be  filled. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  LOCATION. 

It  was  not  Captain  Griggs'  choice  of  a  location,  but  far  more 
potent  factors  that  determined  the  site  of  Grand  Forks.  These 
were  geographical    location    and    physical    conditions    combined 


THE    BEGINNINGS    OF    GRAND    FORKS  59 

with  favorable  surroundings.  These  basic  factors  being  what 
they  are,  agricultural  development  of  the  surroundinjjr  country, 
converging  railroads,  invested  capital  and  business  energy  in 
conjunction  with  the  laws  of  commerce,  have  made  the  city  what 
it  is  in  present  times. 

The  distance  by  railroad  from  Fargo  to  Winnipeg  is  229  miles, 
the  latter  city  being  located  about  55  miles  beyond  the  inter- 
national boundary.  With  the  rise  of  these  places  as  distributing 
points,  each  in  its  respective  part  of  the  valley,  a  large  trade 
and  manufacturing  center  oil  Red  river  was  bound  to  arise  some- 
where between  them,  because  of  a  commercial  necessity,  and  be- 
cause the  stretch  of  country  between  the  others  is  so  wide.  A 
physical  fact — the  forks  of  Red  river — determined  where  this 
intermediate  trade  center  should  arise.  The  geographical  location 
of  Grand  Forks  chances  to  be  an  excellent  one,  being  nearly  at 
the  midway  point  between  Fargo  and  the  boundary  line;  near 
the  center  of  the  broad  portion  of  the  valley  that  lies  within 
United  States  territory  and  in  the  line  of  the  route  taken  by  the 
Great  Northern  Railway  from  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  to  Mon- 
tana and  the  Pacific  coast.  Necessarily  the  city  has  grown  up  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river.  The  movement  of  the  products  of  the 
country  being  chiefly  from  west  to  east  the  places  on  the  side 
of  lakes  and  streaiws  that  is  in  the  direction  from  whence  the 
bulk  of  the  produce  comes  are  the  ones  that  are  apt  to  attain 
the  largest  growth.  Given  a  townsite  equally  good  on  the  other 
si<le,  and  even  granting  its  prior  settlement,  the  result  tor  the 
west  bank  would  not  have  been  much  different  from  what  it  is 
now.  Nor  does  it  make  any  essential  difference  as  to  who  chose 
the  townsite  or  founded  the  place;  results  today  would  have  been 
essentially  the  same  if  other  persons  had  been  concerned  and  even 
three  or  four  years  of  either  earlier  or  later  beginning  would  now 
have  made  but  little  difference.  The  primary  acts  of  a  few  in- 
dividuals do  not  alter  very  much  ultimate  results  which  are 
themselves  the  outgrowth  of  conditions  based  upon  natural  and 
commercial  laws. 

FORERUNNERS  OF  PIONEER  SETTLERS. 

Nicholas  Huffman  first  came  to  the  Red  River  Valley  in  the 
spring  of  1860.  He  was  probably  a  native  of  Germany,  but  had 
likely  resided  in  one  of  the  middle  western  states  before  coming 
to  the  valley.  While  living,  he  furnished  the  Red  lliver  Valley 
Old  Settlers'  association  with  a  record  of  his  life  and  experiences 
from  the  time  he  ca»ne  here  down  to  the  termination  of  the  siege 
of  Fort  Abercrombie  at  which  he  was  present  in  August  and 
September,  1862.*  Unfortunately  he  never  finished  his  narrative 
so  as  to  cover  ihe  period  of  the  fiist  occupation  of  the  Dakota 
*  "Nick  Huffman's  Storj',"  published  in  The  Record  Magazine,  Oct.  1896. 


60  HISTORY     OF    G  R  A  iN  i:>     FORKS    COUNTY 

side  of  the  river  at  Grand  ForJjs.  He  finally  died  by  his  own 
hand,  in  East  Grand  Forks,  on  or  about  August  19,  1896. 

In  the  fall  of  1868,  Huifman  and  August  Loon  built  a  log  shack 
in  tlie  timber  on  the  river  bank  a  half  mile  above  the  point 
where  Red  Lake  river  enters  Red  river.  They  were  the  first 
white  men  to  reside  in  the  present  county.  They  were  joined  in 
August,  1869,  by  Sanford  C.  Cady,  who  also  put  up  a  cabin  dur- 
ing the  following  year  and  on  the  land  now  covered  by  Viets' 
addition  to  Grand  Forks.  These  parties  wereengaged  in  carry- 
ing the  mail  by  sub-contract  with  Blakely  &  Carpenter  from 
Breckenridge  to  Pembina  and  were  found  there  with  one  Antoine 
Gerard  or  Geroux,  a  Canadian  Frenchman,  in  the  fall  of  1870. 

These  men  had  their  residence  and  followed  their  vocation 
here,  but  they  came  not  as  do  bands  of  pioneers  going  from  an 
old  to  a  new  section  of  the  country  wMth  the  intention  ot  establish- 
ing a  new  settlement  or  founding  a  town;  they  were  here  in  the 
interest  ot  the  mail  service,  not  knowing  whether  their  stay  was 
likely  to  be  long  or  merely  transient.  They  howeyer,  consider- 
ed themselves  as  squatters,  Huffman  and  Cady  virtually  being 
such  by  reason  of  building  their  respective  abodes,  but  they  had 
no  conception  of  the  future  value  of  the  land  that  lay  around 
them  unoccupied.*  Coming  earlier  than  prospectively  permanent 
settlers,  these  four  persons  seem  like  men  of  another  epoch,  atui 
in  fact,  did  belong  to  another  era  of  the  valley  in  which  a  differ- 
ent phase  of  life  was  existent  than  that  which  followed. 

GRAND  FORKS'.  FIRST   POSTMASTER. 

It  is  in  connection  with  these  heralds  of  permanent  settlement 
that  we  have  now  to  speak  of  the  first  postmaster  of  Grand  Forks 
whose  name  was  entered  on  the  books  of  the  Post  Office  depart- 
ment, who  was  duly  appointed,  qualified  and  comnussioned  be- 
fore any  settlement  had  been  made  on  the  original  townsite  and 
before  Capt.  Griggs  ever  saw  the  Red  Hiver  Valley.   . 

Sanford  C.  Cady  is  a  native  of  Ohio.  Like  many  other  of  the 
old  time  frontiersmen,  he  came  to  Dakota  ir)  the  employment  of 
the  government,  and  was  engaged  between  1866  and  1869  as 
C'hief  Wagon-master  in  hauling  supplies  from  Fort  Abercrombie 
to  the  frontier  posts.  Ke  quit  the  government  service  in  the 
spring  of  1869  and  engaged  to  haul  goods  to  Fort  Garry,  taking 
through  three  ox-teams,  the  wagons  being  loaded  with. a  stock  of 
boots  and  shoes,  and  he  received  $350  for  hauling  this  freight. 

Enos  Stutsman,  of  Pembina,  was  interested  in  whatever  con- 
cerned the  welfare  of  the  Red  River  Valley.  He  was  an  astute 
politician,  and  probably  more,  (or  having  seen  in  his  lifetime 
the  rise  of  several  states  on  either  side  of  the  Mississippi,  he 
muse  have  realized,  with    prophetic    foresight,    the    then    future 

*  Statements  of  Sanford  C.  Cady.     He  is  still  a  resident  of  this  county. 


THE     BEGINNINGS    OF    GRAN])    FORKS  61 

importance  of  the  great  valley  plain  of  the  Red  river.  It  whs 
through  his  efforts,  in  sending  a  petition  to  the  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral at  Washington  that  the  mail  station  at  the  forks  of  Red 
river  was  designated  as  a  post-oflSce  in  1870,  and  a  postmaster 
appointed  for  the  place. 

Mr.  Cad}'  was  the  first  postmaster  of  Grand  Forks.  Some  cor- 
respondence passed  between  Cady  and  Stutsman  relative  to  the 
matter,  and,  among  other  things,  the  question  of  naming  the  of- 
fice was  broached.  I\Ir.  Cady  suggested  Grand  Forks,  a  name, 
he  states,  already  used  by  the  Canadian  French  employees  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  company  and  others.  Stutsman  wrote  him  a  jocose 
letter  about  the  application  of  the  word  ''grand"  to  the  tame 
scenery  around  the  forks  of  the  river,  varied  only  by  a  couple  of 
log  shacks,  nevertheless  the  name  was  adopted,  was  likewise  giv- 
en by  Stutsman  himself  to  the  county  some  two  and  a  half  years 
later,  and  was  first  officially  used  by  the  Postoffice  J)epartmerit 
at  Washington. 

Mr.  Cady's  commission,  which  is  still  in  his  possession,  bears 
the  signature  of  John  A  J.  Creswell,  Postmaster  General  under 
President  Grant,  and  shows  that  the  appointment  was  made 
June  15,  that  Mr.  Cady  qualified  July  18,  while  the  commission 
is  dated  August  2,  1870.  In  procuring  the  appointment  of  a 
postmaster  for  the  mail  station  at  the  forks  of  Red  river  at  that 
early  day  when  there  were  no  otiier  inhabitants  there  than  those 
mentioned,  at  a  time  too  when  the  mail  was  only  being  carried 
up  Jind  down  the  river  road  once  a  week  at  most,  and  sometimes 
in  a  haphazard  fashion,  Stutsman  evidently  presumed  that  a  set- 
tlement would  be  made  there,  and  at  no  distant  day. 

JAMES  J.  HILL  AND   ALEXANDER  GRIGGS. 

James  J.  Hill,  now  president  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway 
system,  was,  in  those  early  years,  a  warehouseman  of  »St.  Paul. 
History  will  accord  to  the  master  mind  of  this  man  that  meed  of 
credit  which  is  his  due  for  his  conception  of  making  the  fertile 
lands  of  the  Red  River  Valley  directly  tributary  to  the  twin 
cities  by  connecting  lines  of  railroad,  and  for  the  rapid  develop- 
ment of  the  Northwest  which  he  was  instrumental  in  hastening 
forward  to  its  present  stage  of  growth.  With  the  Canadian 
Pacific  north  and  the  Northern  Pacific  south,  both  in  process  of 
construction  during  the  'seventies,  it  is  evident  that  the  settle- 
ment and  development  of  the  intervening  portion  of  the  Red 
River  Valley  would  soon  inevitably  have  begun  to  occur.  Some 
railroad  company  would,  therefore,  have  seized  the  opportunity  if 
President  Hill  had  not;  but  it  is,  perhaps,  safe  to  say  that  no 
other  man  of  present  times  would  or  could  have  accomplished  with 
such  characteristic  energy  and  persistency  of  purpose  what  he 
has  done,  at  the  time  it  was  done,  and  so  quickly  and  so  well. 


62  HISTORY     OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

Much  of  the  goods  then  being  transported  to  Manitoba  passed 
through  the  house  of  the  firm  of  Hill  &  Griggs,  and  thus  his  at- 
tention was  attracted  to  the  future  possibilities  of  the  Red  River 
Valley.  In  1869  he  made  a  trip  from  St.  Paul  to  Fort  Garry, 
passing  down  the  valley  by  dog-sledge.  He  appears  to  have 
decided  at  this  time  to  build  a  steamboat  for  the  river  trafl!ic 
so  as  to  facilitate  the  transportation  business  of  the  firm.  Later, 
we  find  him  purchasing  ground  at  Pembina  for  a  warehouse. 

Captain  Alexander  Griggs  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  was  born  at 
Marietta,  the  first  town  that  was  founded  in  his  native  state. 
He  is  next  found  in  early  life  living  at  St.  Paul.  For  sometime 
prior  to  July,  1870,  he  was  captain  of  a  steamboat  called  the  "St. 
Anthony  Falls"  that  ran  on  the  Mississippi  and  Minnesota  rivers. 
Howard  R.  Vaughn,  now  residing  at  Walhalla,  was  clerk  on  this 
boat.  Captain  Griggs'  home  was  at  Henderson,  Minn.,  a  town 
on  the  Minnesota  river  about  sixty  miles  above  St.  Paul.  As  a 
river  captain,  we  take  it  for  granted  that  he  was  familiar  with 
the  character  of  the  diff'erent  townsites  on  both  the  Mississippi 
and  Minnesota  rivers,  observing  how  the  towns  that  are  located 
at  or  near  the  mouths  of  the  valleys  of  the  intersecting  streams 
were  the  ones  that  were  apt  to  have  attained  the  largest  growth. 
At  all  events,  his  experience  and  observations  seem  to  have  had 
something  more  than  a  remote  connection  with  his  choice  of  the 
Grand  Forks  townsite. 

Griggs  and  Vaughn  spent  July  4.  1870  at  Henderson;  on  the 
5th  they  went  to  St.  Paul  and  turned  the  St.  Anthony  Falls 
steamer  over  to  headquarters;  on  the  6th  they  returned  to  Hen- 
derson to  bid  goodbye  to  friends  and  on  the  following  morning 
they  started  for  the  Otter  Tail  Lake  country. 

THE  HILL  TRANSPORTATION  COMPANY.  * 

About  July  1,  1870,  Capt.  Griggs  took  the  contract  to  build  for 
the  Hill  Transportation  company  a  steamer  to  run  on  Red  river. 
This  was  the  boat  afterwards  known  as  the  Selkirk.  On  July  7th 
Howard  R.  Vaughn  and  the  captain  left  Henderson  for  the  Red 
River  Valley,  not,  however,  going  there  directly.  They  went  by 
rail  as  far  as  St.  Cloud,  taking  a  couple  of  boat  carpenters  along 
who  had  been  picked  up  on  the  way.  Their  next  move  was  by 
stage  across  country  by  the  old  time  route  to  a  point  a«  near  to 
Otter  'fail  lake  as  they  could  make  by  this  mode  of  conveyance, 
which  was  within  some  miles  of  Old  Crossing,  a  point  on  Otter 
Tail  river,  sixteen  miles  east  of  JJreckenridge.  Alighting  from 
the  stage,  the  party  next  proceeded  up  to    the   Otter  Tail    Lake 

*  The  paragraphs  under  this  heading  are' largely  based  upon  "The  Long 
Ago,"  a  i)amphlet  of  76  pages,  issued  by  the  Walhalla  Mountaineer,  in  1898. 
Compiled  bv  Chas.  H.  Lee.  Pp.  65,  66  and  67.  Also  upon  data  kindly  furnish- 
ed the  author  of  this  work  by  Howard  R.  Vaughn  of  Walhalla. 


THE    BEGINNINGS    OF    GRAND    FORKS  63 

region  to  procure  oak  and  pine  lumber  for  the  prospective  steam- 
er, and  some  lumbermen  were  engaged  in  that  part  of  the  state. 
Pine  trees  were  felled  and  the  logs  sawed  at  Krazee's  mills;  the 
oak  lumber  was  otherwise  procured.  Lumber  was  also  purchas- 
ed to  build  seven  flatboats,  each  about  forty  feet  in  length,  and 
the  sawed  stock  was  loaded  into  them  lengthwise,  then  they  were 
worked  down  through  Otter  Tail  lake,  and  with  some  difficulty 
incidental  to  the  navigation  of  small  streams,  down  past  the  site 
of  Fergus  Falls  and  around  to  McCauleyville,  opposite  Fort  Ab- 
ercrombie,  where  Uriggs  and  Vaughn  and  the  boat  crews  arrived 
about  the  first  of  September.  For  the  first  time  Oapt.  Griggs 
now  v^aw  the  lied  River  Valley.  This  journey  and  the  lumbering 
operations  connected  with  it  were  the  first  acts,  productive  of 
material  results,  that  in  any  way  led  directly  to  the  settlement  of 
Grand  Forks  county. 

During  the  fall  of  1870  there  was  a  great  deal  of  freighting 
done,  Hill,  Griggs  &  Co.,  being  the  leaders  in  this  line,  and 
much  of  the  goods  were  in  bond  bound  for  Winnipeg.  In  order 
to  facilitate  the  trade,  flatboats  were  built  without  waiting  for 
the  completion  of  the  Selkirk,  the  merchandise  loaded  into  them, 
crews  picked  and  all  floated  down  the  river.  About  forty  loads 
of  goods  were  sent  down  the  river  that  fall  in  that  way.  At 
Winnipeg  the  boats  were  knocked  to  pieces  and  sold  for  lumber. 
J)uring  the  season  Mr.  Vaughn  had  charge  of  the  construction  of 
these  boats  and  the  steamer,  under  Griggs,  while  the  captain 
himself  spent  nearly  all  of  his  time  on  the  river  selling  lumber 
and  delivering  the  goods  at  Winnipeg. 

It  was  late  before  the  river  froze  up  that  year  and  November 
came  before  the  last  fleet  of  boats,  seven  in  number,  started  for 
Winnipeg.  Mr.  Vaughn  a-ccompanied  the  boats  on  this  trip. 
At  Frog  Point  (now  Belmont)  the  river  froze  up  and  the  boats 
were  laid  up  for  a  week.  Here  ]Mr.  Vaughn  met  Capt.  Griggs 
on  his  way  up  the  river  from  Winnipeg.  The  sun  came  out 
warm  and  the  ice  melted  so  that  the  boats  were  again  gotten 
under  way  and  taken  to  Grand  Forks,  then  a  mail  station  and 
post-office  only.  Here  the  goods  were  unloaded  and  the  boats 
[)roken  up,  the  lumber  being  used  to  construct  a  temporary  stor- 
age building  both  to  store  the  goods  and  protect  them  from  the 
spring  rains  in  case  they  were  left  there  that  long. 

Capt.  Griggs  had  accompanied  Vaughn  and  his  men  back  as 
far  as  the  forks  of  the  river,  or  rather  had  driven  down  in  a 
buckboard.  He  was  now  acquainted  with  the  river  from  Fort 
Abercrombie  to  Winnipeg  and  had  had  an  opportunity  to  look 
for  the  best  townsites  along  its  banks.  He  also  knew  of  the  ap- 
proaching lines  of  railroad  and  must  have  inferred  that  the  per- 
manent occupation  of  the  country  would  not  much  longer  be 
delayed.     Being  a  man  of  sagacity  and  practical  business  habits, 


64  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

he  realized  his  opportunity,  and  the  sites  of  Moorhead  and  Fargo 
being  either  claimed  or  of  doubtful  utility  just  at  that  interval, 
he  accordingly  made  choice  of  the  next  best  site  to  be  found 
between  those  points  and  Winnipeg,  liking  the  looks  of  this  lo- 
cality the  best  and  himself  and  Vaughn  decided  to  take  claims 
here,  or  rather  locate  squatter's  claims  and  settle  upon  them 
afterward.  The  township  lines  had  been  run  by  the  government 
surveyors  in  that  part  of  the  valley  that  year,  hence  it  was  not 
a  very  difficult  matter  to  locate  corners  of  quarter-sections,  at 
least  approximately,  by  measuring  and  ranging  from  these  lines. 
Capt.  Griggs  selected  a  claim,  upon  which,  over  three  years  after- 
ward, he  filed  a  homestead  entry  and  later  still  had  platted  upon 
a  part  of  it  the  original  townsite  of  Grand  Forks;  that  chosen  by 
Vaughn  was  below  this,  lie  thinks  the  land  now  comprising  River- 
side or  in  that  vicinity. 

Griggs  and  Vaughn  now  set  a  part  of  their  flatboatmen  at 
work  getting  out  logs  for  two  small  cabins  to  be  erected,  one  upon 
each  claim,  but  the  work  was  abandoned  without  attempting  to 
construct  them  that  year,  or  at  the  most  only  a  few  logs  were 
thrown  together  to  indicate  foundations  to  shacks  and  show  some 
signs  of  a  purpose  to  pre-empt  the  claims,  for  the  cabins  were  not 
actually  put  up  until  the  next  spring.  Whatever  was  done,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  done  hastily,  for  cold  weather  was  at  hand 
and  Griggs  and  Vaughn  and  their  men  soon  departed  for  the 
winter.  In  fact,  little  was  really  done  that  year  beyond  locating 
the  claims.  * 

Leaving  a  man  to  look  after  the  stored  goods,  the  captain  and 
Vaughn  next  went  up  to  McCauleyville  in  the  buckboard,  fol- 
lowing the  cart  road.  Vaughn  refers  to  it  as  a  tiresonie  journey. 
He  remained  at  McCauleyville  during  a  part  of  the  winter, 
but  Capt.  Griggs  returned  at  once  to  Henderson,  leaving  for 
home  before  the  end  of  November.  Vaughn  having  received  an 
appointment  about  the  first  of  January  in  the  Customs  depart- 
ment at  Pen»bina,  he  resigned  his  position  with  Griggs  and  re- 
moved to  that  pbice  early  in  February,  1871. 

About  a  month  after  Mr.  Vaughn's  arrival  at  Pembina,  word 
was  received  by  the  Customs  department  that  some  pilfering 
had  been  done  among    the    bonded    goods   stored    at   the    forks. 

*  In  answer  to  inquiries  made  by  the  author  of  this  work,  H.  R.  Vaughn, 
S.  C.  Cady  and  Thos.  Walsh  all  substantially  agree  that  no  log  cabin  whatever, 
in  the  proper  sense  of  the  word,  was  put  up  on  the  original  townsite  of  Grand 
Forks  in  the  year  1870.  According  to  The  Record  Magazine,  July,  1895,  Capt. 
Griggs'  "improvement"  merely  consisted  of  the  foundation  to  a  cabin,  twelve 
feet  square  and  five  logs  high.  A  few  logs  thrown  together  in  the  form  of  a 
pen  did  not  constitute  a  squatter's  cabin.  Nor  was  Capt  Griggs  a  squatter  at 
the  forks  of  the  river  that  fall;  in  all  probability  he,  himself,  never  claimed  to 
have  been  such.  The  familiar  narrative  concerning  his  flatboat  trip  down 
the  river,  his  landing  at  its  forks,  building  a  log  cabin  and  taking  possession 
of  the  land  as  a  squatter  f  apparantly  all  by  himself)  is  legendary,  and  hardly 
warranted  bv  the  real  facts  of  the  matter. 


THE    BEGINNINGS    OF     GRAND    FORKS  65 

Accompanied  by  Judson  I.aMoure,  who  was  Deputy  U.  S.  Marshal, 
Mr.  Vaughn  proceeded  by  pony  and  sled  to  the  forks  in  March  to 
look  into  matters  and  to  arrest  suspected  parties,  but  the  latter 
object  was  not  accomplished.  The  snow  that  winter  lay  deep  upon 
the  ground  and  only  the  beaten  track  could  be  traveled  without 
using  snowshoes.  Besides  being  rendered  snowblind  by  the  glare 
of  the  sun  on  the  snowy  plain,  two  or  three  days  of  discomfort 
were  spent  by  them  at  the  forks  in  the  mail  carrier's  small  cabin 
amidst  stored  supples,  men,  dogs  and  fleas.  These  canines  that 
bred  the  fleas  were  train  dogs  used  in  carrying  the  mail  in  winter 
and  were  fed  on  half  frozen  raw  fish,  taken  from  the  river.  Fish, 
too,  of  the  kind  called  "gold  eyes,"  is  said  to  have  constituted  the 
piincipiil  living  of  the  drivers.  Sometime  after  the  return  of 
Vaughn  and  LaMoure  the  stored  goods  were  sledded  to  a  bonded 
warehouse  at  Pembina  and  afterwards  taken  to  Winnipeg. 

We  have  now  to  speak  of  an  early  settler  at  Grand  Forks  who 
came  there  in  the  mid-winter  season  of  1870-71.  George  W. 
Aker  left  Afilwaukee,  Wis.,  for  the  Red  River  Valley  in  August, 
was  at  Alexandria,  Minn.,  September  26,  1870,  and  thereafter 
was  engaged  for  some  time  in  hauling  supplies  from  McCauleyville 
to  other  points,  rwaking  one  trip  to  Fort  Totten  that  fall.  After 
this  he  made  two  trips  down  to  the  mail  station  at  the  forks  of 
Red  river,  the  first  being  mad^i  in  November  of  that  year,  and 
the  second  a  little  later.  When  Mr.  Vaughn  removed  to  Pem- 
bina in  February,  1871,  Mr.  Aker  accompanied  him  as  far  as  the 
forks,  and  on  the  journey  down  there  Vaughn  arranged  with  him 
to  occupy  and  hohi  down  the  claim  he  had  selected  until  he  had 
leisure  to  settle  upon  it  himself.  This  land  is  now  contained  in 
Riverside  Park  and  Skidmore's  addition  to  Grand  Forks.  Aker 
cut  and  liauled  out  logs  for  a  cabin  on  this  claim  which  he  put 
up  with  the  help  of  one,  Jacob  Whay,  in  April,  1871.  * 

Mr.  Vaughn  having  decided  to  remain  at  Pembina,  and  the 
country  not  developing  as  soon  as  had  been  expected,  nor  the 
townships  being  as  yet,  surveyed  (i.  e.,  subdivided),  he  finally 
tired  of  holding  his  squatter's  right  by  proxy  and  transferred  it 
to  Aker  in  part  payment  for  his  services.!  Mr.  Aker  states 
that  the  letter  of  Vaughn  first  making  this  intention  known  to 
him  is  dated  January  24,  1872. 

THE  SF/fTLEMENT    AT  GRAND   FORKS. 

The  history  of  the  city  of  Grand  Forks,  relative  to  the  actual 
settlement  of  the  townsite,  properly  begins  with  its  first  occupa- 
tion by  persons  who  came  to  stay,  to  establish  permanent  homes, 
to  found  a  town  and  to  acquire  in  it  whatever  property  in- 
terests might  be  open  to  honest  endeavor.  This  event  took  place 
in  the  spring  of  ]871. 

*  From  statements  made  by  Geo.  W.  Aker.        t  Statement  of  H.  R.  Vaughn. 


66  HISTORY    OF    GRAND     FORKS    COUNTY 

Thomas  Walsh  was  born  in  Ireland,  from  whence  he  came  to 
the  province  of  Quebec,  Canada,  presumably  with  his  parents, 
for  this  was  during  his  boyhood.  In  after  years  he  joined  in  the 
emigration  movement  of  the  'fifties,  then  flowing  like  a  springtide 
toward  Minnesota  territory,  and  located  at  Henderson  in  1856. 

When  Capt.  Griggs  returned  to  Henderson  late  in    the  fall   of 

1870,  he  arranged  with  Thomas  Walsh  to  come  to  Dakota  in  the 
spring  and  settle  upon  the  site  he  had  chosen  at  the  forks  of  Red 
river.  This  understanding  was  had  in  December  and  Mr.  Walsh 
was  to  have  a  half  interest  in  the  townsite.  Griggs  interested 
others  at  Henderson  in  the  proposed  settlement  on  or  about  the 
same  time.  The  captain  with  Walsh  and  Hurd,  were  to  erect  a 
steam  snw-mill  at  the  settlement  and  Walsh  was  also  to  assist  in 
establishing  a  general  store  there.     Accordingly,  in  the  spring  of 

1871,  Thomas  Walsh,  Burton  Haney,  James  Jenks,  and  Alexan- 
der Blair  left  Henderson  for  the  Red  River  Valley.  They  pro- 
ceeded by  railroad  to  Benson,  Minn.,  to  which  place  the  line  from 
Minneapolis  to  Breckenridge  had  recently  been  extended,  thence 
journeyed  afoot  to  Old  Crossing,  staging  the  remainder  of  the 
distance  to  McCauleyville,  where  the  Selkirk  was  then  approach- 
ing completion.  The  outfit  for  the  saw-mill  and  their  supplies 
was  sent  along  as  freight,  and  was  brought  to  McCauleyville 
over  the  same  route. 

The  Selkirk  not  being  ready,  the  party  came  down  the  river 
by  flatboat  and  were  about  six  days  in  making  the  trip  down  to 
the  forks.  The  saw-mill  machinery  and  their  supplies  was  taken 
along  at  the  same  time  on  the  flatboat.  They  arrived  at  the  site 
of  the  future  city  on  or  about  April  15,  1871. 

We  further  learn  from  Geo.  W.  Aker  these  facts  relative  to 
Capt.  Grigscs'  preparation  for  a  cabin  and  the  condition  in  which 
the  Walsh  party  found  it.  The  captain  had  his  flatboatmen  cut 
and  haul  together  the  logs  for  one  upon  his  prospective  claim. 
A  single  round  of  logs  only  was  laid  down  that  fail  for  a 
foundation;  then,  during  the  early  part  of  the  following  month 
of  April,  the  man  that  Griggs  left  there  to  look  after  the  stored 
goods,  with  the  help  of  others,  put  up  a  few  more  logs  upon  the 
four  first  laid  down.  The  shack  had  neither  floor  nor  roof,  and 
thus  the  Walsh  party,  arriving  shortly  afterwards,  found  it.  Mr. 
Walsh  also  states  that  all  else  they  found  upon  the  original 
townsite  was  an  Indian  tepee  and  a  halfbreed  cart,  and  that  the 
only  persons  then  around  the  forks  that  he  remembers  were 
Nicholas  Huffman,  August  Loon  and  a  few  woodchoppers.  Such 
were  the  conditions  found  existing  now  over  twenty-eis;ht  years 
ago  where  a  populous  and  important  city  has  since  grown  up. 
"We  set  to  work"  says  Mr.  Walsh  "to  clean  the  snow  out  of  a 
small  shanty,  put  in  a  floor  and  roof  on  the  shanty,  also  putting 
in  a  door  and  a  window.     That  was  the  first  start  of  Grand  Forks 


THE      BEGINNINGS    OF    GRAND     FORKS  67 

city,  about  April  15-18,  1871."  Thus  Thos.  Walsh  and  those 
who  came  with  him  became  the  first  actual  settlers  upon  the 
original  townsite  of  Grand  Forks. 

The  beginning  of  the  place,  was  with  a  few  log  cabins  and 
shucks.  The  saw-mill  was  gotten  in  operation  by  the  first  of 
August,  but  could  only  turn  out  lumber  from  such  trees  as  grow 
along  the  river,  the  pine  being  absent. 

Besides  those  who  came  directly  with  Thos.  Walsh,  there  also 
came  that  spring  or  summer,  Capt.  Alex,  (iriggs,  John  W.  Stewart, 
.loim  Fadden,  Sr.,  David  Blair,  M.  E.  Hurd,  O.  E.  Nash,  James 
Elton,  D.M.Holmes,  M.  L.  McCormack,  Joseph  Greenwood, 
O.  S.  Freeman,  D.  P.  Reeves,  Asa  Sargeant,  and  some  others. 
Of  Thos.  Walsh  and  those  who  came  with  him  or  afterward  and 
who  held  to  the  country  during  those  early  years,  it  may  be  said 
of  them  as  of  Griggs,  Vaughn,  Cady,  Aker  and  other  early 
comers,  they  were  of  the  class  of  men  that  founded  this  state. 

THE  SELKIRK. 

The  later  stage  of  steamboat  building  for  the  navigation  of 
Red  river  was  inaugurated  by  the  construction  of  the  Selkirk. 
This  later  era,  as  has  been  remarked,  was  coeval  with  the  oc- 
cupation of  the  country  by  settlers,  hence,  until  practically  ter- 
minated in  so  far  as  the  navigable  portionof  the  whole  river  is 
concerned  by  the  building  of  the  present  lines  of  railroad  in  the 
valley,  it  assumed  far  larger  proportions  and  importance  while  it 
did  last  than  the  earlier  period  of  the  fur  trading  days  that  had 
produced  only  two  boats. 

The  Selkirk  was  built  at  McCauleyville  under  the  firm  name 
of  Hill,  Griggs  &  Co.,  being  owned  by  James  J.  Hill,  Alex.  Griggs 
and  C.  W.  Griggs.  Hill  was  interested  in  the  placing  oi  a  steamer 
on  lie!  river  as  a  business  venture  in  connection  with  the 
transportation  interests  of  the  firm,  which  he,  personally,  had 
exerted  himself  to  develop.  The  conception  of  the  project  was 
likely  his  own. 

As  stated,  Howard  R.  Vaughn,  wlio  seems  to  have  been  Griggs' 
right  hand  man  for  business  enterprises,  had  general  charge  of 
matters,  particularly  after  Griggs  left  for  Henderson,  but  the 
actual  construction  of  the  boat  was  carried  on  under  the  super- 
vision of  David  P.  Reeves,  a  practical  boat  builder.  David 
McCauley  had  built  a  saw-mill  at  McCauleyville  in  1867,  cutting 
considerable  lumber  for  the  government  posts  from  logs  floated 
down  Otter  Tail  river.  The  greater  portion  of  such  pine  lumber 
as  was  used  in  the  construction  of  the  Selkirk  was  obta;ined  at 
this  mill,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  a  large  amount  of  pine 
had  been  brought  down  the  river  by  Capt.  Griggs  and  his  men  as 
already  narrated;  but  the  mill  at  McCauley ville  could  not  fur- 
nish alt  the  material  that  was  needed  at  that  time.       Mr.  Vaughn 


68  HISTORY     OF    GRAN])    FORKS    COUNTY 

States  that  a  large  number  of  men  worked  on  the  Selkirk,  off 
and  on,  including  some  of  the  fiatboat  crews  when  these  men  were 
not  otherwise  employed,  and  thinks  that  fifteen  to  twenty-five 
hands  were  engaged  at  odd  times  in  its  construction.  Work  on 
the  boat  began  in  the  fall  and  progressed  through  the  winter  fol- 
lowing, so  that  by  springtime  it  was  ready  for  launching.  The 
beginning  of  the  construction  of  the  Selkirk  was  over  a  year  be- 
fore either  the  Northern  Pacific  or  St.  Paul  &  Pacific  railroads 
had  reached  the  valley,  consequently  her  boilers,  machinery  and 
furnishings  had  to  be  teamed  from  the  end  of  the  last  named  line, 
then  at  Willmar,  Minn.,  112  miles  southeast  of  Breckenridge. 

In  building  steamboats  along  Red  river,  a  favorable  place  was 
selected  for  the  boat  yard  and  the  bank  of  the  stream  was  graded 
down  if  necessary.  The  hull  rested  level,  raised  up  a  little  upon 
blocking.  When  completed,  timbers  slanting  down  to  the  water 
were  placed  beneath  the  boat  and  secured  in  position.  Then  the 
blocking  was  gradually  removed  by  the  aid  of  jack-screws,  so  as 
to  lower  the  boat  upon  the  timbers,  and  the  process  of  launching 
was  merely  the  sliding  of  the  steamer  bodily  into  the  river 
sidewise. 

The  Selkirk  was  launched  on  or  about  April  12,  1871,  and  very 
soon  afterward  was  steaming  down  the  river  on  her  first  trip. 
Capt.  Griggs'  inclinations  naturally  ran  toward  river  navigation, 
so  he  was  master  of  the  Selkirk.  The  steamer  reached  the  Grand 
Forks  settlement  about  the  18th,  and  here  several  persons  landed 
who  thereafter  became  identified  with  its  earlier  affairs.  ("on- 
tinuitig  her  trip,  the  Selkirk  put  into  the  mouth  of  the  Pembina 
river  amidst  a  hard  wind  storm  on  the  20th,  reporting  at  the  cus- 
tom house  as  having  arrived  at  Pembina  that  day.  About  two 
days  later  the  steamer  reached  Winnipeg.  Quite  different  was 
this  first  trip  of  the  Selkirk  from  steamboating  on  the  Ohio  or 
the  upper  Mississippi  where  every  few  miles  landings  have  to  be 
made  at  either  small  villages  or  thriving  towns  and  cities;  here, 
from  Fort  Abercromhie  to  Pembina,  along  a  distance  of  over  350 
miles  as  the  river  runs,  the  narrow  forest  belt  following  the 
sinuous  windings  of  the  stream  was  then  mainly  a  solitude,  brok- 
en only  by  a  few  embryo  settlements,  and,  at  long  intervals,  by 
the  log  buildings  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company  trading  posts, 
'i'o  the  passengers,  the  Selkirk  must  have  seemed  as  a  herald  of 
civilization. 

The  International,  as  has  been  stated,  was  owned  and  operated 
by  the  Hudson  Bay  company,  but  the  Selkirk  was  built  for  gen- 
eral traffic,  which,  it  was  foreseen,  increasing  immigration  into 
the  country  would  develop  in  considerable  volume.  This  steamer 
became  one  of  the  most  noted  boats  on  the  river,  and  it  played 
an  important  part  in  the  settlement  arid  development  of  the 
country. 


THK     FIRST    SIX     Y  10  A  R  S    OF    G  R  A  N  l>     FORKS  69 


THE  FIRST  SIX  YEAKS  OF  GIUND  FORKS. 

AFFAIRS    IN    1871. 

The  settlement  at  Grand  Forks  was  made  in  what  was  then 
Pembina  county  of  Dakota  territory.  Sometime  after  that  county 
had  been  organized,  its  commissioners,  in  the  absence  of  town- 
ships, subdivided  it  into  several  large  voting  precincts,  some  of 
which  are  not  known  to  h^ve  contained  any  white  inhabitants 
when  they  were  established.  'I'hese  precincts  were  not  all  created 
at  any  one  time.  On  .luly  3,  1871,  the  commissioners  created  the 
(irand  Forks  precinct,  which  comprised  the  territory  within  the 
following  boundaries:  Commencing  at  the  mouth  of  Turtle  river 
the  line  drawn  ran  up  that  stream  fifteen  miles,  thence  due  south 
to  Groose  river,  ihence  down  that  stream  to  its  mouth,  and  thence 
down  Red  river  to  the  place  of  beginning.  On  September  4th 
the  Park  river  was  made  the  north  boundary  of  this  precinct, 
the  crest  of  the  uplands  its  western  boundary,  while  its  southern 
boundary  was  made  to  commence  at  a  point  on  Red  river  five 
miles  north  <»f  the  mouth  of  (Joose  river,  thence  running  due  west 
to  the  crest  of  the  uplands.  At  the  first  election  held  in  this 
precinct,  Thos.  Walsh,  John  Fadden  andS.  C.  Cady  were  appoint- 
ed judges  of  election. 

Another  act  of  the  county  commissioners  of  the  same  year  was 
to  grant  to  John  Fadden  a  charter  for  a  ferry  across  Red  river 
at  Grand  Forks  at  $21  per  annum  (or  five  years.  Fadden's  house 
was  located  nearly  opposite  the  point  of  land  formed  by  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Red  and  Red  Lake  river*-,  and  here  the  ferry  was 
established  so  that  those  who  crossed  the  main  stream  could  be 
landed  or  taken  on  just  below  the  mouth  of  Red  Lake  river. 
The  road  on  tiie  Minnesota  side  that  led  from  the  landing  up 
throiigh  the  timber  is  still  to  be  seen  there,  for  it  is  occasionally 
used  by  persons  who  drive  down  to  the  river  for  sand.  This  lo- 
cality is  now  spanned  by  two  bridges,  one  over  either  stream. 

The  location  of  the  first  buildings  at  Grand  Forks  had  an  in- 
timate association  with  the  rather  broad  slope  of  the  river  bank. 
The  slope  of  the  land  from  whftt  was  the  edge  of  the  valley  plain 
along  the  present  river  front  of  the  city,  thence  down  to  the  mar- 
gin of  the  stream,  mainly  consists  of  moderately  descending 
ground,  though  there  is  some  tendency  toward  a  variable  surface 
in  respect  to  the  minor  features  of  the  slope.  The  river  bank, 
within  the  Hunts  specified,  has  a  breadth  varying  from  about  10  to 
20  or  25  rods,  and  with  but  little  of  what  may  properly  be  called 
bottom  land.  The  amount  of  descent  is  between  40  and  45  feet, 
the  S'lnall  angle  of  pitch  being  a  little  more  or  less,  according  to 
the  breadth  of  the  slope.     Now  the    timber    along    the    river    is 


70  HISTORY     OF    G  R  A  N  D     F  O  R  K  S    COUNTY 

mainly  confined  to  its  sloping  banks  and  limited  areas  of  bottom 
land,  generally  terminating  at  the  prairie  margin  on  the  top  of 
the  slope.  During  the  early  years  of  which  we  are  speaking,  the 
broad  hill  slope  here  was  more  or  less  thickly  wooded,  as  is  still 
the  case  to  a  considerable  extent  along  the  river  bank  both  above 
and  below  the  city. 

Capt.  Griggs  and  family  came  in  the  spring  and  during  the 
year  he  built  a  substantial  frame  house  near  the  log  cabin  that 
had  been  put  up  that  spring  on  his  claim.  The  house  stood  upon 
the  siie  now  covered  by  the  rear  portion  of  the  Syndicate  block, 
is  still  in  existence  upon  another  site,  and  is  the  low  winged 
dwt'lling  neiir  the  foot  of  Kittson  avenue,  close  by  the  gas-works. 
While  in  its  original  location,  the  house  was  the  home  of  Capt. 
Griggs  for  many  years. 

In  the  summer  of  1871  a  telegraph  line  was  constructed  between 
the  point  selected  by  the  Northern  L'acific  engineers  for  the  rail- 
raad  crossing  of  Red  river  (Moorhead)  and  Fort  Pembina,  the 
line  following  the  stage  road.  It  was  put  up  by  the  Northwestern 
Telegraph  company,  ot  Kenosha,  Wis.,  and  was  owned  and  op- 
erated by  them.  Sanford  C.  Cady  contracted  to  furnish  and  set 
the  poles,  which  were  cut  along  the  river.  Geo.  B.  Winship 
and  AVm.  Bndge  took  a  sub-contract  for  twenty  miles  of  this  line 
betweenTurlle  river  and  Kelly's  Point,  now  called  Acton.  After 
the  line  was  completed  to  Pembina,  Cady  was  assigned  the 
position  of  line  repairer.  This  was  the  first  telegraph  line  that 
was  constructed  in   North  Dakota.*      It  was  extended    that  lall 

Mr,  Cadj-'s  contract  with  the  telegraph  company  reads  as  given  below. 

'  tigle  small  sheet  of  foolsca,p   paper 
be  cohstructed  in  North  Dakota,   is 


The  original  is  written  on  one  side  of  a  single  small  sheet  of  foolsca,p   paper 
and  as  this  was  the  first  telegraph  line  to 


a  document  of  some  historical  value. 

'Pembina,  July  17, 1871. 
Articleof  agreement  between  Cady  of  the  Grand  Forks,  Dakota  territory, 
of  the  first  part,  and  the  Northwestern  Telegraph  Co.,  Kenosha,  Wisconsin, 
of  the  second  part,  for  the  constructing  [of]  a  line  between  Fort  Pembina, 
Dakota  territory,  and  a  certain  point  on  the  Red  river  where  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  may  be  located,  about  fifteen  miles  south  of  Georgetown, 
Minnesota.  The  party  of  the  first  part  agrees  to  furnish  [the  poles]  set  them 
and  naii  on  the  brackets  for  the  sum  of  one  dollar  per  pole:  Said  poles  to  be 
foui  inches  in  diameter  at  the  top  6nd,  straight  and  of  sound  timber,  twenty-; 
two  feet  long,  and  of  oak,  ash  or  elm,  and  to  be  trimmed  smooth.  Poles  to  be 
set  three  feet  and  six  inches  in  the  ground  and  set  solid  and  firm.  The  same 
to  be  constructed  along  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  stage  track  leading  from 
Pembina  to  said  Railroad  crossing  and  the  brackets  to  be  nailed  on  the  west 
side  of  the  poles.  Number  of  poles  set  per  mile  not  less  than  twenty-two,  nor 
more  than  twenty-five,  at  the  option  of  the  party  of  the  second  part.  The  par- 
ty of  the  second  part  to  furnish  the  brackets  it  nails  and  deliver  them  in 
quantities  along  the  line  of  the  river  as  the  party  of  the  first  part(y)  may  des- 
ignate. The  party  of  the  second  part  to  pay  the  party  of  the  first  part  the  sum 
above  named  when  the  whole  line  is  completed.  Said  line  to  be  completed 
bv  the  30[th]  day  of  September,  1871. 

^  S.  C.  CADY, 

Witness:     M.  L.  McCormack  (^.  W.  ROBERTSON, 

J  /  Agt  for  N.  W.  T  Co 


T  H  K    FIRST     SIX     ^'  E  A  R  S    O  P     (i  R  AND     FORKS  71 

to  Winnipeg,  a  person  named  McKusey  having;  the,  contract  to 
furnish  and  set  the  poles  between  Pembina  and  Winnipeg.  The 
first  operator  at  Grand  Forks  was  a  Mr.  Cran  who  came  that  fall. 

In  the  tall,  Thomas  Walsh  and  Alex.  Griggs  established  a 
general  store  at  the  settlement  as  had  originally  been  planned. 
This  building  stood  on  the  east  side  of  Third  street,  a  little  lo  the 
south  of  where  the  track  of  the  Great  Northern  railroad  ap- 
proaches the  street  crossing  from  the  bridge,  while  the  saw-mill 
was  in  its  vicinity,  having  st(»()d  near  the  top  of  the  river  bank 
about  four  rods  north  of  the  railroad. 

There  were  now  two  boats  running  on  the  river,  to  wit,  the  old 
International,  built  ten  years  previously,  and  the  new  steamer 
Selkirk.  At  this  time  l*^rog  Point,  a  little  below  the  foot  of  the 
Goose  rapids,  was  made  the  head  of  navigation  for  the  boats  on 
account  of  the  difficulty  experienced  in  trying  to  navigate  the 
bowlder  sirewn  channel  above  during  any  low  stage  of  water.  To 
Frog  Point  tnerchandise  was  freighted  by  ox-teams  and  Red  River 
carts  from  the  nearest  railroad  points  in  Minnesota.  Bales  of 
furs  were  shipped  from  Frog  Point  as  brought  up  by  the  boats 
from  places  below,  and  men  connected  with  the  fur  trade,  river 
men  and  teamsters-congregated  there  at  times  in  great  array. 

An  emigration  movement  had  now  set  in  toward  Manitoba. 
Hundreds  of  emigrants  were  passing  through  this  country  en- 
route  for  that  province,  and  most  of, the  passengers  on  the  boats 
were  of  this  class.  But  officers  from  Canada  and  England  with 
their  families  and  attendants,  and  agents  connected  with  the 
Hudson  Bay  company,  also  traveled  by  the  same  '  mode  of  con- 
veyance. The  character  of  the  times,  which,  was  the  beginning 
of  the  transition  period  between  the  old  epoch  of  the  valley  and 
its  coming  new  one,  its  mercantile  transactio!is  and  njethods  of 
transportation  :ind  conveyance,  naturally  produced  itscorres- 
pojiding  phase  of  life,  destined  to  be  transient  only  and  never 
again  to  he  seen  repeated  here.  ?  . 

Besides  the  boats  there  was  no  regular  means  of  accommodat- 
ing travel  up  and  down  the  valley.  But  it  was  just  at  this  time 
that  the  stage  line  of  Blakely  &  Carpenter  was  extended  from 
Breckenridge  to  Winnipeg,  both  to  carry  the  mails  and  ac- 
commodate the  increasing  travel  to  INFanitoba.  Capfr.  Blakely 
contracted  with  the  Dominion  government  to  carry  the  mail  on 
the  stages  from  Pembina  to  Winnipeg.  'I'he  first  stage  arrived 
at  Winnipeg  September  11,  1871.  This  extension  of  the  stage 
route  down  the  valley  took  place  some  little  time  before  either 
of  the  railroads  had  reached  Red  river.  The  stages  ran  daily, 
summer  and  winter.  The  trip  from  Breckenridge  to  Winnipeg 
could  be  made  in  three  days,  including  night  traA^el.  Staire 
stations  were  established  at  convenient  points  along  the  route  in 
the  valley  for  the  care  of  horses  and  passengers,  as  had  been  done 


72  M  I  S  T  O  1{  V      OF    GRAND     F  O  R  K  R    C  O  U  N  T  Y 

H  dozen  yeiirs  before  in  Minnesota  when  the  route  was  opened 
through  that  state.  One  of  these  stations  was  at  Goose  River, 
one  at  Frog  Point,  one  at  Grand  Forks  and  another  at  the  cross- 
insf  of  Turtle  river  where  Manvel  is  h)cated.  The  stage  road  fol- 
lowed what  had  formerly  been  che  old  Red  River  trail  and  later 
mail  route.  This  came  into  Grand  Forks  diaLM)nally  tlnough 
what  is  now  Viets'  addition,  coming  in  upon  Third  street  at 
Kittson  avenue  and  leaving  the  settlement  toward  Manvel  along 
the  down  river  continuation  of  Third  street  or  closely  approx- 
mating  to  this  public  way. 

About  the  distance  of  a  furlong  southeast  from  tiie  residence 
of  Judge  Corliss,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  river  slope,  is  a  piece  of 
partially  cleared  bottom  land  that  is  specially  historic  ground 
in  so  far  as  (^rand  Forks  city  and  county  are  concerned,  for  here, 
near  by  a  large  broken  topped,  but  spreading  elm  tree,  stood  the 
cabin  ot  the  first  white  men  who  located  in  this  part  of  the  val- 
ley, that  of  Huffman  and  l.oon,  while  John  W.  Stewart's  shack, 
built  sometime  in  1871,  was  located  a  few  rods  to  the  north  of  it. 
Stewart  had  a  garden  here  and  the  cleared  space  shows  some 
signs  of  former  cultivation. 

S.  C.  Cady  reniiiined  postmaster  of  Grand  Forks  through  most 
of  the  year  1871,  and  appointed  Stewart  deputy.  The  post-office 
was  located  that  year  in  Stewart's  log  shanty,  and  was  a  primitive 
affair.  The  amount  of  mail  arriving  each  week  could  not  have 
been  large.  Stewart  built  and  kept  the  stage  station  at  Grand 
Forks.  Late  in  the  fall  he  succeeded  Cady  as  postmaster  of  the 
settlement  and  moved  the  office  into  the  stage  station.  'I'his  was 
located  on  the  edge  of  the  prairie  about  six  hundred  feet  south- 
ward from  the  Corliss  mansion,  and  as  the  building  is  still  in  a. 
fair  state  of  preservation,  it  is  used  as  a  dwelling  house  and  has, 
of  course,  been  altered  over  some  from  what  it  was  originally. 
The  old  horse  barn  of  the  station,  built  of  hewn  logs  and  native 
lumber,  stood  and  in  part  still  stands  a  few  rods  north  of  what 
was  once  the  station  itself,  being  located  at  about  the  top  of  the 
sloping  bank,  or  partially  upon  both  forms  of  the  ground  there  so 
as  to  provide  the  building  with  an  under  part,  'i'he  reason  why 
the  stage  station  was  built  nearly  a  mile  south  of  the  settlement 
was  likely  owing  to  the  fact  that  Sievvart  chanced  to  locate  there 
several  months  before  the  stages  began  running.  This  building 
was  known  as  Stewart's  hotel  and  was  the  humble,  but  not  im- 
mediate, predecessor  of  Grand  Forks'  fine  hotels  of  present  times. 

The  first  marriage  ceremony  that  occurred  in  the  community 
was  of  that  sort  that  takes  place  before  witnesses,  wherein  Nick 
Huffman  was  married  to  a  half  breed  woman  in  the  spring  of 
1871,  \V.  C.  Nash  officiating.  i\Ir.  Nash  also  read  the  first  bur- 
ial service  here.  The  first  wedding  in  this  county  wherein  both 
bride  and  groom  were  purely  white  people  was  that  of  S.  C.  Cady 


THE    FIRST    SIX    YEARS    OF     GRAND    FORKS  73 

Mild  Sarah  J.  Fadden,  who  were  married  at  Grand  Forks  Septem- 
ber 29,  1871.  by  John  E.  Harrison,  a  justice  of  the  peace.  Miss 
Fadden  was  a  daughter  of  Jolin  Fadden.  Sr.,  who  came  with  his 
family  from  McLeod  county,  INlinn.  The  marriage  of  I\l.  L. 
McCormack  to  Miss  Jennie  Strong,  a  sister  of  Mrs,  Alex.  Grigirs. 
was  the  next  ceremony  ot  the  kind  to  occur  in  the  community. 
There  were  then  no  newspapers  in  all  of  what  is  now  the  state  of 
North  Dakota  to  make  mention  of  social  happenings  of  this  kind. 

George  H.  Winship  and  William  Budge  are  men  both  of  whom 
have  become  prominently  identified  with  the  later  history  of  the 
Red  liiver  Valley  and  the  state.  We  first  find  them  together  at 
Pembina  and  in  the  same  year  that  Grand  horks  got  its  first 
start  they  are  also  found  located  up(<n  the  soil  of  this  county. 

Mr.  Winship  was  born  at  Saco,  Maine,  in  1847.  In  1851  his 
parents  emigrated  to  the  west  and  located  at  I^aCrosse,  Wis.,  the 
place  then  being  little  more  than  a  settlement.  Six  years  later 
they  moved  across  the  river  to  La  Crescent,  Minn.,  which 
place  was  started  about  that  time.  It  was  here  that  Winship 
learned  something  about  the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  the 
local  paper,  a.  fact  that  determined  his  future  career  as  a  pub- 
lisher. In  1863  he  entered  the  army  as  a  member  of  the  2d  Min- 
nesota Cavalry  and  served  until  the  end  of  the  war.  In  1867  he 
came  into  the  country  as  a  mcmberof  D.ivy's  overland  expeditio?i 
to  Idaho  which  became  stranded  at  Fort  Abercrombie.  He  then 
put  in  a  year  at  teaming  and  in  the  spring  of  1868  went  to  Fort 
Garry  where  he  worked  on  t.h-.  Schultz's  paper,  the  iVorvvester  — 
afterward  published  by  Kiel  as  "The  New  Nation" — and  printed 
$50,000  of  Hudson  Bay  company  money  used  to  pay  Riel's  sol- 
diers. Winship  came  to  Pembina  about  the  first  of  May,  1870. 
Here,  about  a  month  later,  he  first  met  Wm.  Budge.  Both  were 
then  young  men.  Winsliipwas  stopping  at  Peter  Hayden's,  and 
the  two  camped  there  about  a  month,  or  until  the  work  of  build- 
ing Fort  Pembina  began,  Nathan  Vlyrick  and  W.  C.  Nash  having 
the  contract  for  construction.  About  the  first  of  July,  Winship 
was  offered  a  position  in  A.  VV.  Stiles' sutler  store  at  the  fort 
and  accordingly  entered  his  employment  as  clerk. 

Wm.  Budge  is  a  native  of  the  island  of  South  Ronaldsha,  the 
southernmost  of  the  Orkneys,  Scotland,  and  came  across  the 
ocean  to  this  country  in  the  year  1869.  He  came  in  by  way  of 
Hudson  bay  and  states  that  the  method  of  travel  at  that  time 
between  York  Factory  and  Fort  Garry  was  by  the  Hudson  Bay 
company's  Mackinaw  boats  and  Indian  canoes.  He  remained 
in  iNlanitoba  for  awhile,  traveled  west  as  far  as  the  Rockies, 
which  in  thos<e  days  was  no  railroad  journey,  and  soon  afterward 
he  came  to    Pembina. 

About  the  first  week  of  May,  1871,  Budge  and  Winship  left 
Pembina  and  located  claims  at  Turtle  river,  building  a  log  cabin 


74  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

at  the  place  where  the  old  Red  River  trail  crossed  the  stream. 
In  that  section  the  trail  was  deflected  considerably  to  the  west  of 
Red  river  owing  to  sloughs  and  the  great  body  of  timber  about 
the  moutii  of  'I'urtle  river.  Afier  putting  up  the  cabin  they  went 
back  to  build  one  for  a  person  named  James  Hastings  where  the 
village  of  Drayton  is  now  situated.  During  a  part  of  that  sum- 
mer, Budge  carried  the  mail  between  Grand  Forks  and  Pembina 
for  Nick  Huffman,  who  held  the  sub-contract,  using  a  pony  and 
Red  River  cart.  In  the  fall  when  the  stages  began  running,  the 
cabin  at  the  crossing  very  readily  became  one  of  the  stations  on 
the  route.  Budge  .'ir)d  \Vinship  had  bridged  the  stream  before 
this,  but  when  the  stage  route  was  opened  the  company  put  in 
a  substantial  bridge  at  the  crossing.  The  cart  trains  had  merely 
used  fords  where  the  trails  crossed  the  streams  in  accordance 
with  the  rude  methods  of  transportation  then  prevalent.  In  1873 
VVinship  sold  his  interest  in  the  stage  station  to  Budge  and  Eshel- 
man  and  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  went  to  St.  Paul  to  work  at 
his  trade  as  a  printer.  At  a  later  day  Budge,  too,  left  Turtle 
river,  going  with  a  party  to  the  Black  Hills  in  1876,  and  after 
his  return  to  Dakota  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Grand  Forks.* 

The  population  of  Grand  Forks  in  1871  is  said  to  have  t>een 
about  fifty  persons,  which  was  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  there 
were  then  in  the  present  county.  There  were  a  few  halfbreeds 
and  Canadian  Frencli  vvoodchoppers  about  the  place  that  year 
providing  fuel  for  the  boats. 

GRAND  FORKS  IN  1872  AND  1873. 

Grand  Forks  has  ever  shown  a  tendency  to  extend  up  and  down 
the  river  rather  than  outward  from  the  vicinity  of  its  banks. 
Whatever  extension  has  been  made  toward  the  west,  at  least  be- 
yond Fifth  street,  has  resulted  more  from  the  pressure  of  expan- 
sion outward  from  the  original  townsite  than  from  any  natural 
tendency  to  build  up  the  city  in  that  direction.  I'he  fact  seems 
not  to  be  fortuitous,  but  rather  to  be  in  accordance  with  some 
definite  law  governing  the  growth  of  aggregations  of  people  un- 
der given  conditions.  Now  while  (irand  Forks  was  merely  a 
settlement,  and  in  the  years  now  under  consideration,  the  prin- 
ciple governing  this  factor  of  future  extension  already  existed  in 
an  embryo  stage,  for  the  buildings  then  put  up  were  either  locat- 
ed along  the  edge  of  the  prairie  or  partly  upon  the  slope  of  the 
river  bank,  with  about  a  mile  stretch  between  the  saw-mill  and 
the  stage  station,  thus  conforming  to  the  course  oi  the  travel 
and  traflEic  of  the  time,  both  on  th^  river  and  the  old  trail. 

Kev.  O.  H.  Flmer  was  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  who  came  to 
Moorhead  soon  after  that  place  was  started.  He  first  came  to 
Grand  Forks  during  the  winter  following  the  affairs  just  related. 

*  Mainly  from  data  furnished  by  William  Budge. 


THE    FIRST    SIX    YEARS    OF    GRAND    FORKS  75 

Having  driven  down,  he  held  the  first  public  relig^ious  service  in 
the  settlement  in  the  house  of  ('npt.  Alex.  Grigirs,  on  Sunday, 
February  11,  1872.  A  matter  of  this  kind  in  respect  to  places 
that  grow  to  importance  from  small  beginnings  is  alwjiys  worthv 
of  record  as  being  prophetic  of  the  founding  of  future  churches. 

Ill  1872  the  stages  were  making  the  trip  from  Moorhead  to 
Winnipeg  in  about  three  days.  'Phat'year  a  fast  stage  was  run 
for  awhile,  or  during  the  boating  season,  making  the  trip  between 
the  points  named  in  twenty-four  hours,  the  object  being  to  divert 
passenger  travel  from  the  river  to  the  stage  line.  In  a  good 
stage  of  water  the  boats  usually  made  the  trip  from  Grand  Forks 
to  VVinnipeg  in  thirty-eisht  hours. 

This  same  year  Alex.  Griggs  broke  six  acres  of  the  virgin 
prairie  on  liis  claim  at  Gr:ind  Forks.  A  few  settlers  had  located 
along  the  river  in  Grand  Forks,  VValle  and  Bentru  townships  in 
1871,  hence  a  little  breaking  had  been  done  in  the  county  before 
this,  particularly  at  Eight  Mile  Point  south  of  Grand  Forks. 
But  the  amount  then  done  in  each  case  was  small. 

There  are  now  but  few  buildings  at  Grand  Forks  that  belong 
to  the  period  that  is  marked  off  by  the  first  half  of  the  'seventies; 
one  such  is  a  log  house  on  Cottonwood  street;  then,  on  tlie  east 
side  of  Third  street  about  one  hundred  feet  north  of  Division  ave- 
nue, is  a  small  wooden  hotel  that  was  built  in  the  summer  of  1872 
by  E.  B.  Andrus.  It  bore  no  name  on  its  front  in  those  days, 
but  was  jocosely  called  the  "Hotel  de  Grab"  owing  to  an  alleged 
scarcity  of  victuals  upon  its  tables  and  the  consequent  necessity 
(){  grabbing  in  order  to  get  a  fair  meal. 

As  early  as  the  summer  of  1872  an  effort  was  made  to  establish 
a  school  in  the  settlement.  As  has  often  happened  in  western 
settlements,  two  rival  factions  arose,  disputing  over  the  location 
of  the  proposed  schoolhouse.  This  was  carried  so  far  that  two 
small  schools  were  gotten  under  way  for  the  time  being.  One  of 
these  was  conducted  in  a  small  framed  shack  situated  near  the 
stage  station  and  was  tan2;ht  by  Miss  Blanding;  the  other  school 
was  kept  in  a  small  shanty  located  near  where  the  Great  North- 
ern prssenger  depot  now  stands  and  was  taught  by  Geo.  Ames. 
As  usually  occurs  in  such  cases,  a  feeling  was  engendered  in  the 
community  that  lasted  until  the  principal  actors  in  the  matter 
had  left  the  country;  then,  with  the  establishment  of  public 
schools  the  cojitroversy  seems  to  have  been  so  far  forgotten  that 
no  mention  of  these  early  schools  occurs  in  the  sketches. 

The  Selkirk  was  usually  laid  up  each  winter  at  Grand  Forks. 
This  initiated  a  boat  yard  here.  It  was  established  by  Kittson, 
who  was  then  connected  with  the  tranportation  business  of  the 
Hudson  l^ay  company.  About  this  time  the  few  boats  on  the 
river  passed  under  his  control  and  so  he  came  to  be  called  Com- 
modore Kittson.     I).  P.  Reeves  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  boat 


7b        HISTORY  OF  GRAND  FORKS  COUNTY 

yard.  This  was  located  upon  the  river  bank  a  short  distance 
above  the  point.  During  the  winter  of  1873-4,  there  was  built 
iiere,  or  rather  lengthened,  the  steamer  Dakota,  which  had  j)re- 
vioush^  been  built  at  Breckenridge  as  a  ninety    feet   boat. 

During  these  early  years  there  was  considerable  flatboating 
being  done  on  the  river  despite  the  presence  of  steamboats.  The 
business  seems  to  iiave  reached  its  culmination  in  1872.  Pine 
lumber  could  now  readily  be  obtained  at  Moorhead  that  had  been 
shipped  in  by  railroad,  and  scores  of  flatboats  left  that  place  for 
down  river  points,  many  people  journeying  in  this  manner  with 
their  goods  and  chattels.  'I'here  must  have  been  either  high 
freight  charges  on  the  steamers  or  lack  of  adequate  transport- 
ation facilities,  causing  vexatious  delaj^s,  to  account  for  this  flat- 
boating  business  which  seems  to  have  spruns:  up  as  a  temporary 
expedient  to  save  costs  and  time.  Before  the  railroads  reached 
different  points  in  the  valley  pine  lumber  was  apt  to  have  been 
scarce  material  in  any  section  of  it,  and  it  is  related  that  the 
famous  Joe  Rolette,  who  died  at  Pembina,  INIaj'  16,  1871,  was 
buried  in  a  cotfin  made  from  lumber  of  a  flatboat  that  opportune- 
ly arrived  there  just  at  that  time.  The  boats  were  always  tak- 
en to  pieces  for  the  sale  or  use  of  the  lumber. 

The  old  policy  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company  was  to  confine 
their  business  to  the  fur  trade,  but  time,  vvith  its  changing  con- 
ditions, often  causes  associations  as  well  as  individuals  to  adapt 
their  course  so  astoconforui  to  altered  or  changing  circumstances; 
hence,  Donald  O.  Smith  having  .succeeded  Hudson  Bay  governor 
McTavish,  this  policy  was  changed  so  far  as  to  trade  with  all  of 
the  people.  The  old  post  at  Georgecown,  Miini.,  had  a  succession 
of  "factors"  as  the  agents  were  called,  the  last  one  in  charge 
there  being  Walter  J.  iS.  'IVaill,  for  whom  Traill  county  was 
named.  The  post  consisted  of  a  few  buildings  constructed  of 
hewn  logs,  and,  at  times,  there  was  stored  here  peltries  of  enor- 
mous value.  In  1873  the  buildings  were  sold  and  the  business 
moved  to  Grand  Forks  where  the  company  acquired  property  in- 
terests. Mr.  Traill  also  came  to  Grand  Forks  to  take  charge  of 
the  Company's  affairs  here.  They  bought  out  the  store  and  saw- 
mill already  located  here  and  proceeded  to  establish  a  general 
store  of  their  own,  also  a  hotel  called  the  Northwestern.  Their 
store  was  located  on  the  corner  of  Third  street  and  Kittson  ave- 
nue where  the  Union  National  bank  building  and  Platky's  store 
now  stand,  while  the  hotel  stood  on  the  corner  of  Third  street 
and  DeMers  avenue,  or  on  the  sice  now  occupied  by  F.  \V.  Schla- 
berg's  J)rug  store. 

Frank  Viets  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1839,  and  served  in  the 
civil  war.  Himself,  wife  and  little  daughter  came  to  Georgetown 
in  August,  1870,  and  opened  a  hotel  in  one  of  the  old  post  build- 
ings.    He  was  obliged  to  team  his  furniture  and  supplies    from 


THE    FIRST    SIX     YEARS    OF    GRAND     FORKS  77 

St.  Cloud  and  Alexandria.  In  those  times  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Viets 
entertained  many  distinguished  persons  who  chanced  to  visit  the 
upper  part  of  the  valley.  When  the  business  transactions  of  the 
post  was  transferred  to  Grawd  Forks,  J\lr.  and  Mrs.  Viets  also 
came  and  took  charge  of  the  Northwestern  hotel.  Thus  Mr.  Viets 
early  became  identified  with  the  history  of  the  city  of  his  clioice. 

In  1873  O.  S.  Freeman  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Grand 
Forks,  succeeding  John  W.  Stewart,  and  he  moved  the  office  to 
the  Hudson  Bay  company's  store.  The  Northwestern  hotel  being 
completed  and  opened,  the  business  of  the  stage  station  was  like- 
wise transferred  to  the  settlement  and  to  that  building  during 
the  same  year. 

Fronting  the  settlement  there  was  a  limited  opening  of  the 
timber,  no  great  an-ioutit  of  it  then  having  been  cleared  from 
the  present  city  front  and  through  this  open  space  passengers 
enroute  from  Ontario  to  Manitoba,  or  «ny  others,  saw  from  the 
upper  deck  of  the  Selkirk  a  .^mall  and  rather  incongruous  set- 
tlement. The  population  was  still  small,  numbering  that  year 
about  160  persons.  At  this  time  the  place  consisted  of  the  Hud- 
son l^ay  company's  store  and  hotel,  also  another  hotel  built  the 
previous  year,  Capt.  (iriggs'  house,  the  saw-mill,  and  a  small 
number  of  cabins  and  shacks.  Then  there  Was  the  ferry,  boat 
yard  and  stage  station  buildings  above  the  settlement.  The  place 
also  had  a  telegraph  office.  It  was  merely  a  frontier  settlement, 
none  consisting  exclusively  of  white  people  existing  to  the  west 
of  itshortof  the  Missouri  river.  I'he  times  were  not  yet  ripe 
for  town  building  in  this  part  of  the  Red  River  Valley. 

FIHST  LAND  ENTRIES,  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  AND  NEWSPAPER. 

Thus  far  onward  the  settlement  was  on  the  public  lands,  con- 
sequently there  were  no  transfers  of  land  from  party  to  party 
excepting  in  the  way  of  squatter's  rights,  which  do  not  become 
matters  of  record.  Persons  holding  claims  around  Grand  Forks 
prior  to  1874  were  squatters,  unless  such  had  scripted  the  land. 
The  land  in  the  county  around  Grand  Forks  was  surveyed  in  1873 
and  was  opened  to  settlement  in  January,  1874.  The  United 
States  Land  Office  was  then  located  at  Pembina.  The  first  entries 
of  land  around  Gran(i  Forks  were  made  in  the  early  part  of  3874 
by  Alex.  (Griggs.  O.  S.  Freeman,  John  Fadden,Sr.",  J.  to.  Eshel- 
man  and  likely  by  others. 

When  the  county  wasorganized  its  commissioners  remembered 
the  cause  of  education.  The  siorthern  half  of  the  county  was 
accordingly  designated  as  school  district  No.  1,  and  the  southern 
lialf  as  school  district  No.  2,  This  provision  was  made  at  their 
meeting  o!  March  2,  1875.  But  before  this  time  definite  action 
to  erect  a  public  school  building  at  Grand  Forks  had  been  taken. 
Sometime  in  the  year  1874  .Mrs.  Richmond  taught  a  small  school 


78  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

in  a  shack  12  by  18  feet.  The  several  small  schools  thus  far  at- 
tempted seem  to  have  finally  led  to  public  action  on  the  subject 
looking  toward  the  establishment  of  a  school  that  would  have  per- 
manency. In  the  fall,  after  navigation  had  closed,  some  of  the 
river  men,  among  them  Capt.  H.  E.  Maloney  and  others,  called 
a  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  raising  money  to  erect  a  public 
schoolhouse.  Capt.  ^Ialoney  whs  one  of  the  committee  appoint- 
ed for  til  at  purpose,  and  before  the  meeting  closed  $500  was 
secured  by  subscriptions  besides  pledges  for  work.  The  building 
was  erected  during  the  winter  of  1874-5  and  cost  $472.  In  the 
spring,  or  perhaps  before  that  season  began,  a  school  was  open- 
ed in  the  new  building  with  twelve  or  fifteen  children  in  attend- 
ance. A  young  man  named  William  Curie,  a  Methodist  preacher 
who  had  been  sent  to  Grand  Forks  by  the  Northwest  Iowa  con- 
ference, was  j)laced  in  charge  of  the  school.  Its  limited  number 
of  pupils  is  an  index  of  the  scant  population  of  the  place  in  1875; 
yet' it  should  be  said  that  with  settlements  of  this  kind  at  that 
period  numbers  of  men  were  often  residents,  who,  for  the  time 
being,  had  left  their  families  elsewhere. 

It  was  not  until  about  the  time  we  have  now  reached  that  the 
settlement  made  any  pretension  of  being  so  much  as  is  generally 
implie<l  in  the  word  village.  On  April  26,  3875,  Alex.  Griggs 
and  Etta,  his  wife,  placed  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Register  of 
J)eeds,  a  plat  of  the  village  of  Grand  Forks,  comprising  ninety 
or  more  acres  of  their  claim.  The  original  tovvnsite  of  Grand 
Forks  was  platted  by  Hector  Bruce,  a  civil  engineer,  the  vvoric 
having  been  done  some  time  prior  to  the  date  of  filing  the  draft- 
ed plat  and  appended  documents.  As  laid  out  by  the  surveyor, 
the  streets  were  made  to  parallel  the  river,  which,  opposite  the 
business  portion  of  the  present  city  courses  toward  the  northwest, 
and  the  avenues  were  laid  out  to  cross  these  at  right  angles.  In 
platting  some  of  the  various  additions  to  the  original  townsite, 
the  trend  of  the  streets  and  avenues  were  made  to  conform  more 
generally  to  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass. 

There  were  but  four  newspapers  in  all  of  North  Dakota  in  1876, 
consequently  there  could  have  been  but  few  in  the  whole  ter- 
ritory at  any  time  in  the  previous  year  and  in  those  years  of  slow 
development  daily  papers  in  the  territory  were  not  to  be  thought 
of.  It  was  in  1875  that  Geo.  H.  Walsh  founded  the  Grand  Forks 
Plaindealer,  For  some  time  prior  to  this  date  he  was  doing  ed- 
itorial work  on  a  paper  in  West  St.  Paul.  He  came  to  North 
Dakota  in  the  year  just  named  as  clerk  ior  the  Red  River  Trans- 
portation company.  He  saw  that  there  was  an  opportunity  to 
start  a  newspaper  at  Grand  Forks.  He  then  had  his  printing 
materials  shipped  from  St.  Paul  to  Moorhead  over  the  Northern 
Pacific,  excepting  a  Washington  hand-press  which  he  purchased 
in  Fargo.     Thence  the  outfit  for  the  office    was   brought  down  to 


THE    FIRST    SIX    YEARS    OF    GRAND    FORKS  79 

Grand  Forks  by  steamer.*  "The  first  issue  of  the  Plaiiidealer 
was  OM  or  about  July  2,  1875.  I  cannot  remember  the  exact 
date."  So  states  the  founder  of  the  paper  himself.  For  nearly 
four  years  this  paper  hud  the  field  all  to  itself  in  this  part  of  the 
valley.  On  July  8,  1875,  the  Plaindealer  was  chosen  as  the  of- 
ficial paper  for  Traill  county  instead  of  a  Fargo  paper  previously 
used  to  publish  the  commissioners'  proceedings,  for  it  is  presum- 
able either  that  they  had  offers  of  publishing  their  proceedings 
made  to  them  or  that  its  first  number  had  just  attracted  their 
attention.  Mr.  Walsh  continued  to  publish  the  Plaindealer  for 
about  two  years,  after  which  others  in  succession  took  charge  of 
the  paper,  among  whom  was  1).  IMcDonald. 

In  1875  Frank  Viets  bo\ight  of  the  Hudson  bay  company  their 
hotel  and  general  merchandise  store,  and  this  ended  their  trad- 
ing business  in  the  valley  on  this  side  of  the  boundary  line. 
They  still  retained  some  real  estate  property  at  Grand  Forks, 
but  what  remained  of  it  three  or  four  years  later,  was  purchased 
by  E.  V.  Holcomb  and  John  McKelvey.  Another  event  for  the 
village  in  1875  was  the  appointment  of  Alex.  Griggs  as  postmas- 
ter, succeeding  O.  S.  Freeman. 

Business  on  the  river  was  now  developing  in  considerable  pro- 
portions, and  Gra/id  Forks  became  something  of  a  headquarters 
for  river  men,  but  their  number  here,  even  in  the  best  days  of 
steamboating  on  lied  river,  was  never  very  large,  'i'he  steamer 
Sheyenne  was  built  at  the  boat  yard  here  about  1874-5,  and  was 
desisfued  to  tow  barges.  This  was  the  first  side  wheeled  boat  to 
be  placed  on  the  river,  the  others  being  of  the  stern  wheeled  type. 
The  iSheyenne  was  built  under  the  supervision  of  Capt.  E.  V. 
Holcomb  and  the  river  men  sp(>ke  of  her  as  "Holcomb's  pet." 
'l\vo  more  steamers,  the  Minnesota  and  Manitoba,  were  built  at 
INIoorhead  in  1875  at  the  instance  of  the  merchants  of  Wifinipeg. 
This  was  called  the  Merchants'  line.  In  the  same  year  Commo- 
dore Kittson  and  associates  organized  the  Red  River  Transporta- 
tion company,  which  absorbed  most  every  boat  on  the  river. 
Before  this  the  firm  was  Kittson  &  Hill.  That  year  VV.  J.  An- 
derson first  came  to  Grand  Forks  as  an  agent  of  the  newly 
organized  company.  The  steamer  Alpha  was  also  built  by  this 
conipany  at  McCauleyville.     In  September,  1877,  a   boat   called 

*  From  statements  made  by  Geo.  H.  Walsh.— If  the  first  number  was  issued 
on  the  first  Thursday  in  July  of  that  year  the  date  was  July  1,  1875.  In  1881 
the  office  of  the  Plaindealer  was  burned  down  with  the  loss  of  all  of  the  old 
files  and  the  later  ones  down  to  the  date  of  the  fire.  Hence  the  discrepancies 
of  the  sketches  as  to  the  date  of  the  first  issue  of  the  Plaindealer.  The  loss  of 
the  old  files  of  this  paper  is  probably  an  irreparable  one  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  county's  history.  It  may  be  remarked  here  that  the  old  files  of  a  weekly 
paper  published  in  any  settlement  in  its  early  days,  finally  become  of  con- 
siderable value,  provided  the  place  ultimately  grows  to  one  of  importance, 
for  they  reflect  the  life  of  any  past  era  in  a  manner  that  cannot  be  expected 
of  courthouse  records. 


80  HISTORY     OF    GRAND     FORKS     CO  U  N  T  Y 

the  Pluck  WHS  transported  from  Brainerd  to  IMoorheadon  flat  cars 
which  was  done  by  cutting  the  boat  in  two  lengthwise.  The  next 
year  the  Pluck  became  one  of  the  boats  of  the  Alsip  line. 

In  what  is  called  the  old  stage  coach  days  of  any  section  of  the 
country  where  Concord  coaches  provided  the  most  speedy  means 
of  transit  prior  to  the  arrival  of  the  railrt)ads,  the  stage  drivers 
have  always  constituted  a  widely  known  and  long  remembered 
class,  and  indeed,  many  peculiar  characters  were  developed 
among  them.  We  presume  that  manv  reminiscences  might  be 
collected  concerning  those  who  drove  on  the  old  Red  river  stage 
road,  particularly  in  respect  to  the  run  they  used  to  make  be- 
tween Grand  Forks  and  Fembina,  but  we  can  only  mention 
their  names,  as  (amiliarly  known  to  the  public  in  the  days  of 
their  usefulness,  including  those  of  a  few  others  connected  with 
the  Northwestern  Stage  &  Transportation  company. 

W^illiam  Gidley  was  general  agent  for  the  company;  Benjamin 
Lord,  James  Van  Rensselaer  and  a  person  named  Sheperd  were 
express  messengers;  then  of  the  stage  drivers  there  were:  Joe 
Coloskey,  John  Hayten,  Jacob  (jrosham  (known  as  Lame  Jake), 
James  I'hornton  ( Scar  Faced  Jim),  lUibe  Harding,  Dick  Cole, 
Old  Man  Cole,  Jack  Connolly,  Pat  Kelly,  Joe  IMorrison,  Charlie 
Locke,  Cal  Young,  Jake  Kheinhardt,  Frank  Windle,  Tom  Haker, 
Newt  Porter,  Jud  Winchester  and  a  driver  named    Harm 


_.ie 
k€ 
•m. 


CONDITIONS  AND  SURROUNDINGS   IN  1876. 


In  1876  Grand  Forks  was  about  a  half  dozen  years  old  and 
was  still  a  small  place,  probably  containing  at  this  time  between 
two  and  three  hundred  inhabitants.  A  few  frame  houses  had' 
now  been  built,  but  the  majority  of  the  dwellings  were  shanties 
of  hewn  logs  with  slant  roofs  and  board  shacks  of  the  same  form. 
Pine  lumber,  however,  was  bey-inning  to  be  teamed  in  from 
Crookston,  then  the  nearest  railroad  point.  Those  were  years  of 
patient  waiting  for  immigration  and  development,  which  did  not 
immediately  cotne. 

Outward  from  the  village  the  view  must  have  seemed  monot- 
onous, tor  no  visible  bluffs  hem  in  this  part  of  the  valley  to- 
ward the  west,  and  on  level  plains  like  the  alluvial  expanse  of 
prairie  that  spreads  outward  from  either  bank  of  Red  river,  the 
ground  view  is  restricted  to  three  or  four  miles  by  reason  of  the 
curvature  of  the  earth's  surface.  To  the  southwest,  however,  the 
higher  central  land  beic  of  the  county  is  just  barely  visible,  lying 
low  on  the  horizon.  There  were  then  no  objects  upon  the  valley 
plain  other  than  a  few  low  claim  shacks  to  form  even  artificial 
landmarks,  the  more  prominent  ones  of  this  nature,  such  as  are 
formed  by  elevators,  church  spires  or  farm  houses  with  their 
groves  of  cultivated  trees,  being  absent.  The  winding  timber 
belts  along  the  two  streams  alone  formed  natural  landmarks. 


THE    FIRST    SIX    YEARS    OF    GRAND    FORKS  81 

In  this  northern  clime  the  long  summer  days  bring  the  wild 
vegetation  rapidly  to  maturity,  the  summer  green  changing  to  a 
russet  hue  ere  the  fullness  of  autumn  comes;  then,  in  those  times, 
after  the  frosts  had  come  the  annual  prairie  fires  swept  on  their 
courses,  burning  over  a  section  of  the  county  here  and  another 
there,  filling  the  air  with  dense  clouds  of  smoke  and  leaving  in 
their  track  a  waste  of  inky  blackness  until  this  somber  hue  was 
removed  by  winds  and  rains.  A  prairie  fire,  driven  before  the 
wind,  spreads  out  fan  shaped  from  the  place  of  beginning,  flam- 
ing fiercely  at  the  front  and  burning  slowly  along  the  sides. 
While  single  fires  might  travel  forward  many  miles^,  or  until  stop- 
ped by  some  watercourse,  they  were  not  apt  to  spread  laterally  to 
any  great  distance.  A  slight  shower  would  soon  extinguish  one. 
The  county  as  a  whole,  was  annually  burned  over  by  matiy  such 
fires,  at  different  intervals,  some  sections  either  not  being  swept 
over  at  nil  some  seasons  or  burned  the  next  spring. 

For  the  most  part,  tiie  coutity  at  large,  still  lay  in  its  primeval 
condition,  as  described  for  1870;  its  western  part  about  the  Elk 
Valley  and  beyond  was  still  frequented  by  elk  and  antelope  and 
the  bleaching  bones  of  the  buffalo  lay  scattered  abundantly  over 
the  prairie  lands.  A  few  settlers,  however,  were  already  located 
on  the  headstream  of  the  Goose,  but  the  timbered  streams  north 
of  this  and  back  to  any  distance  from  the  valley  plain,  were  still 
without  settlers.  By  this  time  the  townships  of  the  valley  plain 
had  been  subdivided,  and  the  lines  of  all  others  in  the  county  as 
now  bounded,  had  probably  been  run  by  the  close  of  that  year. 
For  six  or  eight  miles  around  Grand  Forks  the  land  had  been 
entered,  but  probably  only  a  tew  of  those  who  had  jnade  filings 
on  claims  were  occupying  and  improving  them  at  this  time. 

THE  BLACK  HILLS  PARTY  AND  OTHER  MATTERS. 

In  the  summer  of  1874,  Gen.  Custer  left  Fort  Abraham  Lin- 
coln with  an  expedition  to  explore  the  Black  Hills.  The  men  of 
his  command  speedily  ascertained  that  there  was  gold  in  that 
region,  a  fact  that  soon  became  widely  known.  Although  the 
government  prohibited  gold  seekers  from  entering  the  Hills,  this 
region  then  being  a  part  of  the  Sioux  Indian  Keservation,  the 
mandate  proved  to  be  useless,  for  the  seizure  of  the  Hills  by  the 
miners  and  others  took  place  the  next  year  and  then  followed 
the  Sioux  war  of  1876. 

During  the  two  latter  years  a  large  immigration  into  the  Hills 
vvas  in  progress  and  a  small  party  was  organized  at  Grand  Forks 
during  the  winter  of  of  1875-6.  This  party  consisted  of  the  fol- 
lowing named  persons:  VVm.  Budge,  D.  M.  Hohnes,  J.  S.  Kshel- 
man,  .las.  A.  Jenks,  Geo.  Fadden,  Jas.  Williams,  A.  L.  INlcKinley, 
Wm.  Myrick,  Peter  Gerard,  Zeb.  Hamner,  Komeo  Whitney, 
Thomas  Hall,  Jas.  Mulligan  and  "Farmer  Brown."      The    party 


82  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

used  Indian  ponies  and  sleds  to  transport  their  supplies  to  Bis- 
inark,  and  Red  River  carts,  partially  taken  apart,  were  also  sled- 
ded across  the  country  to  use  during  the  remainder  of  the  trip. 
The  party  left  Grand  Forks  February  14,  1876.  Reaching  Bis- 
marck thev  joined  a  party  that  was  made  up  of  men  from  all 
over  the  country.  Thev  started  for  the  Hills  on  March  21st,  the 
whole  party  now  numbering  about  fifty  persons.  A  brush  was 
had  on  the  first  of  April  with  a  band  of  hostile  Sioux  in  which 
a  person  named  Ward  was  killed— a  brother  of  Oscar  Ward  ot 
Bismarck— and  two  wounded,  to  wit,  a  man  named  Collins  from 
Bismarck  and  Jas.  Williams  of  Grand  Forks.  The  party  reached 
the  Hills  about  April  20th.  The  most  of  the  party  returned  to 
North  iJakota  before  the  close  of  the  year,  but  Hall,  Whitney 
and  Mulligan  are  still  residents  of  the  Black  Hills.* 

In  1876  Frank  Viets  purchased  the  Fadden  claim  near  the 
confluence  of  the  rivers.  Next  to  the  original  townsite  which  ic 
adjoins  on  the  south,  something  of  historic  interest  attaches  to 
this  piece  of  land.  Originally  it  was  Cady's  squatter's  claim 
and  his  cabin  stood  on  the  river  bank  about  east  of  the  city  filter 
plant;  Cady  states  that  he  sold  his  right  to  Asa  8argeant;  one  or 
two  others  then  had  possession  and  finally  John  Fadden,  Sr., 
filed  on  the  land.  He  deeded  it  to  Mr.  Viets,  June  24,  1876.  It 
would,  perhaps,  be  difficult  to  describe  in  surveyors'  phraseology 
any  of  these  claims  that  border  on  the  river  because  they  com- 
prised, not  so  much  quarter-sections  as  aggregations  of  forties 
and  "lots"  or  fractions  of  forties.  The  same  year  that  I\Ir.  Viets 
acquired  this  property  he  built  upon  it  a  hotel  called  the  Viets 
house,  known  in  later  years  as  the  Richardson  house;  next  year 
he  erected  a  flour  mill  and  afterward  had  platted  on  the  land  the 
first  addition  to  the  original  townsite. 

During  these  six  years  the  village  had  its  phase  of  social  life, 
conditioned  by  the  size  of  the  place,  the  character  of  the  people, 
their  vocations,  state  of  the  times  and  surroundings;  in  respect 
to  the  last  named  factor,  we  mean,  as  influenced  by  the  river 
traffic  and  the  daily  stage  line.  The  life  of  the  place  was  like 
other  western  villages  that  are  not  railroad  points,  but  which 
have  settled  down  into  stability  and  waiting.  Although  a  fron- 
tier point,  it  did  not  partake  of  the  usual  turbulent  character  of 
such  places  and  this  was  due  to  the  law  abiding  nature  of  the 
majority  of  the  residents  and  the  potent  moral  influences  that 
were  wielded  by  a  number  of  ladies,  among  whom  were  Mrs. 
Viets  (who  established  the  first  Sunday  school  of  the  village  in 
1873),  Mrs.  Alex.  Griggs,  and  Mrs.  W.  C.  Nash.  The  Griggs 
family  had  brought  to  their  hospitable  home  a  piano  which  enliv- 
ened many  a  social  gathering  held  there  in  those  days. 

*  Mainly  from  data  furnished  by  D.  M.  Holmes. 


THE    FIRST    SIX    YEARS    OF    GRAND    FORKS  83 

CAUSES  OF  SLOW   DEVELOPMENT. 

Though  the  future  was  full  of  promise  tliose  were  years  of  lag- 
ging progress  for  the  village  of  Grand  F'orks.  It  built  up  but 
slowly  and  no  other  place  had,  as  yet,  been  started  in  the  county. 
In  view  of  this,  its  founding  in  1871  seems  to  have  been  almost 
premature.  Nevertheless,  the  old  timers,  as  we  call  them  now, 
then  located  here  seem  to  have  possessed  an  abiding  faith  in  a 
brighter  future  for  the  village,  believing  that  in  course  of  time 
it  would  rise  to  be  the  metropolis  of  all  that  part  of  the  valley 
lying  between  Fargo  and  Winnipeg.  In  those  half  dozen  years 
they  witnessed  the  passing  for  the  central  part  of  the  valley  of 
the  transition  interval  between  its  old  and  new  epochs — the  dy- 
ing out  of  the  old  and  the  birth  of  the  new. 

There  was  then  no  railroad  nearer  than  Crookston,  consequent- 
ly there  could  be  no  agricultural  development  of  the  county, 
other  tlijin  on  a  limited  scale,  and  its  population  was  compar- 
atively scant  at  this  time.  VVithout  railroads  to  transport  away 
the  grain  there  was  little  inducement  for  settlers  to  come  in  large 
numbers;  moreover,  false  impressions  concerning  the  country 
were  prevalent  in  the  states  that  had  not  been  counteracted.  A 
part  of  this  interval  comprised  the  few  years  of  business  depres- 
sion that  followed  the  financial  crisis  of  1873,  during  which  time 
there  was  but  little  movement  of  population  toward  the  lied 
Kiver  Valley.  VVithout  immigration  to  settle  and  till  the  broad 
prairies  to  the  west  of  Red  river,  the  village  would  not  be  apt  to 
make  anythitig  more  than  a  fitful  and  halting  progress.  The 
timber  belt  in  the  county  along  the  river  had  largely  gone  into 
the  hands  of  specuhitive  parties  who  had  covered  many  of  the 
quarter-sections  comprising  the  best  of  it  witfi  halfbreed  script, 
thereby  snatching  it  away  from  bona  tide  settlers  at  a  time  when 
they  exhibited  a  strong  propensity  to  take  to  the  timber.  On  the 
Minnesota  side  of  the  river,  half  of  it  within  certain  limits  was 
covered  l)y  the  old  land  grant  of  the  iSt.  Paul  &  Pacific  railroad. 

The  business  done  at  this  point  was  then  based  more  upon 
such  immigration  as  came  in  those  years,  upon  the  river  trade, 
the  stage  traffic  and  the  declining  fur  trade  than  upon  any  ac- 
tual development  of  the  surrounding  country.  With  the  inclu- 
sion of  the  covering  of  the  timber  by  land  grant  and  halfbreed 
script  we  are  impelled  to  say  that  it  is  not  by  means  such  as  these 
that  settlements  anywhere  in  the  western  country  have  ever  gotten 
any  early  and  vigorous  start  into  existence.  We  can  farther  see 
that,  as  yet,  the  village  had  not  wholly  emerged  from  the  shadow 
of  the  old  epoch  of  the  valley,  this  departing  stage  of  its  existence 
seemingly  tincturing  with  its  unprogressiveness  the  beginning 
of  the  life  of  the  new  epoch.  Yet  aside  from  this,  looking  at  ex- 
istent business  conditions  as  then  manifested,  it  should   be  said. 


84  HISTORY     OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

that  for  a  place  of  its  size  and  population,  Grand  Forks  was  now 
beginning  to  be  nomething  of  a  mercantile  point,  prognosticating 
a  brighter  future.  '"Good  business  was  done"  says  D.  iM.  Holmes 
"by  the  Hudson  Bay  company  in  1874  and  '75,  and  by  Viets  in 
1876  owing  to  there  being  no  competition  nearer  than  Fargo." 

Hut  better  times  for  this  section  of  the  valley  were  appoach- 
ing,  forecasting  the  openijig  of  a  new  era.  Settlers  in  yearly 
increasing  numbers  were  now  arriving  and  entering  their  claims. 
In  1877  the  first  railroad  line,  of  those  now  centering  at  Grand 
Forks,  was  headed  toward  this  place.  'Ihe  same  year  Frank 
Viets  erected  a  50-barrel  flour  mill  on  liis  real  estate  property  to 
which  customers  came  from  long  distances  away.  This  mill  is 
still  used,  is  a  wooden  structure  and  stands  upon  the  river  slope 
a  little  to  the  north  of  the  city  water-works. 

THE  DAWNING  OF  BETTER  TIMES. 

THE  RAILROAD  AT  FISHERS  LANDING. 

Grand  Forks  is  now  quite  a  railroad  center,  and  it  is  mainly 
owing  to  this  status  of  things  that  this  city  has  been  able  to  at- 
tain its  present  size  and  population,  the  bands  of  steel  radiating 
north  and  south,  east  and  west,  having  been  an  incentive  toward 
the  establishment  of  manufacturing  industries  and  commercial 
enterprises.  J3efore  the  railroads  came  the  place  never  attained 
to  anything  more  than  the  size  of  an  ordinary  village;  after  their 
arrival  the  county  at  large  began  to  develop  rapidly,  and  the 
filling  ot  the  back  country  with  a  population  whose  vocation  is 
directly  or  indirectly  based  upon  agriculture,  soon  wrought  a 
magic  change.  Simultaneously  with  this  immigration,  Grand 
Forks  forthwith  began  to  grow,  but  primarily,  all  that  is  now 
centered  here  has  been  rendered  possible  by  agricultiire  and  by 
railroad  building  in  the  valley,  which  so  rapidly  followed.  We 
are  here  concerned  only  with  the  initiation  of  these  matters. 

'IMiough  a  matter  already  predetermined  by  geographical  sit- 
uation and  physical  conditions,  the  development  of  a  railroad 
center  in  this  part  of  the  valley  in  its  initial  beginning  chanced 
to  have  an  incidental  connection  with  the  building  of  the  Can- 
adian Pacific  railroad.  In  the  first  place,  the  St.  Paul  &  Pacific 
Railroad  company  built  over  a  hundred  miles  of  track  down  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Red  River  Valley  in  1872-3,  and  without  con- 
nection with  their  line  then  terminating  at  Breckenridge.  The 
material  was  delivered  at  Glyndon  by  the  Northern  Pacific  com- 
pany and  from  that  place,  as'  a  base  of  operations,  the  other  com- 
pany built  south  to  I3arnesville  and  north  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance beyond  Crookston.  This  place  was  started  in  1873  at  the 
crossing  of  Red  Lake  river  by  this  line  but    for    several    years  it 


T  H  E     I)  A  W  N  1  N  ( i    O  F     B  1-:  T  T  E  II     T  I  M  E  S  85 

made  but  little  proirress.  Tlie  fiimncial  crisis  of  1873  left  this 
"St.  Vincent  extension"  as  this  long  stretch  of  track  down  the 
Minnesota  side  of  the  valley  was  called,  nnfinished;  it  was  not 
connected  with  the  line  terminating  at  Breckenridge  until  ]877, 
nor  completed  to  the  boimdary  line  until  the  close  of  1879. 

In  the  meantime  work  had  begun  on  the  (Canadian  Pacific 
railroad.  This  company  proposed,  where  praclical)le,  to  con- 
struct the  line,  to  some  extent,  in  detached  portions,  so  it  was 
thought  thnt  it  could  he  built  east  and  west  from  VVinnipeg,  west 
from  I^\)rt  William  on  J^ake  Superior,  and  also  in  Ontario  and  in 
liritish  Columbia..  1\1  r.  Whitehead,  contractor  for  the  division 
east  from  Winnipeg,  thought  he  could  have  the  iron  delivered  at 
Moor  head,  loaded  into  barges  and  thence  towed  by  the  steamers 
down  the  river.  About  the  year  1875  its  shipment  be^an  in  that, 
way  and  many  barge  loads  were  transported  down  to  VVinnipeg. 
J^ut  low  water  in  tlie  Goose  rapids  finally  began  to  delay  and  hin- 
der the  boats.  It  was  not  an  agreeable  experience  to  the  crew 
of  a  boat  to  be  laid  up  tliere  of  a  night  with  a  thunder  storm 
brewing  and  large  quantities  of  dynamite  on  the  barges  in  tow- 
as  a  partol  the  freight.  To  obviate  the  delay  in  getting  the  boats 
and  barges  through  the  rapids,  the  Ued  Lake  river  was  made 
the  next  resort.* 

The  railroad  iron  was  next  delivered  at  Crootston  and  a  few 
barge  loads  were  gotten  off  from  that  point,  probably  during 
high  water,  for  the  river  was  not  easy  to  navigate  that  far  up 
stream.!  Tlie  St.  Paul  &  Pacific  company  Jiaving  contracted  to 
deliver  to  tiie  Canadian  Pacific  road  a  large  amount  of  bonded 
iron,  it  was  decided  to  build  a  long  spur  track  from  Crookston 
to  a  point  on  Red  Lake  river  ten  miles  west  of  that  place,  to 
which  steamers  with  barges  in  tow  could  easily  ascend.  A  suf- 
ficient portion  of  the  track  of  the  unfinished  St.  Vincent  line  to 
the  north  of  Crookston  to  cover  this  distance  was  taken  up  and 
the  rails,  and  possibly  the  ties  also,  unless  others  were  used,  were 
brought  down  to  build  this  spur.  This  steamboat  point  was 
called  Fishers  Landing  and  it  was  made  the  river  base  of  opera- 
tions. Primiirily,  this  ten  mile  branch  of  the  St.  Vincent  exten- 
sion was  merely  a  mil  road  contractor's  line,  but  it  soon  came  to 
be  used  forordinary  railroad  traffic  in  connection  witli  the  steam- 
boating  business  on  lied  river.  In  the  boating  season  the  steam- 
ers run  between  Winnipeg  and  Grand  Forks  daily,  thence  up 
lied  Lake  river  to  the  railway  terminus  at  Fishers  Landing. 
A  stage  was  also  run  from  the  railroad  terminus  to  Grand  Forks. 
During  the  fall  of  1877  the  boats  were  also  busy  towing  railroad 
iron  to  Winnipeg  and  flat  cars  and  a  couple  of  locomotives  were 
likewise  taken  down  the  rivers.      At  that  time  a   hirge  number 

*  statement  of  James  f]Uon.        t  Of  John  Crdmartv. 


Si]  HISTORY     OF    (iRANl)    FORKS    COUNTY 

of  ties  for  the  Canadian  Pacific  road  were  cnt  in  tlie  forest  about 
the  mouth  of  Turtle  river  and  sent  down  to  Winnipeg,  the  duty 
on  them  beine:  merely  nominal.* 

In  the  latter  part  of  October  the  river  suddenly  froze  up,  by 
reason  of  whicli  seven  steamers  were  cauirht  in  the  ice  at  differ- 
ent points  on  the  stream.  Later  on,  a  mild  spell  of  weather  re- 
leased the  boats  and  the  river  was  still  open  in  December.  The 
winter  of  1877-8  was  mild  and  open  with  but  little  snow,  probably 
like  some  of  those  experienced  here  in  recent  years,  more  dry 
than  wet,  and  the  gronnd  being  bare  most  of  the  winter,  the 
prairie  fires  were  often  running  and  burning  over  tracts  that  had 
escaped  the  usual  autumn  fires. 

THE  FIRST  TERM  OF  COURT. 

At  this  time  the  regular  terms  of  court  for  this  subdivisicm^  of 
the  Third  judicial  district  were  held  at  Fargo.  The  commission- 
ers of  a  county,  could,  however,  under  authority  of  the  territo- 
rial laws,  provide  for  a  term  of  court  in  their  respective  counties 
outside  the  designated  county  seat  of  any  subdivision  of  a  judi- 
cial district,  if  they  thought  it  to  be  expedient  to  do  so.  As  yet 
(-rrand  Forks  had  not  been  designated  by  any  law  of  the  territo- 
rial legislature  as  one  of  the  county  seats  at  which  terms  of  dis- 
trict court  were  to  be  held.  Hence  it  happened  that  the  first 
term  of  court  at  Grand  Forks  was  held  by  request  of  the  county 
commissioners. 

These  gentlemen  passed  a  resolution  as  follows:  "Resolved, 
that  the  County  Clerk  be  instructed  to  request  the  Hon.  A.  H. 
Barnes,  .Judge  of  the  Third  Judicial  District.  Dakota  Terruory, 
to  hold'a  term  of  court  in  and  for  Grand  Forks  County,  D.  T., 
some  time  during  the  con)ing  summer."  This  was  iu  the  spring 
of  1878,  and  D.  ]\r.  Holmes  was  then  the  county  clerk.  He 
accordingly  notified  Judge  Barnes  of  the  resolution  passed  by 
the  county  commissioners,  and  the  judge  thereupon  fixed  April 
30,  1878.  as  the  day  on  which  the  court  would  sitatCrand  Forks. 
Court  was  called  at  six  o'clock  on  the  afteriuxm  of  that  day  so  as 

*  D.  \V.  Luke,  of  Grand  Forks,  has  related  his  recollections  of  the  tnking  of 
the  tirst  locomotive  to  Manitoba.  This  account  was  published  hrst  m  tne 
Herald  and  subsequently  in  the  Record  Magazine,  l)ec.  189/. 

"At  that  time  [1877]  the  railroad  stopped  at  Fisher  and  all  the  steamboats, 
of  which  there  were  several  on  the  river,  made  the  trip  regularly  up  the  Kea 
Lake  river  to  Fishers  Landing.  The  boat  on  which  I  made  the  trip  from 
Fisher  to  Wiimipeg  towed  a  barge  on  which  was  loaded  the  hrst  locomotu  e 
that  went  to  Manitoba.  Wm.  NVhitehead,  who  had  the  contract  for  building 
considerable  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  railroad,  decided  that  he  could  ^\ork  to 
advantage  by  building  from  Winnipeg  east  and  so  took  his  locomotive  aov,n 
from  Fisher  on  a  barge.  As  we  neared  the  international  boundary  ime,  >ir 
Whitehead,  who  was  on  board  the  steamer,  went  down  on  the  barge  and  naa 
his  engine  tired  up,  and  as  we  went  across  the  line  into  the  queen  s  domains, 
hegave  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive  a  succussionot  blasts  that  must  nave 
startled  the  natives.  He  said  he  wanted  to  hear  the  first  toot  of  a  l9Comoti\  e 
in  Manitoba."     (Fishers  Landing  had  its  name  clianged  to  Fisher  since  ^m).) 


r  1 1  E    D  A  W  N  I  N  ( ;    (>  F    i;  E  T  T  E  K    T  I  M  E  S  bi 

to  fix  an  adjournment  to  nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of  May  1st, 
for  the  judge  iiad  not  arrived.  Judge  Barnes  was  present  the 
next  day  and  the  court  convened  at  the  hour  set  in  the  adjourn- 
ment. 'J'here  was  not  much  business  to  transact,  but  the  court 
record  shows  that  a  person  named  L.  A.  Barrie  was  admitted  to 
bail;  that  A.I).  Thomas  of  Fargo  was  admitted  to  the  Practice 
of  Law  in  the  territory  upon  presentation  of  a  certificate  of  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  of  the  state  of  Wisconsin;  and  that  Ann  Mar- 
tin, John  McRae  and  W'm.  Budge  were  admitted  to  citizenship. 
Geo,  H.  Walsli  was  clerk  of  court. ■^  Tlie  court  was  lield  in  anew 
school  house  tliat  had  cost  $1,500  and  which  stood  about  on  the 
site  of  the  present  county  jail. 

THE  VILLAGE  OF  GRAND  FORKS  ORGANIZED. 

Early  in  the  year  1878  tiie  village  of  Grand  Forks  was  organ- 
ized and  the  following  officers  were  chosen:  (^leorge  H.  Walsh, 
president;  ilussell  W.  Cutts,  clerk;  W.  H,  Brown,  John  iNfcRae, 
Wm.  Budge  and  Frank  Viets,  trustees.  This  wjis  the  bridge 
over  which  a  passage  was  made  toward  city  organization  three 
years  later. 

On  June  1,  1878,  Frank  Viets  and  Nan  his  wife,  as  the  record 
states,  placed  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  llegister  of  Deeds  a  plat 
of  the  first  addition  to  the  original  townsite  of  Grand  Forks,  to- 
gether with  several  accompanying  documents,  which  were  duly 
copied  for  record.  The  land  comprised  in  this  addition  is  de- 
scribed as  "being  o)i  part  of  Lot  1,  the  southeast  quarter  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  Section  3,  and  part  of  Lot  1,  Section  2,  Town 
151,  Range  50."  On  October  16,  there  was  also  placed  on  file  by 
Walter  J.  S.  T'raill,  the  next  addition  to  Grand  Forks,  adjoining 
that  of  Mr.  Viets  on  the  west  and  southwest.  The  platting  of 
Mr.  Viets' addition  was  the  work  of  Hector  Bruce  and  that  of 
Mr.  Traill  was  done  by  Alex.  Oldham. 

At  this  period  the  luiildings  of  the  village  were  mainly  located 
inside  of  Fourth  street,  the  one  which  is  fronted  by  the  court 
house,  and  did  not  extend  north  below  Alpha  aveiuio,  nor  south 
beyond  the  ferry,  if  we  exclude  the  few  scattered  buildings  about 
the  old  stage  station  a  half  mile  above  the  ferry.  In  the  main, 
what  there  then  was  of  the  village  was  located  upon  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  Third  street.  The  place  then  showed  some  tendency 
toward  compactness,  rather  than  arranged  in  scattered  order. 

There  were  now  a  greater  number  of  settlers  arriving  at  Grand 
Forks  than  had  been  the  case  previously,  and  while  many  made 
filings  on  the  prairie  lands  the  majority  seem  to  iiave  exhibited 
a  strong  disposition  to  locate  on  the  timbered  streams,  and  dur- 
ing this  and  the  following  year  most  of  these  new  comers  occupied^ 
the    line    of  the    watercourses    to     the    west    and    northwest    of 

*  From  (iata  furnished  hv  Goo.  L.  Ryerson,  rierk  of  Court. 


88  H  I  S  T  0  IM'     O  F    G  R  A  K  D     F  O  K  K  S    C  O  U  N  T  Y 

Grand  Forks,  a  few  of  them  even  pushing  tlieir  settlements  thirty 
to  forty  miles  beyond  this,  tlieir  nearest  base  of  supplies.  The 
first  interior  roads  of  this  county,  other  than  the  old  CMrt  trails, 
were  those-tliat  tliese  settlers  struck  out  with  the  common  farm 
wagon,  leading  from  their  settlements  by  the  most  easy  routes 
across  the  prairies  to  Grand  Forks.  By  the  year  1878  a  few  of 
these  settlers  had  began  raising  a  little  wheat  and  this  being 
marketed  at  (irand  Forks  a  number  of  barge  loads  were  shipped 
to  Fishers  Landing  and  some  up  to  INIoorhead. 

PROGRESS  IN  1879. 

We  now  enter  upon  a  year  during  which  it  must  have  become 
apparent  to  the,  business  men  of  Grand  Forks  that  the  then  vil- 
lage was  on  the  eve  of  marked  changes  for  the  better.  Even  the 
transition  period  of  which  we  have  spoken  had  virtually  closed, 
but  usually  men  are  not  conscious  of  the  birth  of  a  new  epoch. 
What  the  county  had  most  needed  hitherto  was  immigration  and 
railroads.  The  first  it  was  now  receiving  to  a  marked  degree, 
and  the  other  was  now  close  at  hand.  The  development  of  its 
capacities  would  next  rapidly  ensue,  as  a  matter  of  course.  The 
year  1879  msiy  be  assigMe<l  as  the  one  when  the  agricultural  de- 
velopment of  the  county  fairly  began,  though  wheat  and  oats  in 
small  parcels  had  been  raised  here  for  several  years  previous  to 
tiiis  date.  In  this  and  the  previous  year  new  business  houses 
were  started  in  Grand  Forks  and  general  merchandise  and  agri- 
cultural machinery  was  now  being  unloaded  from  the  steamers 
in  constantly  increasing  bulk.  The  town  now  had  a  developing 
back  country  to  supply. 

George  B.  VVinship  spent  the  later  seventies  in  southeastern 
INIinnesota.  In  the  spring  of  1877  he  started  a  weekly  local 
paper  called  the  Courier  at  Caledonia,  the  shire  town  of  Houston 
county.  This  place  already  had  a  weekly  paper  that  had  been 
established  there  in  the  fall  of  1865;  as  times  then  were  some 
thought  the  starling  of  another  paper  in  the  village  a  bold  ven- 
ture, but  Mr.  Winship  was  tiie  kind  of  man  to  succeed  in  the  long 
run  and  he  continued  to  issue  the  Courier  for  about  two  years, 
quietly  abiding  his  time.  He  was  of  the  opinion  that,  after  Fargo 
and  \Vinnipeg.  the  next  place  on  Red  river  destined  to  grow  to 
importance  would  be  the  village  located  at  its  forks.  In  the 
spring  of  1879,  considering  that  the  time  had  arrived  to  carry 
into  effect  a  project  already  planned,  he  suspended  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Courier  and  having  shipped  his  printing  outfit  to 
Grand  Forks,  himself  and  compositor,  who  came  with  him,  went 
to  work  in  a  hastily  built  board  shanty,  and  thus  Wiis  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  present  prosperous  Herald  establishment.  The 
Herald  began  as  a  weekly  paper,  the  first  number  being  issued 
on  Thursday,  June  26,  1879. 


T  H  ]-:    J)  A  AV  N  I  N  (i    OF    BETTER    T  I  M  E  S  89 

Mo  act  of  the  first  board  of  county  comiuissoners  was  needed 
to  fix  the  coutity  seat  at  (irand  Forks.  For  over  nine  years  it 
remained  the  only  viUage,  wortiiy  of  beii)g  called  snch,  within 
the  limits  of  the  present  county.  Always  the  largest  place  in 
this  part  of  the  valley,  business  interests  naturally  gravitated 
to  it  as  to  a  common  center.  The  short  tertn  of  court  held  the 
previous  year,  together  with  the  fact  that  the  territorial  legis- 
lature had  since  then  designated  Grand  Forks  county  a  subdivi- 
sion of  the  Third  judicial  district,  expedited  the  building  of  a 
courthouse  in  1879.  The  county  commissioners  awarded  the  con- 
tract for  construction  to  (ileo.  H,  Walsh  on  August  16,  for  $7,800. 
The  building  was  speedily  begun  and  was  completed  in  January 
following.  The  original  building  has  since  been  enlarged  and 
otherwise  improved,  fireproof  vaults  added  to  insure  the  safety 
of  the  records  and  the  present  county  jail  was  also  erected  in 
1883.  Judge  Barnes  held  his  next  term  of  court  in  Grand  Forks 
beginning  iSept.  18,  1879.  A  grand  jury  was  sworn  and  the 
court  continued  in  session  for  two  or  three  days. 

Between  1877  and  1879  the  northern  line  of  the  St.  P.  &  P. 
railroad  was  built  from  its  halting  place  at  Melrose,  on  through 
Sauk  Center,  Alexandria  and  Fergus  Falls  to  its  connection  with 
the  iSt.  Vincent  extension  at  Barnesville.  For  much  of  the  way 
it  followed  the  general  route  taken  by  one  of  the  old  cart  trails 
of  the  long  ago.  On  !\lay  23,  1879,  this  system  took  the  name  of 
the  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Manitoba  Railroad.  The  St.  Vin- 
cent line,  running  down  the  valley  10  to  20  miles  east  of  Red 
river,  was  completed  to  the  boundary  line  December  2,  1879, 
being  there  connected  with  a  branch  of  the  Canadian  Pacific. 

About  fourteen  miles  of  level  prairie  just  north  of  lied  Lake 
river  intervened  between  what  is  now  East  Grand  Forks  and 
Fishers  Jjanding.  The  grading  of  the  railroad  between  these 
points  was  done  in  August  and  September,  1879,  and  the  company 
now  took  the  first  step  toward  the  extension  of  the  line  west  of 
Red  river,  for  the  parties  who  had  the  contract  for  the  grading, 
carried  this  work  in  October  eleven  miles  west  of  Grand  Forks, 
or  to  the  site  of  Ojata.  The  laying  of  the  track  west,  or  rather 
northwesterly  from  I^lshers  Landing  began  about  the  first  of 
October,  and  in  about  three  weeks  it  was  completed  to  the  east 
side  of  Red  river  opposite  Grand  Forks.  The  first  train,  prob- 
ably a  construction  train,  came  to  the  new  terminus  at  three 
o'clock,  Wednesday  afternoon,  October  22.  A  temporary  station 
was  provided  by  remodeling  over  a  pre-existing  building.  A 
mixed  train  now  began  running  between  Crookston  and  the  east 
side?  daily,  ot  which  Thos.  Stahl  was  conductor  and  John  B.  Bun- 
nell engineer.  This  train  brought  in  material  for  bridging  the 
river  and  for  use  on  the  west  side.  'I'he  road  now  open  was  then 
merely  regarded  as  a  branch  of  the  St.  Vincent  extension. 


90  HISTORY      OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

In  the  meantime,  while  the  river  remaioed  open  that  fall, 
preparations  were  in  progress  for  bnilding  the  railroad  bridge, 
the  jippiouches  and  the  center  pier, which  was  to  support  a  draw, 
being  constructed  at  this  time,  so  far  as  pile  driving  was  concern- 
ed. In  December,  the  construction  of  the  bridge  itself,  which 
mainly  consisted  of  the  draw,  was  under  way,  the  work  being 
l«cilit!iled  by  throwing  a  temporary  trestle  across  the  river  on 
the  ice  to  support  the  permanent  structure,  but  the  bridge  was 
not  completed  so  that  trains  could  cross  into  Grand  Forks  proper 
during  the  year  1879. 

There  is  some  significance  in  I  he  advent  of  the  locomotive  into 
a  town  or  village  previously  without  railroad  communication. 
Kight  years  before  tliis  time  the  whistle  of  the  locomotive  at 
Hreckenridge  and  at  INIoorhead  had  sounded  the  knell  of  the  fur 
trading  epoch  in  the  upper  valley;  across  the  river  here,  a  like 
arrival  announced,  both  to  the  village  of  Grand  Forks  and  the 
county  as  well,  the  advent  of  a  new  era. 

The  extension  of  the^  railroad  to  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  to- 
gether with  the  grading  west  and  the  preparations  for  l3ridging 
the  stieam,  exerted  a  marked  influence  on  the  business  interests 
of  the  town.  There  was  considerable  building  done  that  season 
and  like  projects  were  planned.  The  Herald  made  a  careful  es- 
timate at  the  close  of  the  season  of  the  cost  of  these  improve- 
ments, individually,  the  total  amounting  to  $78,785.  Keal  estate 
transfers  for  Grand  Forks  amounted  that  year  to  $66,436.  The 
railroad  was  a  potent  factor,  but  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  attrib- 
ute this  increased  business  activity  wholly  to  its  influence  alone; 
we  should  remember  the  hundreds  of  new  settlers  who  came  that 
year,  many  of  whom  became  temporary  residents  of  Grand  Forks; 
moreover, "the  country  around  town  was  dotted  with  grain-stacks 
that  fall,  the  farmers  generally  stacking  their  grain  until  they 
could  have  it  threshed,  and  the  amount  of  wheat  in  sight  enabl- 
ed Griggs  A  McCormack  to  contract  with  Barnes  &  Tenney  of 
Glyndon,  to  deliver  to  them  that  winter  75,000  bushels.  Some 
mail  routes  from  Grand  Forks  were  also  opened  that  fall.  Lastly, 
it  should  be  noted  here,  that  within  the  last  two  or  three  years 
the  country  at  large  had  recovered  from  the  depressing  effects  of 
the  financial  crisis  of  1873,  and  an  increasing  activity  was  now 
manifesting  itself  in  commercial  affairs,  the  influences  of  which 
were  felt  here  as  elsewhere  in  the  country. 

As  we  have  said,  sawed  lumber  was  not  very  abundant  in  the 
lower  valley  before  the  railroads  came.  Had  there  been  any 
cause  to  have  built  up  the  town  rapidly  prior  to  the  construction 
of  the  branch  from  Crookston,  its  people  would  have  been  hard 
pressed,  for  awhile  at  least,  for  building  material.  Even  as  mat- 
ters stood,  there  was  a  prevalent  scarcity  of  building  material 
for   a    few    weeks    during  the  fall  of  1879.     As  early  as  1872,  fin- 


T  H  E    1)  A  W  N  I  N  G    O  F     B  E  T  T  E  R    T  I  M  E  8  91 

isb  lumber,  including  sash  and  doors,  was  teamed  down  from 
INIoorhead.  For  several  j'ears  tliereatter,  even  the  brick  used  in 
building  chimneys  was  imported.  Huffman  and  Loon  burned  a 
quantity  of  brick  about  the  year  1878,  but  no  regular  yard  was 
started  until  1880.  'I'hat  year  Bartholomew  Brothers  started  a 
yard  in  what  is  now  Bartholomew's  addition  to  the  city. 

Just  as  the  year  was  about  closing,  some  twenty  of  the  old 
settlers  of  this  part  of  the  valley  met  in  a  hall  at  Grand  Forks 
and  on  December  27,  1879,  they  organized  the  "Red  River  Val- 
ley Old  Settlers  Association."  The  permanent  form  of  the  asso- 
ciation was  completed  February  4,  1880,  about  35  persons  being 
present  at  this  second  meeting. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  Grand  Forks  had  a  population  of  at 
least  four  hundred  inhabitants,  perhaps  over  five  hundred. 
These  are  tlie  estimates  of  two  prominent  citizens  well  qualified 
to  give  a  fair  estimate  of  the  matter,  which,  of  course,  in  the 
absence  of  a  census,  cannot  be  otherwise  than  somewhat  uncer- 
tain. The  first  estimate  is  by  D.  McDonald  who  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  the  village  the  preceding  spring;  the  second  was 
made  by  D.  INI.  Holmes  who  based  his  estimate  on  the  tax-list  of 
that  year  and  his  knowledge  of  residents.  The  railroad  reached 
the  east  side  of  the  river  too  late  in  the  season  to  materially  in- 
fluence the  population  of  Grand  Forks  in  1879;  hence  the  year 
closed  leaving  the  place  with  what  is  usually  the  population  of 
an  average  village. 

THE  EARLIER   CHURCHES. 

At  this  point  we  may  as  well  speak  of  the  first  church  societies 
that  were  organized  in  the  county,  and  of  the  first  houses  of 
worship  that  these  societies  erected.  In  the  west,  itinerants  or 
missionaries  have  generally  preceded  the  regularly  appointed 
pastors,  holding  services  in  private  houses,  schoolhouses  or  any 
suitable  building  large  enough  to  hold  any  small  assemblage  of 
people.  We  can  mention  here  only  such  societies  as  had  effected 
something  in  the  way  of  organization  before  the  close  of  1879. 

The  Methodists  were  the  first  to  attempt  the  forming  of  a 
society  at  Grand  Forks.  Prior  to  1878,  Dakota  was  attached  to 
the  Northwest  Iowa  conference  as  regards  the  polity  of  this  de- 
nomination. North  Dakota  next  became  part  of  the  Red  River 
district  of  the  Minnesota  conference,  but  was  made  a  mission 
conference  in  1884  and  became  a  separate  or  full  conference  in 
1886.  A  building  owned  by  the  Hudson  Bay  company  was  at 
first  used  by  this  society  which  was  gathered  in  1873.  Rev.  John 
Webb,  who  was  presiding  elder  for  the  district,  came  that  year 
and  began  a  small  church  building,  but  the  work  lagged  for  a 
few  years  owing  to  the  small  number  of  that  denomination  then 
located  here  and  the  scant   population    of  the   place.      In   1874 


92        HISTORY  OF  GRAND  FORKS  COUNTY 

Wm.  Curie  was  sent  to  this  charge.  In  the  fall  of  1876,  Rev. 
J.  H.  Starkey  became  presiding  elder  of  the  North  Dakota  dis- 
trict and  was  instructed  by  the  bishop  of  his  conference  to  look 
after  the  church  at  (irand  Forks.  The  society  was  then  burden- 
ed with  a  debt  of  $400;  this,  with  the  assistance  of  the  business 
men.  Rev.  ritarkey  succeeded  in  clearing  up  and  the  church 
building  was  speedily  completed.  With  the  increasing  popula- 
tion the  Methodist  church  at  Grand  Forks  was  now  placed  upon 
a  substantial  basis  with  a  constantly  increasing  membership. 

8t.  Michaels  Catholic  ciiurch  was  begun  as  a  mission  by  Father 
Simonet  in  1877.  In  May.  1878,  Father  Hubert  was  sent  to  take 
his  place,  but  in  July,  failing  health  obliged  him  to  resign  his 
work  to  other  hands  and  he  went  to  Montreal  where  he  died. 
At  that  time  Dakota  territory  was  a  part  of  the  diocese  of  Bishop 
Sf^idenbush,  who  resided  at  St.  Cloud,  Minn.  Father  Simonet 
was  of  French  ('anadian  birth",  but  Father  Hubert  was  a  French- 
man from  the  old  country.  Both  weie  elderly  men,  and  merely 
looked  after  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  few  Catholics  and  relig- 
ious haltbreeds  in  this  part  of  the  valley.  The  founding  of  a 
church  they  left  to  other  hands  when  it  should  be  needed.  Father 
Hubert,  however,  gathered  the  nucleus  of  a  society  at  Grand 
Forks.  The  statement  often  published  that  they  worshiped  for 
awJiile  in  the  schoolhouse  is  disclaimed  on  (■atholic  authority, 
and  they,  certainly,  are  best  informed  concerning  the  early  af- 
fairs of  their  church  here.  Father  L'hiver  next  came  to  Grand 
Forks.  He  was  located  at  Yankton  when  assigned  to  his  new 
charge  by  Bishop  Seidenbush,  and  he  arrived  on  Sept.  5,  1878. 
In  October  his  society  built  under  his  charge  a  small  framed 
church  and  modest  parsonage.  These  were  located  on  the  cor- 
ner of  Sixth  street  and  DeMers  avenue,  the  ground  occupied  be- 
ing the  generous  gift  of  Ciipt.  Griggs.  The  parish  of  Father 
].'hiver  then  included  all  the  country  from  Crookston  and  Grand 
Forks  north  to  the  boundary  line. 

The  Presbyterians  began  their  church  at  Grand  Forks  as  a 
mission.  On  September  1,  1878,  Rev.  F.  W.Iddings  arrived  in 
this  field  as  a  missionary  for  the  Hoard  of  Home  Missions  of  this 
denomijiation.  At  first,  services  were  held  in  the  INI.  K.  church 
building,  but  on  Sunday,  .April  6,  1879,  the  Presbyterian  church 
of  Grand  Forks  was  organized,  Rev.  O.  H.  Elmer  and  C.  B.Stev- 
ens being  present,  having  came  down  from  Moorhead  to  assist 
Ifev.  Iddings  in  organizing  the  church,  which  began  with  twenty- 
five  members.  Rev.  Iddings  was  the  first  pastor.  A  church  was 
begun  that  spring  but  was  not  used  until  the  spring  of  1880. 

Tlie  first  Episc<tpal  service  here  was  held  at  the  steamboat 
landing  and  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer  International  one  Sunday 
forenoon  in  the  fall  of  1871.  Between  that  time  and  the  organ- 
ization of  an  Episcopal  church  at  Grand  Forks    was    a    long    in- 


T  11  E     I)  A  W  NM  X  (i     ()  ¥     V.  K  T  T  K  R     T  I  M  E  S  93 

terval.  St.  Paul's  parish  was  organized  in  tlie  fall  of  1879,  Rev. 
W.  P.  Law  being  minister  in  charge.  Services  were  lield  in  the 
lialls  and  '\u  the  iMethodist  church  until  1881  when  a  fine  brick 
structure  was  erected  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  street  and  Alpha 
avenue. 

THE  RAILROAD  BUILT  INTO  GRAND  FORKrS. 

VV'e  regard  the  date  on  which  any  place  has  been  connected 
with  the  outer  world  by  bunds  of  iron  or  steel  as  of  more  im- 
portance relative  to  local  history,  than  that  on  which  the  first 
regular  train  arrives  after  the  completed  or  constructed  part  of 
the  line  of  road  has  been  opened  to  traffic,  because  the  arrival  of 
the  so  called  first  train  has  usually  been  preceded  a  number  of 
times  by  the  incoming  and  departing  of  the  construction  trains. 
In  track-laying  these  trains  bring  to  the  front  the  rails,  ties  and 
bridging  muterials,  and  follow  up  the  workmen  rod  by  rod,  some- 
times a  furlong  or  more  at  at  a  iwove  and  thus  onward  mile  after 
mile. 

Tiie  workmen  were  still  busy  completing  the  railroad  bridge 
at  Grand  Forks  in  December,  1879.  For  the  time  being  the 
weather  had  become  pretty  cold.  The  day  on  which  the  railroad 
working  gang  laid  the  rails  across  the  bridge  from  the  Minnesota 
to  the  J^akota  side  of  Red  river  and  into  Grand  Forks  proper,  is  an 
important  one  for  a  city  which  owes  so  much  of  its  later  progress 
and  prosperity  to  converging  railroads,  but  the  exact  date  is  not 
now  known  so  far  as  any  readily  obtainable  records  testify,  nor 
does  the  memory  of  many  different  persons  of  whom  the  inquiry 
has  been  made  furnish  either  this  or  the  date  of  the  first  crossing 
by  a  train  or  a  locomotive.  Not  even  John  B.  Bunnell,  the  vet- 
eran engineer  of  the  Great  Northern,  who  held  the  throttle  on 
the  occasion  of  the  first  crossing  of  the  bridge  by  a  locomotive, 
could  give  any  exact  information  as  to  the  date  of  the  occurrence 
from  memory  while  living.* 

We  shall  now  proceed  to  give  the  trend  of  events  for  that  win- 
ter as  gathered  from  the  files  of  the  weekly  Herald  for    1879-80, 

*  John  B.  Bunnell,  who  resided  at  Crookston,  wrote  to  the  author  of  this 
work  in  the  latter  part  of  April,  1898:  "I  am  rather  late  in  answering  your 
letter,  but  I  have  been  trying  to  tind  out  from  some  the  old  timers  something 
about  the  date  of  the  first  crossing  of  the  bridge  by  a  train  at  Grand  Forks. 
I  cannot  recall  the  exact  date  myself.  All  that  I  can  remember  is  that  we 
made  the  first  crossing  soon  after  New  Year's  day."  (  Engineer  Bunnell  died 
at  Crookston,  Minn.,  Sunday,  July  2,  1899.) 

The  track  of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad  was  laid  across  the  bridge  at 
Moorhead  and  Fargo  on  January  1, 1872,  though  it  is  said  that  no  trains  cross- 
ed until  June  The  third  crossing  to  the  North  Dakota  side  seems  to  be  known 
with  exact  historical  accuracy.  M.  H.  Morrill  of  Wahpeton,  writes:  "The 
St.  P.  M.  &  M.  track  crossed  the  river  here  into  Dakota  July  26,  1880;  at  11.30 
o'clock  of  that  day  engine  No.  37  crossed  the  Bois  des  Sioux  bridge,  and  was 
thus  the  first  locomotive  ever  in  this  [Richland]  county." 

Grand  Forks  was  the  second  place  in  North  Dakota  at  which  a  railroad 
crossed  over  from  Minnesota  ground. 


94  HISTORY     OF    GRAN])    FORKS    COUNTY 

and  a  few  other  sources  of  information.  That  winter  is  claimed 
by  some  persons  to  have  been  a  very  severe  one,  and  probably 
was  such  as  to  the  first  half  of  it.  There  were  two  or  three  storms 
in  December  which  interrupted  train  service  to  the  east  side  of 
the  river  to  a  considerable  extent.  On  one  of  those  mornings 
the  spirit  thermometers  are  said  to  have  indicated  a  temperature 
of  58  degrees  below  zero.  In  the  meantime  the  depot  in  Grand 
Forks  was  being  built  and  this  was  completed  about  January  25, 
1880.  The  bridge  was  ready  for  the  track  several  days  prior  to 
the  middle  of  that  month.  The  rails  were  laid  across  it  to  the 
Dakota  side  on  a  day  between  January  8th  and  13th,  and  the  track 
was  continued  out  to  the  depot  at  this  time.  On  Tuesday,  ihe 
13th,  the  bridge  was  tested.  A  train  of  eight  flat  cars,  loaded 
with  rock  and  iron  was  pushed  across  the  bridge  by  a  locomotive, 
and  although  the  engine  itself  did  not  cross,  the  foremost  car 
reached  to  Third  street.  A  civil  engineer  meanwhile  was  noting 
with  his  theodolite  the  small  amount  of  deflection  in  the  bridge 
under  the  weight  of  the  loaded  cars.  This  done,  the  train  drew 
back  to  the  other  side.  If  any  trains  came  over  soon  after  this, 
there  is  no  record  of  it  in  the  contemporary  issues  of  the  Herald. 
The  inference  is  that  the  regular  train  from  Crookston,  with 
passenger  cars  attached,  did  not  cross  the  bridge  in  January. 

Arrangements  were  now  made  by  the  citizens  to  celebrate  the 
advent  of  the  railroad  as  soon  as  regular  trains  began  running  in, 
but  the  outcome  of  affairs  chanced  to  be  such  that  the  matter 
was  indefinitely  postponed;  nor  was  any  such  celebration  ever 
held  as  had  at  first  been  planned.  During  January  the  deep  snow 
was  being  blown  about  a  great  deal  and  it  was  hard  to  keep  the 
road  open  between  Crookston  and  Grand  Forks.  In  the  week 
following  January  15tli  all  efiort  to  do  so  ceased,  and  thence  on- 
ward until  past  the  middle  of  INIarch  the  branch  lay  under  a  snow 
blockade.  J^right  weather,  however,  ensued,  and  although  no 
effort  was  made  to  open  the  road,  the  workmen  did  considerable 
work  in  the  yards,  using  materials  that  they  pushed  over  from 
the  east  side  upon  light  truck  cars.  About  the  end  of  January 
they  completed  putting  in  a  turntable  about  twenty-five  rods 
beyond  the  depot.  Side  tracks  were  probably  laid  or  completed 
about  the  same  time. 

There  was  considerable  disappointment  in  not  having  the 
direct  train  service  that  had  been  anticipated,  but  as  the  town 
had  never,  as  yet,  experienced  this  convenience,  the  people  gen- 
erally took  matters  philosophically.  Such  protests  as  were  rais- 
ed seem  to  have  had  reference  to  the  non-delivery  of  the  eastern 
mail  and  not  to  give  expression  to  any  disappointment  felt  over 
the  lack  of  an  anticipated  train  service.  The  inconvenience 
caused  by  delays  in  getting  the  mail  was  particularly  felt. 
Postmaster  McDonald  finally  had  the  mail   and   express   matter 


THE    D  A  W  N  I  N  Ci    OF    U  K  T  T  E  R    T  \  M  F.  ji  Of) 

brought  over  from  Crookston  by  team;  in  the  meantime  Newton 
Porter  got  out  a  placard  grimly  advertising  for  ox-teams  to 
transport  freight  in  opposition  to  the  8t.  P.  INI.  &  INI .  railroad.* 
The  papers  had  started  to  publish  for  Grand  Forks  a  railroad 
time-table  and  as  they  did  not  discontinue  the  advertisement, 
the  incongruity  of  the  matter  must  have  been  the  cause  of  many 
agrimjoke.  'I'he  stages  were  still  running  between  Fargo  and 
Grand  Forks,  sind  the  attention  of  the  people  was  engrossed  dur- 
ing the  blockade  by  their  social  affairs,  and  by  severai  meetings 
of  the  Old  Settlers.  Then  came  the  spring  of  1880  with  much 
snow  on  the  ground  still  to  be  melted  away. 

About  the  middle  of  Rlarch  snowplows  were  put  to  work  on 
the  branch  and  having  cleared  the  road  to  the  river  the  trains 
began  running  into  Grand  Forks  regularly  on  the  18th  of  that 
month. t  The  Herald  of  March  25th  merely  says:  "Trains  are 
now  running  on  time."  The  only  demonstration  on  the  arrival 
of  the  first  regular  train  seems  to  have  been  made  by  FJngineer 
Bunnell.  He  had  acquired  the  ability  to  imitate  with  the  whis- 
tle of  his  locomotive  a  cock's  crowing,  and  played  it  in  that  man- 
ner when,  for  the  first  time,  his  engine  turned  wheels  upon  North 
Dakota  ground.  J 

James  Walker,  familiarly  known  as  "Deacon"  Walker,  had 
been  appointed  station  agent  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
About  the  time  that  the  trains  began  running  into  Grand  Forks, 
the  business  of  the  station  and  "the  deacon"  himself  were  trans- 
ferred to  this  side,  and  so  Walker  became  the  first  station  agent 
at  Grand  Forks.  'I'he  location  of  the  building  that  was  both  the 
original  depot  and  freighthouse  was  then  virtually  outside  of  the 
town.  The  site  was  nearly  opposite  the  present  depot,  but  the 
old  building  was  moved  some  little  distance  west  when  the  new 
one  was  erected  in  1892,  was  lengthened  out  considerably,  and, 
in  fact,  since  its  first  abandonment  for  station  purposes  in  1882 
to  give  place  to  a  second  depot  that  was  located  a  few  rods  north 
of  the  roundhouse,  it  has  been  used  for  a  freighthouse. 

*  Recollection  of  Thos.  F.  Eastgate,  of  Larimore. 

t  This  date  is  a  recollection  of  Ole  Melland,  of  Niagara  township. 

I  Recollection  of  M.  W.  Spaulding,  of  Larimore.  Some,  however,  state  that 
a  locomotive  and  cars  came  over  once  or  twice,  probably  to  deliver  road 
materials,  between  the  date  of  the  testing  of  the  bridge  and  the  beginning  of 
the  snow  blockade.    This  accords  with  Bunnell's  statement,  p.  93. 


F^K,T    IV. 


THE  TIMBER  SETTLEMENTS. 


THE  LOG  CABIN  MEN. 

ATTEN I )ANT   CONDITIONS. 

\\\  i^F^^ll^^^^  ^^  ^^^^  pioneer  period  of  this  county,  the 
))/  llll^vi  way  o'f  the  innnigrant  was  down  Red  river,  jit 
lirst  from  McCauley ville  by  steamer,  stage  or 
flatboat,  and  a  little  later  from  Moorhead  and 
Fargo  by  the  same  means  of  conveyance.  After 
1877,  many  came  in  by  way  of  Crookston  and  Fishers  Land- 
ing, or  by  railroad  to  the  latter  point,  tliet)ce  by  stage,  steamer 
or  other  means  of  conveyance  to  Grand  Forks.  Many  others 
teamed  throngh  from  distant  points.  In  those  days  Grand  Forks 
was  the  common  gateway  into  the  county. 

As  has  alrea<ly  been  reniarked,  speculators  covered  some  of  the 
timber  along  lied  river  with  script.  INI  uch  of  the  timber  between 
Grand  Forks  and  the  mouth  of  Turtle  river  was  taken  in  that 
way.  Fortunately  for  the  county  these  non-resident  persons  did 
not  attempt  to  extend  their  operations  up  the  courses  of  the 
smaller  streams,  hence  it  is  upon  these  tributaries  of  lied  river, 
probably  without  exception,  that  we  find  the  location  of  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  the  inland  townships  of  Traill,  Grand  Forks  and 
Walsh  counties. 

The  timber  settlers  found  the  greater  portion  of  the  prairie 
land  in  the  county  vacant  and  as  open  to  the  mere  taking  by  any 
one  class  of  men  as  by  another,  yet,  being  the  first  comers  into 
the  country  back  from  Red  river,  and  having  a  pretty  free  choice 
of  location,  they  preferred  making  their  homes  on  the  streams 
and  amidst  the  trees  that  cover  their  sloping  banks  and  stretches 
of  bottom  land.  They  squatted  or  filed  upon  quarter-sections  on 
which  there  was  some  show  of  timber,  though  their  claims  often 
included  a  considerable  acreage  of  the  adjoining  prairie  land. 
Claims  wholly  of  prairie  land  were  really  more  valuable    in   the 


r  H  E    L  o  c;    C  A  B  T  X    ^[  K  X  97 

long  run  and  in  after  ^^ears  many  of  these  men  realized  that  they 
had  made  a  mistake  in  their  choice  of  a  location;  others,  per- 
haps, remained  satisfied. 

All  through  the  western  country  the  pioneer  settlers  have 
usually  preferred  land  comprising  both  prairie  and  timber; 
hence,  in  a  region  where  the  amount  of  timber  w;is  limited,  the 
claims  containing  any  would  naturally  be  the  first  occupied.  In 
the  case  of  the  lied  River  Valley,  many  of  the  pioneer  class  were 
emigrants  from  the  wooded  sections  of  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and 
Minnesota,  consequently  they  preferred  the  shelter  that  is  secur- 
ed in  the  timber  from  the  cold  winds,  and  lumber  not  then  being 
readily  obtainable,  the  log  cabins  they  erected  cost  but  little; 
again,  they  wished  to  be  sure  of  having  plenty  of  fuel  close  at 
hand  during  the  prospectively  cold  winters  of  this  northern  lat- 
itude, and  still  another  reason  that  influenced  some  of  them  was 
that,  having  heard  that  the  water  of  the  prairie  districts  was 
apt  to  be  alkaline,  tiiey  preferred  to  establish  their  homes  near 
the  runnina:  streams. 

At  this  early  period  there  was  an  abundance  of  fallen  timber, 
well  seasoned  in  every  wooded  tract,  which  made  good  fuel  and 
was  useful  for  other  purposes.  In  the  western  part  of  the  county 
these  timber  settlements  were  made  in  advance  of  the  govern- 
ment survey,  and  by  the  close  of  the  year  1880,  every  quarter- 
section  within  its  present  limits  on  which  there  was  any  show  of 
timber  had  its  resident  claimant  occupying  a  small  log  cabin, 
whether  such  townships  had  then  been  subdivided  or  not.  Thus 
these  earlier  settlers  of  the  interior  parts  of  this  county  followed 
up  the  Goose,  Turtle  and  Forest  rivers,  building  their  log  cabins 
ill  the  shelter  of  the  groves  along  these  streams  in  preference  to 
locating  upon  the  open  prairie. 

THE  GOVERNMENT  SURVEY. 

Before  speaking  specially  of  any  of  the  interior  settlements  of 
the  county  it  will  be  well  to  say  something  concerning  the  gov- 
ernment survey  of  its  townships.  The  survey  of  the  public  lands 
in  the  North  Dakota  side  of  the  valley  was  begun  in  1867.  Jn 
that  year  a  few  townships  were  laid  out  and  subdivided  in  the 
present  county  of  Pembina  and  range  lines  for  others  were  run 
in  the  valley.  Between  1870  and  1876  the  surveying  of  the  North 
Dakota  side  of  the  valley  becanie  more  general.  This  work  was 
an  extension  of  the  surveys  of  Minnesota  into  this  part  of  Dakota 
territory,  though  this  does  not  imply  that  those  in  the  Minnesota 
side  of  the  valley  had  been  fully  completed. 

In  merely  running  township  lines  it  was  customary  in  those 
days  for  surveyors  to  take  contracts  in  blocks  of  townships  which 
they  called  "checks."  A  check  comprised  28  townships,  or  a 
series  contained  in  seven  ranges  and  four  towns  having  correction 


98  IIISTOKY     OF     GRAND     FORKS    COUNTY 

paralles  for  their  north  and  south  boundaries.  'I'he  township 
lines  as  then  run  were  duly  marked  each  half  mile  by  stakes  en- 
closed ill  pyrainit)ical  inouuds  about  2h  feet  hiojh  and  three  or 
four  feet  square  at  the  base.  Similar  mounds  of  earth  and  turf 
were  placed  at  the  corners  of  sections  and  quarter-sections  when 
the  townships  were  subdivded,  the  stakes  being  marked  so  as  to 
indicate  the  town,  range  and  quarter-sections.  Usually  it  was 
not  the  custom  to  lay  out  and  subdivide  any  series  of  townships 
in  one  and  the  same  year,  since  this  work  generally  involved 
separate  contracts,  nevertheless  it  was  sometimes  done.  But  sev- 
eral years — one  to  four — were  apt  to  elapse  between  the  laying 
out  of  the  townships  and  their  subdivision. 

In  1870  and  '71  a  number  of  townships  were  laid  out  in  this 
county  by  Moses  K.  .'^rujstrong,  comprising  those  near  the  river. 
Those  in  the  central  and  western  parts  of  the  county  were  laid 
out  later,  G.  N.  Propper  having  contracts  in  1873.  By  the  fall 
of  1876  it  is  liUely  that  all  of  the  townships  in  the  county  as  now 
bounded,  had  been  laid  out.  Jud  LalMoure  and  Wm.  Ward  had 
contracts  for  the  subdivision  of  six  townships  in  1873,  and  these 
included  the  section  around  Grand  Forks.  About  the  same  time 
other  surveyors  subdivided  the  townships  to  the  north  of  Grand 
Forks.  Surveyors  were  at  work  subdividing  the  central  town- 
ships in  1876. 

The  last  two  ranges  of  townships  in  the  county  (55  and  56) 
comprising  most  ot  the  Elk  Valley  and  the  part  of  the  hill  coun- 
try within  its  limits,  were  subdivided  during  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1880.  Major  G.  G.  Heardsley  had  the  contract  which  also 
included  Strabane  township  in  range  54.  Major  Beardsley's  ex- 
pedition was  made  up  of  three  parties  and  it  left  Kargo  in  June. 
Two  of  these  parties  worked  outside  the  limits  of  this  county, 
one,  if  not  both,  in  the  Sheyenne  country.  The  party  that  came 
to  this  county  was  in  charge  of  James  E.  Dyke,  a  young  man 
who  ran  the  subdivision  lines.  Tiiis  party  consisted  of  ten  men, 
well  provided  with  catnp  supplies,  three  tents,  two  ox-teams,  a 
saddle  horse,  pony  and  cart.  The  teatns  were  used  for  transport- 
ation in  moving  camp  from  one  township  to  another;  the  saddle 
horse  was  for  a  messenger  and  the  pony  and  cart  was  in  daily 
use  delivering  the  mound  stakes.  It  took  from  five  days  to  h 
week  to  subdivide  a  township.  Dyke's  party  worked  from  south 
to  north  in  the  ranges  mentioned,  surveying  these  townships  in 
alternate  order.  The  survey  of  tliis  county  as  now  bounded  was 
thus  completed,  having  been  in  progress  at  different  intervals, 
through  a  period  of  ten  years. 

In  the  fall  the  contractors  turned  their  plats  over  to  the  dis- 
trict J. and  Office:  thence  they  were  forwarded  to  the  Interior 
Department  at  Washington  for  record  and  approval,  and  when 
returned  to  the  Laud  OHice,  which   would    likely    not   occur    for 


THE   i:  o  <;   (;  a  p.  \  s   m  i',  x  99 

several  month*,  tlie  land  was  at  once  thrown  open  to  settlement, 
and  squatters  and  pros|)ective  settlers  were  then  enabled  to  make 
their  filings  on  such  claims  as  they  had  already  selected." 

THE  NORTH  WOOD   SETTLEMENT. 

Early  in  the  'seventies  the  pioneers  of  Traill  county,  coming; 
up  from  northern  Iowa,  from  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin,  began 
to  push  their  settlements  up  the  course  of  Goose  river.  Between 
1873  and  1875  these  settlements  were  being  made  in  what  was 
then  a  part  of  Cirand  Forks  county  as  originally  bounded.  Be- 
fore Traill  county  was  created,  these  settlements  on  Goose  river 
had  been  extended  up  the  stream  and  into  this  county  as  at  pres- 
ent bounded.  The  timber  settlers,  coming  in  from  the  south, 
took  to  the  line  of  the  streams  in  the  order  of  their  occurrence 
from  south  to  north,  thus  it  happens  that  we  find  that  North- 
wood  township  contained  settlers  several  years  in  advance  of  any 
ol  the  interior  townships  of  this  county  that  are  bisected  either 
by  Turtle  or  Forest  rivers.  Those  who  made  these  upper  settle- 
ments on  the  Goose  were  Scandinavians,  some  of  whom  had 
emigrated  to  the  territory  from  northern  Iowa,  or  from  aroui«d 
Northwood  in  that  state. 

The  first  of  these  settlers  to  locate  in  Northwood  township  were 
John  and  Lars  Lindstrom.  John  came  to  Dakota  in  May,  1870, 
and  located  on  Red  river,  four  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the 
tSheyenne.  The  Lindstrom  brothers  made  their  settlement  on 
Goose  river  November  13,  1873.  At  that  time  the  settlers  on  the 
river  had  taken  the  timbered  quarter-sections  up  the  stream  as 
far  as  the  vicinity  of  Mayville.  Between  that  point  and  Newberg 
there  were  only  a  few  settlers  scattered  along  the  river,  and  none 
had  settled  above  the  last  named  point  when  the  Lindstroms 
came  and  made  their  .selections  of  land,  .lohn  Lindstrom  states 
that  when  he  came  to  Northwood  town.ship  his  nearest  neighbor 
was  located  sixteen  miles  distant  down  the  stream.  But  this 
isolation  did  not  continue  very  long. 

Nels  Korsmo,  Ole  Tragethon,  Ha  Ivor  Solem  and  Anton  Ostmo 
were  settlers  who  canie  into  the  town.«ihip  in  1874.  Paul  C. 
Johnson  and  Andrew  Nelsoti  arrived  in  1875.  Andrew  Sjerva, 
Peder  Thingelstad,  Hans  Thingelstad.  Guldbran  Tandberg  and 
J.ars  Thoresen  were  settlers  of  1876.  All  of  those  here  mention- 
ed were  the  pioneers  of  Northwood  township.  The  township 
lines  in  this  part  of  the  county  had  been  run  by  the  year  1876; 
the  township  was  subdivided  in  1877  and  the  land  was  open  to 
receive  filings  by  the  spring  of  1878;  consequently  the  timber 
settlers  of  Northwood  were  squatters,  and  this   class   of  settlers 

*  In  part  from  information  derived  from  D.  M.  Holmes  and  Major  Geo.  G. 
Beardsley.  Tlie  writer  saw  some  of  the  surveying  that  was  done  here  in  1880. 
and  eonversed  with  Dyke  as  to  the  methods  used  in   subdividing  townships. 


100  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

are  necessarily  pioneers.  Others  canje  in  later  and  took  what- 
ever timbered  claims  may  have  been  left,  if  any,  or  who  began 
occupying  the  adjacent  prairie  lands.  On  still  mornings  the 
smoke  from  the  log  cabins  curling  upward  above  the  trees  in- 
dicated ihat  the  line  of  Goose  river  was  now  occupied. 

The  number  of  the  timber  settlers  of  the  county  were  few  in 
comparison  with  those  who,  a  little  Inter,  overran  the  prairie 
lands.  The  first  of  the  numerous  prairie  settlers  of  Northwood 
township  are  said  to  have  been  T.  O.  Midbo  and  sons  who  came 
in  1878.  T.  E.  TufTte  was  a  settler  of  1879.  Knute  Paulson  and 
Krick  Overson  came  about  that  time.  Peter  N.  and  Gunder 
Korsmo  came  with  their  father  in  1874,  but  not  being  of  age  they 
did  not  acquire  land  at  that  time. 

The  nearest  supplying  point  for  these  settlements  was  Cal- 
edonia on  Red  river,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Goose.  The  settlers 
had  began  raising  a  little  wheat  in  1875  and  '76,  and  loads  of  it 
were  teamed  to  Fargo  during  the  same  years,  after  being  threshed 
by  horse-power  machines,  but  in  the  fall  of  1877  and  afterward, 
the  grain  was  teamed  to  Grand  Forks  across  a  wide  stretch  of 
unoccupied  prairie.  About  the  year  1876,  a  steam  flour  mill  was 
built  at  Caledonia,  to  which  the  Goose  river  settlers  resorted  for 
flour  and  feed. 

About  1875  a  mail  route  was  established  between  Caledonia 
and  Newberg,  the  latter  being  a  point  in  Steele  county  eight 
miles  south  of  Northwood.  Here,  in  the  pioneer  days,  the  set- 
tlers along  the  headstream  of  the  Goose  received  their  mail. 
About  1880  a  mail  route  was  established  between  Pembina  and 
Valley  City,  the  Northwood  settlement  being  made  one  of  the 
local  offices;  but  owing  to  lack  of  roads  or  some  other  cause  it 
was  soon  discontinued.  The  mail-carrier  used  a  span  of  mules 
which  he  sold  to  John  Lindstrom  on  throwing  up  his  vocation. 
Northwood  township  was  organized  in  1879.  The  original  organ- 
ization seems  to  have  included  the  townships  of  Northwood, 
Washingtoti,  Avon  and  Pleasant  View.* 

TURTLE  RIVER  TOWNSHIP. 

In  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county  there  is  a  heavy  body 
of  timber  between  the  Red  ami  Turile  rivers,  and  around  the 
mouth  of  the  latter  stream,  the  whole  varying  from  a  hall  mile 
to  IJ  mile  in  breadih.  'I'his  forest  extends  along  the  Marais  for 
some  distance  into  Walsh  county.  Several  land  entries  were 
made  in  this  section  of  Grand  Forks  county,  now  called  Turtle 
Kiver  township,  when  the  J^and  Office  was  at  Pembina,  by  Thos. 
Campbell,  William  ('ochiane  and  Angus  McDonald,  then  re- 
siding at  Grand  Forks. 

*  From  data  furnished  bv  John  Lindstrom,  Paul  C.  Johnson  andG.  Korsmo. 


T  IT  K    L  O  G    C  A  R  I  N    iM  EN  ]  01 

James  M.  Htoughtoii,  an  early  settler  of  Turtle  River  township, 
who  came  to  Grand  Korks  from  Ontario-  iji  January,  1876,  in- 
forms us  tliat  most  of  the  timber  between  Cirand  Forks  and  Tur- 
tle river  and  for  quite  a  distance  north,  was  mainly  taken  by  the 
speculators.  Tliere  is  very  little  timber  on  the  west  side  of  Tur- 
tle river,  only  a  few  groves  here  and  there,  but  they  reach  nearly 
to  rlanvel. 

The  open  prairie  land  in  that  part  of  the  county  began  to  be 
occupied  in  1877,  other  settlers  also  coming  in  the  next  year. 
In  ihe  fall  of  1878  a  steam  flour  and  saw  mill  was  built  near  the 
sou',h  line  of  the  township  by  August  Christiani  and  a  village 
was  also  platted  there  in  July,  1879,  which  was  called  Bellevue. 
This  place  contained,  besides  the  mill,  two  stores,  two  hotels, 
a  blacksmith's  shop,  a  post-office  and  a  few  dwellings.  The  mill 
having  been  burned  down  within  a  few  years  after  it  had  been 
built,  and  the  railroad  line  from  Grand  Forks  to  Neche  having 
left  the  place  to  one  side,  it  never  amounted  to  much  of  anything 
afterward.  No  place  in  the  county  has  ever  attained  to  any- 
thing more  than  a  country  liamlet  if  located  off  the  line  of  a 
railroad,  since  these  have  been  built. 

THE  UPrER  TURTLE  RIVER  SETTLEMENTS. 

As  a  constantly  flowing  stream,  Turtle  river  does  not  head 
beyond  Agnes  township,  although  several  tributary  coulees  ex- 
tend back  into  the  hill  country  for  several  miles.  The  course  of 
the  stream  is  at  first  southeast  to  Arvilla  township  where  it  at- 
tains its  most  southerly  bend,  thence  its  course  is  northeast  to 
Mekinock,  again  east  adjacent  to  the  township  line  between 
Blooming  and  Lakeville,  and  finally  it  takes  a  northerly  course 
down  the  valley  plain  through  Ferry  and  Turtle  River  tovvnships 
to  its  confluence  with  Red  river  near  the  northeastern  corner  of 
the  county.  Between  Agnes  and  JNIekinock  townships  the  stream 
is  contained  within  something  of  a  valley  cut  across  the  central 
land  belt  of  the  county;  in  Hegton  and  the  north  part  of  Arvilla 
townships  this  depression  varies  from  a  quarter  to  a  half  mile  in 
breadth  and  has  a  depth  of  from  40  to  90  feet  below  the  common 
prairie  level.     This  valley  is  partially  timbered. 

The  stream  bisects  Mekinock  township  diagonally.  'I'he  first 
settlers  of  this  township  came  to  its  valley  in  the  spring  of  1877. 
They  were  Halvor  Halvorson  and  two  sons  who  located  near  the 
present  villnge  of  Mekinock.  The  next  to  come  were  the  Ras- 
mussons  and  Ole  Graft".  In  the  summer  of  the  same  year,  Rob- 
ert Hlakely  arrived  and  located  in  Section  21,  near  the  middle  of 
the  township.  The  Saridback  family  also  came  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1877.  Fred  Trepanier  and  Crawford  Blakely  came  in 
1878.  A mone:  the  settlers  of  1879  were  Thos.  T.  Stevens,  Capt. 
Battersbv  and  Dr.  Howard  Lancaster,  all  of  whom  located  in  the 


102  HISTORY     O  F    'J  R  A  N  I)    FOR  K  S    C  0  U  N  T  Y 

isouthwest  quarter  of  the  township.  Chas.  Cooper,  Ebenezer 
Smith,  John  Smith  and  B,  F.  Warren  were  settlers  who  came  to 
the  township  in  1880. 

Robert  F?lal<ely  was  pretty  well  known  during  his  residence  in 
ihe  township  since  he  kept  the  post-office  of  the  community  for 
several  years.  He  teamed  through  from  Stearns  county,  Minn.; 
from  Caledonia  he  followed  the  old  halfbreed  trail  down  the  coun- 
try to  where  it  then  crossed  the  Turtle  a  little  below  his  place, 
for  the  crossing  four  miles  above  (  mentioned  page  52)  seems  to 
have  been  later,  and  to  have  been  made  by  white  men.  J)uring 
the  earlier  part  of  his  resid  mce  in  the  county,  he  burned  lime  by 
collecting  limestone  bowlders.  Later  he  was  engaged  in  the 
same  occupation  on  Salt  coulee,  south  of  Ojata,  from  which  place 
he  once  took  a  load  of  lime  to  (Jrand  Forks,  and  having  lost  off 
the  bur  from  one  of  the  wagon  wheels,  he  walked  beside  that  par- 
ticular wheel  so  as  to  push  it  back  on  the  axle  whenever  it  show- 
ed any  signs  of  working  off.  This  was  characteristic  of  Blakely. 
Ultimately,  considering  that  the  county  was  getting  too  crowded 
to  suit  his  notions  in  regard  to  population,  he  emigrated  to  the 
Rocky  mountaiiis. 

T.  '1\  Stevens  teamed  through  frojn  St.  Paul.  In  those  times 
tl»e  "Barnesville  flats"  in  Minnesota  was  a  notable  locality  for 
the  miring  of  teams  during  the  spring  by  reason  of  the  occasion- 
al cutting  of  the  wheels  through  the  thin  prairie  sod  and  into  a 
sticky,  whitish  clay  subsoil  which  resembled  putty.  Mr.  Stevens 
states  that  between  Barnesville  and  Moorhead  he  had  to  unload 
his  wagon  eighteen  times  in  one  day.  He  reached  Grand  Forks 
about  the  middle  of  April,  1879,  and  while  on  his  journey  out  to 
Blakely's  place  his  team  was  mired  seven  times  during  the  first 
six  miles  in  crossing  the  Red  River  flats. 

In  June,  1878,  a  party  of  seven  men  from  Stearns  and  Kandi- 
yohi counties  in  Minnesota,  arrived  at  Grand  Forks.  They  made 
the  journey  with  ox-teams,  and  brought  along  with  them  their 
supplies  and  about  fifty  head  of  young  stock.  Learning  on  their 
arrival  that  the  Turtle  river  valley  was  not  occupied  above  what 
is  now  IVIekinock  township,  and  that  it  contained  timber  aiid  a  pure 
running  stream,  they  decided  to  locate  in  that  part  of  the  county. 
Having  chosen  their  respective  claims,  and  erected  Iok  cabins, 
they  began  the  usual  round  of  western  pioneer  life.  The  land 
being  in  market  in  the  central  part  of  the  county  that  year,  they 
filed  on  their  claims  together  at  Grand  Forks.  At  this  time  the 
U.  S.  Land  Office  was  at  Fargo,  but  filings  could  be  made  at 
Grand  Forks  through  authorized  attorneys  acting  for  the  Fargo 
office.  Some  of  this  party  'lad  fatnilies  who  came  when  they  did 
or  soon  afterward.  These  ;ettlers  were  Henry  A.  Morgan,  his 
brother,  Newell  C.  Morgan.  Oawford  Blakely,  Edwin  Collins, 
Oscar  E.  Clark,  Dennis  Kelley  and  Albert  Murrav. 


T  1 1  K     I.  ()  G    ( "  A  B  I  N     M  E  N  ]  03 

.All  of  these  men,  with  the  exception  of  Blakely,  who  settled 
in  Ivlekinock,  located  in  the  north  part  of  Arvilla  township  and 
were  the  original  settlers  of  that  township.  Others  who  formed 
part  of  the  Turtle  river  contingent  came  later  and  at  different 
intervals,  (tco.  Hughes  and  August  Schiebe  came  in  the  fall  of 
1878,  E.  O.  Steelman  in  the  spring  of  1879,  and  John  C.  Morgan, 
father  of  H.  A.  and  N.  C.  Morgan,  in  1880.  In  INIarch  of  the 
latter  year,  Frank  Becker  came  and  located  near  the  "point  of 
timber"  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  the  Hersey  man- 
sion. Edwin  Collins*  was  the  original  settler  at  the  Hfersey 
place,  and  built  his  log  cabin  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  or  at  what  is 
now  called  the  Hersey  grove. 

Hegton  is  one  of  the  Turtle  riyer  townships  and  is  situated 
next  north  of  A  rvilla  in  Range  54,  The  township  is  twice  bisect- 
ed by  the  stream  with  a  major  and  a  minor  crossing  of  the  same. 
The  first  crossing  of  the  township  by  the  river  is  through  its 
southwestern  part,  while  the  minor  crossing  of  the  same  is  made 
by  a  diagonal  bisection  of  scjiool  section  36  after  the  stream 
leaves  Arvilla  township.  A  small  stream  called  the  south  branch 
of  Turtle  river  flows  for  IJ  miles  through  the  southwest  part  of 
the  township  to  its  confluence  with  the  main  stream  in  section  32. 

The  settlements  on  both  streams  in  Hegton  township  were  most- 
ly made  during  the  year  1879.  George  D.  Leavitt  came  up  from 
Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  in  the  fall  of  1878  and  made  his  selection 
of  land  along  the  south  branch.  The  next  spring  he  settled  at 
Roach's  grove,  which  was  formerly  called  Leavitt's  ^rove.  Joe 
Carter,  who  was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  came  with  Leavitt  and 
located  farther  down  the  stream.  Austin  Fisch,  a  German,  who 
was  a  hotel  keeper  from  Grand  Forks,  took  a  claim  near  Leavitt's 
and  built  his  log  cabin  down  on  the  bottom  land  of  the  stream. 
John  Tholin,  a  Norwegian,  and  Edward  Wheeler,  an  American, 
settled  near  the  confluence  of  the  south  branch  with  the  main 
stream.  Above  Tholin's  place  along  the  main  stream  were  lo- 
cated August  Aslngsen,  August  Molean,  Ludvic  Berggren,  and 
Axel  Anderson,  the  latter  haying  bought  the  right  of  a  previous 
settler  named  Nelson. 

About  the  first  of  June,  1879,  Thomas  Chrsitianson,  H.  E. 
Hanson  and  three  others  arrived  from  Swift  county,  Minn.,  the 
first  two  locating  on  the  Turtle  in  the  western  part  of  the  town- 
ship, while  the  others  passed  on  to  Bachelors  grove.  Arne  An- 
derson and  Gilbert  Johnson  came  in  the  spring  of  1880. 

There  is  some  extension  of  the  timber  along  Turtle  river  into 
the  northeastern  part  of  Elm  Grove  township.  A  few  Norwe- 
gian settlers  came  in  1880  and  made    their   locations   here,    this 

*  (  olliiis  removed  to  Nebraska  about  the  year  1S89,  and  in  the  fall  of  1891  he 
was  }:ccidentally  killed  ii)  the  railroad  yards  at  Omaha  while  employed  there 
as  n  r.witchmai). 


104  HISTORY      OF     GRAND     FORKS    COUNTY 

being  the  lar-t  of  the  timber  on  the  stream  that  had  until  tliat 
year  remained  unoccupied  These  settlers,  who  were  the  first  to 
locate  ill  Elm  Grove  towns  lip,  wereTollif  Chrisliaiison,  Christian 
Huset,  Mattis  Gulickson,  <  )le  Meilaiid  and  Isaac  Christianson. 
The  cabin  of  IMelbind  hav-ng  bnrne<l  down,  he  took  a  prairie 
claim  the  next  year  in  another  part  of  the  township,  Isaac  Chris- 
tianson occnpying  liis  former  claim  on  the  river, "^ 

BACHELORS  GROVE. 

Bachelors  grove  is  a  large  wedge  shaped  body  of  timber  on  the 
headstream  of  Turtle  river,  comprising  about  three  hundred 
acres.  It  borders  the  stream  for  1|  miles  with  an  average  width 
of  a  quarter  of  a  mile  and  is  mainly  contained  in  Agnes  township, 
but  it  has  a  considerable  extension  up  a  coulee  of  the  hills  and 
into  Oakwood  township.  The  east  half  of  the  grove,  in  the  Elk 
Valley,  is  dense  woods,  chiefly  of  elm  and  basswood,  with  much 
bur  oak  along  its  upper  half.  The  stream  here  is  frozen  up  in 
winter  and  is  so  inconsequential,  that  in  the  summer  and  fall  it  is 
either  dry  or  reduced  merely  to  a  trickling  watercourse. 

The  residences  of  the  present  occupants  of  the  land  are  situat- 
ed in  and  around  this  body  of  timber,  together  with  the  school- 
house  and  church  of  the  community.  The  schoolhonse  is  located 
in  the  S.  Ej  section  30  and  the  church,  which  is  Scaudinavian 
Lutheran,  in  the  ^.  \V}  section  29.  Agnes  township,  and  north  of 
the  grove.  The  townline  road  between  Agnes  and  Oakwood  cuts 
a  swath  through  the  midst  of  the  grove  about  sixty  rods  in  length. 

During  the  period  under  consideration,  a  large  body  of  fine 
timber  like  Bachelors  grove  would  not  have  been  apt  to  have 
remained  long  unoccupied.  Indeed,  it  appears  that  squatters 
located  there  over  a  month  before  that  part  of  the  timber  along 
Turtle  river  in  Arvilla  township  was  taken,  and  perhaps  over  a 
year  before  the  portion  of  it  in  Hegton  township  was  filed  upon. 
To  the  west  of  Hegton,  Arvilla  and  Avon  townships  the  land  was 
not  opened  to  settlement  until  Ma}',  1881,  consequently  anyone 
locating  upon  either  tiniber  or  prairie  claims  in  that  part  of  the 
county  prior  to  that  date  were  of  the  squatter  class  ot  settlers. 

The  earlier  settlers  of  Bachelors  grove  were  chiefly  Scandina- 
vians, and  they  came  at  intervals  from  Iowa,  Wisconsin  and 
Minnesota.  First  ot  all,  there  came  in  the  month  of  April,  1878, 
Culick  and  Thomas  Thomson,  Peter  L.  Peterson,  .lames  Chris- 
tianson and  with  tiiem  a  young  man  from  U'isconsin  who  rcuurn- 
ed  there  in  about  three  months.  At  first  this  bod}' of  timber  was 
called  Thomson's  grove,  from  the  Thomson  brothers,  but  in  the 
fall  of  1879  when  \V.  N.  Eoach  opened   the  mail    route    between 

*  For  settlers  in  Mekinock  township,  data  furnished  by  T.  T.  Stevens;  for 
Arvilla,  Hegton,  and  Elm  Grove  the  data  was  given  during  different  years 
by  H.  A.  jNIorgan,  H.  E.  Hanson,  Thos.  Christianson  and  others. 


T  II  E    L  0  G    C  A  P>  I  N     >r  E  X  10-"j 

Grand  Forks  and  Fort  Totten,  James  H,  Mathews,  wlio  accom- 
panied him,  spoke  of  it  as  "the  bachelor's  gjrove"  for  the  reason 
that  at  that  time  only  one  man  had  Iiis  family  with  him,  and 
this  designation  of  the  locality  passed  into  current  use.  In  the 
spring  of  1879,  Gulick  Thomson  sold  his  squatter's  right  to  James 
Christianson  and  removed  to  Forest  river.  Christianson  later 
<lisposed  of  his  acquired  right  to  VVm.  Postall.  The  latter  in  turn 
disposed  of  it  to  John  Crawford  and  John  Warnock  in  the  fall  of 
187 ^>.  Christian  Bang  also  became  a  settler  at  the  grove  that 
year.  Others  came  during  the  same  year  or  that  following.  Of 
there,  Albert  Wright,  Cornelius  Olson,  Hans  Olson,  and  PJver 
Olson  occupied  that  part  of  the  grove  that  extends  into  Oakwood 
township. 

h)  1880  there  came  to  the  grove  or  to  its  vicinity,  H.  S.  Han- 
son, Wm.  McLaren,  IverCiunderson,  .lohn  Anderson,  Bert.  Gates, 
Edw.  Beardsley,  John  Pierson,  M.  8.  Wallace  and  Geo,  G. 
Beardsley,  the  hitter  a  contractor  for  government  surveys  and 
originally  from  Ohio.  These  later  settlers  were  squatters,  but 
not  all  of  them  timber  men,  tor  here  we  refer  to  this  locality  as  a 
community.  Those  who  came  to  the  groye  in  1878,  passed  three 
years  here  as  squatters  before  they  could  make  their  filings  on 
their  claims.  'I'he  nearest  market  town  for  all  of  the  grove  set- 
tlers during  the  first  two  or  three  years  was  Grand  Forks,  which 
is  about  forty  miles  distant.  A  trip  to  town  and  back,  if  made 
with  oxen,   w;is  then  a  three  day's  journey. 

SETTLERS  OF  OTHER  (J ROVES. 

Elm  irrove,  which  gave  the  township  in  which  it  is  located  its 
name,  is  a  small  body  of  timber  containing  about  five  acres  sit- 
uated in  the  north  part  of  Section  19.  In  1880  a  squatter  had 
built  a  log  shack  in  the  grove,  but  before  the  township  was  open- 
ed to  settlement,  his  right  was  purchased  by  T.  O.  Edwards,  who 
subsequently  acquired  considerable  land  in  its  vicinity. 

The  first  occupants  of  Niagara  township  were  a  few  Hcandina- 
uians  who  settled  in  a  couple  of  isolated  timber  tracts  border- 
ing coulees  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township.  About  two 
miles  south  of  Bachelors  grove  is  IJttle  Elm  grove,  a  tract  of 
about  ten  acres,  located  in  the  east  half  of  Section  12.  Peter 
Hanson  located  at  this  grove  in  1879  and  was  probably  the  first 
settler  of  the  township.     Andrew  Hanson  came  there  in  1880. 

Up  the  coulee  west  of  Elm  grove  there  is  a  limited  amount  of 
timber,  this  locality  being  called  Whiskey  creek,  though  there 
is  but  little  water  in  the  coulee,  except  at  the  melting  away  of  a 
winter's  accumulation  of  snow.  The  (-oulee  forks  about  a  mile 
above  Kirn  grove,  both  branches  being  crossed  by  the  main  line 
of  the  Great  Northern  railroad,  the  larger  fill  being  52  feet  high 
at  the  center.     Along  this  coulee  there    settled    in    1880,    Knute 


100  HISTORY     OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

Hilstadt,  Ole  Hanson,  Ole  Ringstad  and  Sever  Peterson.  Three 
other  settlers,  S.  Ness,  Ole  Moen  and  and  Arne  Earness  came 
there  in  1881. 

THE  FOREST  RIVER  SETTLEMENTS. 

Forest  river  is  mainly  confined  to  Walsh  county  but  its  upper 
reaches  intersect  the  north  part  of  Strabane  and  Inkster  town- 
ships in  this  county.  It  is  only  with  that  portion  of  the  stream 
in  these  townships  that  this  narrative  is  specially  concerned,  for 
along  its  banks  we  rnay  confidently  look  for  the  location  of  the 
first  settlers  of  the  northwestern  part  of  the  county.  It  should 
be  observed,  however,  that  Forest  river  was  known  to  the  trap- 
pers, voyageurs,  explorers  and  others,  and  even  on  our  modern 
maps,  as  the  Big  Salt,  the  change  in  the  naiiie  occurring  in  1878. 
In  that  year  the  few  settlers  in  what  is  now  Forest  River  town- 
ship of  Walsh  county,  provided  for  mail  delivery  at  a  post-ofl5ce 
located  in  that  township  and  along  the  stream,  by  which  their 
mail  was  brought  to  them  from  a  post-ofiice  in  Turtle  River 
township,  distant  about  18  miles,  and  at  their  own  expense.  It 
should  be  understood  that  these  country  offices,  even  to  present 
times,  are  the  residences  of  their  respective  postmasters,  and  in 
settlement  days  the  offices  were  apt  to  have  been  log  cabins. 
Jesse  B.  Warren  was  postmaster  for  these  settlers.  The  name 
chosen  for  this  oflice  was  "Forest  River,"  which  was  soon  applied 
both  to  the  township  and  the  stream.  This  township  formerly 
included  Johnstown  in  this  county,  Walsh  county  not  then  having 
been  created. 

George  T.  Inkster,  now  a  resident  of  McHenry  county,  is  of 
Scotch  parentage,  horn  on  Red  river  at  some  distance  below 
Winnipeg.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  the  country,  having 
some  Indian  blood,  but  was  nearly  white.  Prior  to  1878  Inkster 
resided  for  awhile  on  lied  Lake  river  near  the  present  village  of 
jNlallory.  Late  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  removed  to  Forest 
river  and  settled  in  the  township  now  bearing  his  name,  locating 
in  Section  12  of  the  same.  He  was  the  first  settler  of  Inkster 
township  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  father  of  it.  His  nearest 
neighbors,  for  that  year  at  least,  appear  to  have  been  located 
several  miles  down  the  stream.  AI)out  1885  he  removed  to  Mc- 
Henry county.  The  next  settler  was  David  l^emery  who  came 
in  the  spring  of  1879  and  took  a  squatter's  claim  adjoining  Ink- 
ster's  on  the  west.  Other  settlers  came  during  the  spring  of  1880; 
these  were  William  and  Neil  Mathie,  Luther  Dodge,  James  S. 
Collins,    A.  Mclntyre  and  Olark  Casey. 

Strabane  township  is  next  east  of  Inkster,  and  one  of  those 
which  border  on  the  Walsh  county  line.  The  first  settlers  of  this 
township  were  James  jNIcDonald,  John  McDonald  and  W.  H. 
McDonald.     James  came  first  and  was  the  first  actual  settler    of 


T  II  E     LO(i     ("  A  HI  \     M  K  N  ]07 

the  township,  liaving  made  his  squatter's  location  in  April,  1879, 
and  was  soon  followed  by  the  other  two  of  the  McDonald  brothers. 
Other  early  settlers  were  Gillison  Wager,  Leonard  Wager,  Wni. 
Pitts,  Henry  Congrave,  Wm.  Hobbs,  N.  L.  INlcEwen  and  Jon- 
athan Wager,  who  came  in  1879.  Nearly  all  of  these  men  were 
from  Ontario;  Pitts  and  his  family  emigrated  from  Wisconsin 
and  McEwen  came  from  New  York  state. 

There  was  a  j)ost-office  established  at  Wm.  AFnthie's  place  in 
Inkster  township  in  the  spring  of  1880,  the  mail  being  brought 
once  a  week  from  Walshville.  The  Strabane  settlers  also  es- 
ffiblished  one  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  which  was  called 
Reno,  John  McDonald  being  the  postmaster.  The  mail  was 
brought  to  this  office  from  the  one  in  Inkster  township.  The 
]leno  ol!ice  was  maintained  until  1884,  or  to  the  time  that  the 
railroad  came  through  that  part  of  the  county  and  Inkster  vil- 
lage was  started,  when  it  was  discontinued.* 

REMARKS  ON  THE   TIMBER  SETTLERS. 

The  life  of  the  log  cabin  settlers  of  Traill,  Grand  Forks  Walsh 
and  other  counties  of  eastern  North  Dakota,  differed  considerably 
from  thnt  of  the  present  occupants  of  the  soil  who  dwell  in  roomy 
framed  houses  and  who  are  never  out  of  reach  of  the  sound  of 
the  whistle  of  the  locomotive.  Although  this  interval  was  com- 
paratively short,  comprising  only  a  few  years  in  each  section 
that  was  thus  represented,  the  significance  of  the  phase  of  life 
presented  by  the  timber  settlements  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  was 
the  real  pioneer  period  of  the  eastern  portion  of  this  state,  ex- 
clusive of  the  northern  boundjiry.  While  the  period  lasted,  it 
furnished  much  the  same  round  of  life  as  has  been  usual  in  the 
west  before  the  railroads  came  and  ushered  in  a  distinct  phase 
of  civilization,  closely  corresponding,  in  fact,  with  the  earlier, 
but  longer  continued  log  cabin  days  of  the  older  western  states. 
In  the  Red  River  tier  of  counties  this  period  approximately  com- 
prised the  decade  of  the  'seventies  but  was  far  from  beginning 
and  ending  in  ench  section  contemporaneously,  as  lias  already 
been  instanced  in  the  case  of  this  county. 

Usually  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  middle  western  states  have 
been  a  restless  and  thriftless  class,  though  there  are  many  not- 
able exceptions;  here,  the  most  of  them  never  retained  their  lands 
but  few  years  longer  than  the  log  cabin  period  itself  lasted.  There 
is  a  class  of  them  who  have  ever  preferred  the  rough  and  isolated 
life  of  the  frontier  to  the  requirements  and  vexatious  complica- 
tions of  populous  communities,  disliking  the  prospect  of  being 
merged  with  the  agricultural  population  that  later  overruns  the 
country.  There  were  many  such  located  for  awhile  along  the 
timbered  tributaries  of  Red  river.     As  times  changed,    they   one 

*  Mainly  froii)  data  furnished  l)y  John  McDonald,  of  Strabane  town.ship. 


108  II  1  ^^  1'  O  R  Y     ()  F    <.  R  A  N  D     F  0  R  K  S    C  O  F  N  T  Y 

by  one  either  lost  their  claims  through  mortgages  or  disposed  of 
them  to  new  comers  and  agjain  faced  toward  the  setting  sun. 
Again,  there  were  otiiers  of  the  original  timber  settlers  who 
drifted  to  the  new  and  growing  towns  and  changed  their  occu- 
pation. The  present  framed  houses  and  barns  that  have  replac- 
ed the  original  log  cabins  ;uid  stables  of  logs,  poles  and  straw, 
respectively,  have  generally  been  erected  by  later  comers,  thougii 
this  has  not,  ol  course,  invariably  been  the  case. 

THE  OLD  WAGON  TRAILS. 

The  three  halfbreed,  or  cart  trails  that  passed  through  the 
county  have  been  duly  mentioned,  but  our  purpose  here  will  be 
to  speak  of  those  that  were  struck  out  by  the  settlers  using  the 
common  farm  wagon,  in  connection  with  the  timber  settlements, 
suid  which  were  used  during  the  continuance  of  that  interval. 
The  old  trails  of  the  county,  whether  made  by  cart  trains  or 
farm  wagons,  were  the  predecessors  of  the  present  section-line 
roads.  In  regard  to  the  county  roads,  four  successive  stages  of 
development  may  be  noted.  First  of  all  there  came  into  use  the 
old  cart  trails  of  the  long  ago;  second  in  order  were  the  trails 
made  and  used  by  the  timber  sectlers  and  mail  carriers;  then 
there  next  came  into  use  the  numerous  trails  of  the  prairie  set- 
tlers, and  finally,  the  present  roads  were  established  which  gen- 
erally correspond  with  the  section  lines.  The  trails  of  the  whites 
were  at  first  such  9S  would  re'sult  from  the  occasional  passage  in 
the  same  track  of  the  common  farm  wagon.  After  they  became 
rutted  by  the  cutting  of  the  sod  by  the  narrow  wheel  tires  and 
treading  of  the  animals  used  tor  draught,  a  strip  of  grass  about 
2J  feet  in  width  remained  between  the  ruts,  and  increased  travel 
gradually  wore  even  this  away.  At  this  stage  of  development 
these  routes  ceased  to  be  trails  and  became  beaten  roads. 

There  was  a  trail  leading  from  the  northern  outskirts  of  Grand 
Forks  that  bore  west-by-north  across  the  valley  plain  to  Robert 
Blakeley's  place  in  Mekinock,  thence  followed  the  prairie  near 
the  timber  along  the  south  side  of  the  Turtle  river  valley  and  it 
terminated  at  what  is  now  called  Roach's  grove.  This  early 
roadway  into  the  central  part  of  the  county  was  struck  out  in 
the  summer  of  1878  by  the  Turtle  river  settlers.  The  reason^  of 
their  not  taking  a  more  direct  course  to  Grand  Forks  was  owing 
to  sloughy  land  in  Chester  township  sind  danger  of  miring  their 
teams,  while  by  keeping  near  the  Turtle  river  valley  a  more 
suitable  and  dry  route  was  found.  Two  years  later  the  direct 
route  through  Ojata  was  taken. 

There  was  another  trail  of  those  days  that  led  from  Grand 
Forks  across  the  south  half  of  the  county  in  a  general  southwest- 
ern direction  to  the  Newberg  and  Northwood  settlements.  By 
the  year  1880  this  earlv  traveled  wmv  across  the  countv  had    be- 


T  H  K     !.()(;     ('  A  i;  J  N     -M  1'.  X  1  ( 19 

come  Ji  well  beiileii  rosid,  tlioiigli  miicli  of  llie  coiiiiiiy  tln(Hitih 
wliich  it  pnssed  w:is  then  iinocciiftied. 

'There  wiis  also  a.  wagon  trail  of  the  later  'seventies,  merely 
rutted  rather  than  worn,  tliat  passed  throiiuh  the  western  p.rt 
ol'  the  county  near  the  hills.  It  lollowed  the  western  side  ol  ilie 
P'lk  Valley,  farther  inward  than  the  ohl  halfbreed  trail,  'i'o  the 
west  of  Larimore  its  course  lay  about  a  mile  inward  (roni  the  base 
of  these  iiplands  but  it  approached  mucti  nearer  to  tiiem  f;irlher 
north,  and  likely  followed  the  lialfbree«l  trail  in  places  through 
the  northwestern  quaiter  of  the  county.  It  was  an  early  line  of 
transient  travel  between  the  settlements  on  the  brandies  of  the 
Goose  and  those  on  forest  and  Park  rivers,  and  was  mostly  util- 
ized by  persons  who  traveled  in  canvas  covered  wagons  called 
"prairie  schooners,"  stich  as  emigrants  and  oiher  roving  classes 
commonly  use.  I?i  those  days  the  teams  were  generally  oxen 
for  horses  were  then  by  no  trieans  plenty  even  in  proportion  to 
the  comparatively  scant  population  of  the  country. 

'i'hese,  with  the  Fort  Totten  trail  and  Ked  River  stage  road 
formed  the  principal  of  the  early  traveled  routes  tiirough  the 
county.  As  the  prairie  settlements  developed,  numerous  tran- 
sient wagon  trails  of  a  local  character  were  used  for  awhile,  or 
until  the  breaking  up  of  the  land  for cultivati(>n  gradually  forced 
the  most  of  them  from  the  lands  they  crossed  to  the  section  lines. 
As  might  be  supposed,  any  kind  of  trail  disregarded  the  section 
lines  even  where. for  awhile,  as  in  the  case  of  the  prairie  settler's 
trails,  tiiey  were  used  in  surveyed  parts  of  the  county. 

THE  FORT  TOTTEN  TRAIL. 

The  military  post  at  the  Indian  reservation  on  the  south  side 
of  Devils  lake  was  established  in  1867-8.  'i'he  teaming  of  ma- 
terials and  supplies  to  build  Fort  Totten  was  from  St,  Cloud  by 
way  of  Fort  Abercrombie,  When  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad 
had  been  built  west  of  Red  river,  and  Jamestown  was  started,  the 
quartermaster's  supplies  and  the  goods  furnished  the  Indians  by 
government  were  teamed  from  that  place  to  the  post  until  the 
fall  of  1879,  after  which  the  goods  were  delivered  for  awhile  at 
Grand  Forks,  and  later  at  Ojata  and  Larimore.  The  mail  for 
the  post  came  by  way  of  Jamestown,  As  the  railroad  advanced 
west  from  Grand  Forks,  the  distance  that  the  supplies  destined 
for  Fort  Totten  and  the  reservation  had  to  be  transported  by 
teams,  was  shortened. 

From  Grand  Forks  out  to  Blakeley's  the  route  corresponded 
with  the  Turtle  River  trail.  After  crossing  the  stream  by  a  ford 
at  this  place,  the  route  passed  west  to  Hanson's  in  the  western 
part  of  Hegton  township  where  it  again  crossed  the  stream  by  a 
shallow  ford;  thence  bearing  across  Elm  Grove  township  and 
passing  just  to  the  north  of  Kim  grove,  it  next  crossed    over    the 


110  H  I  S  T  O  R  Y    O  F    G  R  A  N  1)    FORKS    CO  U  N  T  Y 

uplands  through  the  soutli  pnrt  of  Niagara  township  and  then 
passing  between  Smith's  lakes  in  tiie  northwestern  part  of  Mo- 
raine township,  it  struck  westward  to  Stump  and  Devils  lakes 
across  what  i.^s  now  Nelson  count}'. 

Something  of  a  survey  for  a  wagon  route  between  Fort  'I'otten 
and  Grajid  Forks  was  made  l>y  the  military  authorities  about  the 
year  1877,  but  the  route  was  not  actually  utilized  until  October, 
1879,  when  the  first  of  the  caravans  or  wagon  trains  that  came 
to  Grand  Forks,  set  out  for  that  place.  During  that  fall,  W.  N, 
Roach,  in  later  years  United  States  senator  for  this  state,  was 
residing  in  Grand  Forks,  having  arrived  there  in  September  of 
that  year.  Viets  &  McKelvey,  of  Grand  Forks,  had  a  contract 
at  that  time  to  deliver  certain  supplies  to  the  fort,  and  this  cir- 
cumstance, together  with  tlie  starting  of  the  railroad  from  Fish- 
ers J.anding  to  Grand  Forks,  appears  to  have  led  to  the  establish- 
ment of  a  mail  route  between  Grand  Forks  and  Fort  Totten. 
An  organization  called  tiie  Overland  INIail  &  Transportation 
company,  with  headquarters  at  Washington,  were  then  the  or- 
iginal contractors  with  the  government  for  a  large  number  of 
mail  routes  in  the  west,  and  alter  some  contest  over  the  sub-con- 
tract, it  was  awarded  to  IMr.  Roach.  He  therefore  proceeded  to 
open  a  mail  and  stage  route  through  this  county  to  the  lake. 
The  mail  was  to  be  carried  both  ways  once  a  week.* 

Mr.  Roach  started  out  on  his  first  trip  early  in  October,  1879, 
and  was  accompanied  by  James  H.  Mathews.  At  Smith's  lakes, 
near  the  west  line  of  the  county,  they  niet  the  first  wagon  train 
that  came  east  from  Fort  Totten  and  after  passing  them  they  saw 
no  white  men  until  the  fort  was  reached.  In  crossing  what  is 
now  Nelson  county,  they  kept  their  course  by  using  a  pocket 
compass,  taking  a  route  somewhat  north  of  that  which  the  In- 
dian caravan  had  just  traveled. f  Quite  early  in  his  mail  and 
stage  business,  Mr.  Roach  took  steps  to  have  three  intermediate 
post-offices  established  on  tiie  route.  These  were  located  at 
Blakeley's  in  Mekinock,  at  Hanson's  in  Hegton  and  one  at 
Stump  lake.  In  respect  to  the  Hegton  office,  Mr.  Roach  had  a 
conference  with  the  settlers  at  I3achelors  grove  and  some  of  those 
on  the  upper  course  of  the  Turtle;  at  his  suggestion  a  petition  to 
the  Postmaster  General  at  Washington  was  drawn  up  and  signed 
by  them,  requesting  that  a  post-office  be  established  in  their 
neighborhood  and  that  Hans  E.  Hanson  be  appointed  postmas- 
ter. In  like  manner  Robert  Blakeley  became  postmaster  of  the 
office  in  Mekinock  township. 

Mr.  Roach  did  not  always  go  with  the  mail  stage  himself,  but 
occasionally  employed  others  to  make  the  weekly  trips.  During 
the  first  winter  the  carriers  sometimes    had    to  rely  on  the  dog- 

*  In  part  from  statements  of  Hon.  W.  N.  Roach.  f  Of  J.  H.  Mathews. 


THE    LOG    CABIN      >[  EN  111 

sledge  to  get  the  mail  through.  A  man  named  Smith  kept  the 
mail  station  at  Stump  laice  and  a  few  other  settlers  were  located 
there,  among  whom  was  the  old  frontiersman,  Francis  de  Molin, 
In  J)eceml)er,  1879,  Warren  Smith,  a  son  of  the  station  keeper, 
was  carrying  tlie  »nail  and  he  had  with  him  as  passengers  a  half- 
breed  and  a  white  man.  They  had  three  dogs  in  the  train,  but 
lost  the  beaten  track  in  a  storm.  They  killed  one  dog  for  food 
and  one  froze  to  death.  They  lay  in  a  snowbank  for  about  two 
days  but  finally  managed  to  reach  Molin's  place,  and  staggering 
from  exhaustion  one  or  more  of  them  fell  at  his  door.  Here  they 
were  kindly  cared  for  until  they  could  go  on  to  Fort  Totten. 
At  Grand  Forks  the  men  were  not  heard  from  for  some  time  and 
were  supposed  to  have  perished  until  a  letter  arrived  from  the 
fort  that  iiad  b'een  sent  around  by  way  of  Jamestown  and  Fargo, 
stating  that  the  men  were  safe  and  that  tiie  route  was  impassably 
blockaded  with  snow. 

The  Fort  Totten  trail  was  also  traveled  by  the  Indian  car- 
avans that  went  to  Grand  Forks  for  government  supplies.  The 
government  had  furnished  the  Indiiins  with  good  wagons  and 
oxen.  Sometimes  as  many  as  fifty  teams,  each  with  an  Indian 
driver,  composed  these  supply  trains.  They  traveled  mostly  in 
warm  weather,  cam[>ing  in  canvas  covered  tepees  at  suitable 
points  on  the  route,  and  on  these  trips  they  were  accompanied 
by  an  agent  who  used  a  horse  and  buggy.  Smaller  parties  of 
of  the  reservation  Indians  occasionally  passed  back  and  forth 
over  this  route  in  making  visits  to  the  Red  Lake  Chippeways  in 
Minnesota.  A  few  of  the  old  Red  lliver  carls  and  ponies  were 
then  still  to  be  seen  with  these  l>auds. 

J\Ir.  Roach  drove  a  good  team  of  roadsters  with  a  light  two 
seated  wagon.  Only  an  ordinary  mail-bag  was  required.  As 
the  trail  developed  a  few  local  ones  were  made  to  branch  off 
from  it  leading  to  Forest  river  and  liachelors  grove.  At  the  time 
that  the  main  trail  began  to  be  forced  upon  the  section  lines  in 
consequence  of  the  occupation  and  breaking  of  the  land,  that 
portion  of  it  between  Grand  Forks  and  the  hill  country  had  de- 
veloped into  a  well  beaten  road.  With  the  westward  advance  of 
the  railroad,  tlie  mail  was  discontinued  in  1882  and  the  Fort 
Totten  trail,  as  a  distinctive  line  of  travel  between  Grand  Forks 
and  Stump  and  Devils  lakes,  ceased  to  exist. 

The  old  Red  River  trail,  mail  and  stage  route,  though  barely 
more  than  mentioned  in  the  sketches,  stands  first  in  importance 
in  relation  to  its  historical  bearings  on  the  central  part  of  the 
valley;  the  old  Fort  Totten  trail,  though  brief  in  duration,  stands 
next  in  order  of  all  these  old  traveled  wavs. 


F^RT    -V". 


THE  NEW  EPOCH 


PROGRESS  AND  DEVELOPMENT. 


THE  OPENING  OF  A  NEW  ERA. 

IHE  BEGINNING  of  the  new  epoch  in  the  Red  River 
[\  VHlley  WHS  characterized  by  the  introduction  ot 
the  present  civilization.  In  its  dawn  some  coun- 
ties had  the  start  of  some  of  the  others.  JUit 
by  spring;time  of  the  year  1880  the  new  ern  of 
progress  had  so  far  been  ushered  into  existence  already  in  Urand 
Forks  county  as  to  have  become  a  visible  reality  as  reflected  in 
the  increasinj*;  business  activity,  in  the  spreading:  of  the  settle- 
ments and  in  the  material  chiinges  that  were  then  jroing  on. 
These  effected,  in  particular,  the  eastern  half  of  the  county  at 
that  time. 

With  the  opening  of  direct  railroad  communication  with  east- 
ern points,  an  era  of  progress  and  development  began,  both  for 
Grand  F'orks  and  for  the  county  at  large.  There  was  then  no 
other  railroad  point  on  Red  river  nearer  than  Moorhead  and 
Fargo,  a  fact  that  exerted  a  centralizing  influence  upon  Grand 
Forks  commercially.  All  kinds  of  business  enterprises  common 
to  new  western  towns  began  to  gain  a  foothold  and  flourish. 
Throughout  that  spring  the  baggage  room  in  the  depot  was  piled 
high  with  trunks,  indicating  a  large  number  of  arrivals.  'I'he 
business  of  the  hotels  consequently  became  more  flourishing  than 
ever  before.  A  large  transfer  business  sprang  up  between  the 
new  railroad  terminus  at  Grand  Forks  and  the  steamboats  in 
respect  to  freight  and  passenger  traflSc  bound  to  points  down  the 
river,  and  a  spur-track  was  built  over  on  the  east  side  to  connect 
with  a  steamboat  landing.  The  prairie  lands  of  the  county  were 
now  being  rapidly  occupied,  thus  largely  increasing  that  year 
the  scope  of  territory  in  which  the  settlers  were  dependent  upon 
Grand  Forks  as  a  base  for  supplies.  Thus  the  place  began  to 
increase  in  importance  as  a  distributing  point. 


PROGRESS    AND    DEVELOPMENT  113 

'J'he  U.  S.  Land  Office  at  Grand  Forks  was  opened  that  spring, 
and  on  the  day  of  opening  several  hundred  filings  were  made. 
By  the  month  of  June  the  population  of  the  town  had  increased 
considerably  over  ji  thousand  more  than  what  it  was  at  the  close 
of  1879.  The  census  taken  that  month  gave  Grand  Forks  a  res- 
ident population  of  1,705  inhabitants.  There  was  evidence  of 
the  rapid  and  permanent  occupation  of  the  back  country  then  in 
progress,  in  the  large  amount  of  settler's  supplies,  agricultural 
implements  (particularly  breaking  plows)  and  machinery  arriv- 
ing and  being  sold.  Lumber  was  also  being  shipped  in  by  rail- 
road, and  was  then  in  considerable  demand  for  putting  up  claim 
shacks,  besides  what  was  being  used  to  build  up  the  town.  By 
this  time  boat  or  pontoon  bridges  had  replaced  the  old  method 
of  crossing  the  river  by  ferry. 

In  February,  1881,  Grand  Forks  was  incorporated  as  a  city, 
and  under  the  general  laws  of  the  territory  of  Dakota.  The  city 
was  divided  into  five  wards  at  this  time,  the  first  municipal 
officers  being  as  follows:  W.  H.  Brown,  mayor;  aldermen, 
Frank  Viets  and  John  Fadden,  First  ward;  James  Elton  and 
A.  L.  JJnton.  Second  ward;  A.  Abrahamsen  and  Henry  Gotzian, 
Third  ward;  Newton  Porter  and  'J'homas  White,  Fourth  ward; 
0.  E.  Teel  and  M.  L.  McCormack,  Fifth  ward. 

By  the  fall  of  1881  the  city  had  largely  overstepped  the  bounds 
it  had  occupied  when  the  railroad  arrived  and  had  become  a 
thriving  place.  After  the  year  1880  new  additions  to  the  city 
were  successively  platted.  All  of  the  common  trades  and  mer- 
cantile establishments  were  well  represented  together  with  a 
number  of  good  hotels.  New  churches  were  being  built  and  the 
older  ones  enlarged.  Beginning  in  1879,  over  three  years  of 
business  prosperity  followed  during  which  the  city  made  remark- 
able progress.  During  this  time  the  railroads  were  being  ex- 
tended north,  south  and  west  from  Grand  Forks. 
SETTLING  THE  PRAIRIE  LANDS. 

During  the  earlier  'seventies  such  accounts  as  Gen.  Hazen's 
adverse  report  on  the  country  west  of  Red  river  together  with 
the  widely  published  reports  concerning  the  ravages  of  the  Uocky 
Mountain  locusts  in  western  Minnesota  in  1874-5,  combined  with 
the  depressed  state  of  the  times,  furnish  sufficient  causes  by  which 
to  account  for  the  light  emigration  to  the  Red  River  Valley  oc- 
curring in  those  years.  But  toward  the  close  of  the  decade  times 
began  ripeni'ig  for  more  general  movements  of  this  kind.  Owing 
to  various  causes  there  were  thousands  of  persons  in  the  older 
western  states  ready  to  try  their  fortunes  in  any  new  and  readily 
accessible  region  of  the  west  for  the  purpose  of  bettering  their 
condition  in  life  and  so  soon  as  aii}'^  impelling  motives  to  do  so 
presented  themselves.     People  already  here  were  writing  letters 


114  HISTORY      ()  F    a  R  A  N  i:>     F  O  H  K  S    C  O  U  N  T  Y 

to  their  former  homes;  articles  in  the  newspapers  and  later  in 
some  of  the  magazines  began  to  attract  notice;  but  most  effective 
of  all  of  these  reports  that  were  attracting  attention  to  the  ag- 
ricultural possibilities  of  the  Red  River  Valley  at  that  time  were 
the  widely  published  accounts  of  the  large  yields  of  fine  wheat 
raised  on  the  large  farms  then  receutly  opened  in  Cass  county. 
With  millions  of  acres  of  fertile  lands  at  their  choice  and  railroads 
in  process  of  construction,  thousands  had  now  a  strong  incentive 
to  come  here.  Therefore  each  succeedins:  year  began  to  wit- 
ness its  increasing  influx  of  immifirrants. 

All  of  the  partially  timbered  quarter-sections  in  the  county, 
as  we  have  seen,  were  taken  by  settlers  before  others  began  to 
occupy  the  adjacent  prairie  lands.  The  settlenient  of  the  prai- 
rie lands  virtually  came  within  the  period  that  we  have  called 
the  "new  epoch"  and  for  the  country  back  from  the  river  it  was 
the  beginning  of  this  epoch.  Fietween  the  Goose  and  Turtle  riv- 
ers, and  again,  between  the  latter  stream  and  Forest  river,  are 
two  widely  spreading  prairie  sections,  tliat  south  of  the  Turtle 
extending  into  Traill  coinity  and  the  other  section  into  Walsh 
county.  The  southern  section  has  a  considerable  northern  pro- 
jection on  the  valley  plain  due  to  the  northeast  course  of  Turtle 
river  across  these  flats,  hence  the  area  of  the  northern  section 
within  the  county  limits  is  correspondingly  diminished.  'I'hese 
districts  comprise  the  parts  of  the  valley  plahi,  the  central  slope 
and  the  Elk  Valley  between  the  streams  mentioned  and  exclusive 
of  the  hill  country.  The  occupation  of  the  valley  plain  had  been 
in  progress  prior  to  1879,  yet  a  little  more  than  twenty  years  ago 
these  prairie  districts  were  quite  generally  devoid  of  trees  or 
other  conspicuous  land  marks;  now,  the  land  is  considerably 
diversified  by  the  numerous  farmsteads  with  their  grovesof  cul- 
tivated trees,  but  not  so  much  so  in  this  respect  as  would  now  have 
been  the  case  had  the  farms  more  generally  consisted  of  smallei- 
lioldings.  Nevertheless,  the  original  blank  aspect  of  the  open 
prairie  country  has  been  modified  in  no  small  degree. 

Agriculture  in  the  Northwest  is  so  thoroughly  dependent  on 
the  railroads  that  it  could  not  be  extensively  engaged  in  at  dis- 
tances remote  from  Red  river  until  tliese  were  built  and  markets 
created  at  intervals  along  these  lines  (or  shipment  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  soil.  The  settlement  of  the  prairie  lands  took  place 
a  little  in  advance  of  the  building  of  the  railroads,  settlers,  in 
fact,  readily  filing  upon  these  lands  when  they  became  assured 
that  they  would  not  have  to  wait  very  long  for  near  markets. 

The  occupation  of  the  prairie  district  south  of  Turtle  river  was 
carried  forward  from  Grand  Forks  as  a  starting  point,  and  here 
the  movement  of  the  incoming  population  was  westw'ard  across 
the  central  part  of  the  county  with  more  deflection  toward  the 
south  at  that  time  than  to  the  north  of  its  medial  line.     As    late 


I'  U  O  G  Px,  E  !H  S     A  N  I)     I)  E  V  E  L  O  T  M  E  N  T  lib 

as  the  suiiuner  of  1879,  filing^s  on  the  land  had  largely  been  re- 
stricted to  tiie  valley  plain,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year  the  taking 
of  the  vacant  lands  was  siiddetily  extended  west  to  and  including 
range  54,  beyond  which  the  townships  were  not  subdivided.  At 
that  period  immigrants  showed  but  little  disposition  to  locate  on 
any  of  the  open  prairie  land  as  squatters  until  the  townships  had, 
at  least,  been  subdivided  and  the  corners  of  quarter-sectionsdnly 
marked.  After  filing  upon  his  claim  the  settler  was  allowed  six 
months  to  get  on  to  it  and  commence  making  improvements;  the 
breaking  season  was  now  several  months  past,  hence  those  filing 
on  lands  in  Chester,  Arvilla,  Pleasant  View,  Avon,  Washington 
and  Northwood  townships  did  not  generally  occupy  their  claims 
until  the  spring  of  1880.  Even  at  that  dnte  there  was  consider- 
able vacant  land  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county  and  in  the 
section  between  Reynolds  and  Nortlnvood.  This,  however,  did 
not  long  remain  unclaimed. 

In  iMay,  1881,  the  Elk  Valley  west  of  range  54  was  opened  to 
settlement,  also  such  part  of  the  hill  country  as  is  comprised 
within  the  limits  of  the  cC'Unty.  The  Elk  Valley  was  overrun 
by  settlers  that  year,  but  there  still  remained  north  of  Turtle 
river  a  district  lyiuir  between  Gilby  and  Inkster  that  was  not 
generally  occupied  until  the  spring  of  1882.  This  land,  lying 
upon  the  main  valley  slope,  is  mainly  com{)rised  in  Wheatfield, 
Strabane  and  north  part  of  Hegton  townships. 

'i'he  settlers  of  the  prairie  districts  usually  put  up  claim  shacks 
of  pine  lumber  to  begin  with  Some  of  these  were  only  eight 
feet  square,  others  twelve  and  some  12  by  16  feet.  They  were 
merely  inteiuied  lor  use  in  warm  weather,  to  batch  in  for  awhile, 
and  were  the  veriest  makeshilt  of  an  abode  that  could  readily  be 
put  together  with  a  few  scantling,  one  or  two  window  sash  and 
pine  boards.  They  had  shed  roofs  and  the  better  class  of  tliem 
were  covered  with  tarred  paper  similar  in  all  respects  to  the 
same  kind  of  structures  still  to  be  seen  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
towns.  Un  some  claims  three  stages  of  dwelling  may  be  noted  to 
have  been  developed,  to  wit,  the  original  claim  shack,  the  same 
rebuilt  larger  so  as  to  serve  awliile  lor  winter's  use,  and  lastly, 
after  a  few  years  more,  the  substantial  framed  house.  Turf  was 
sometimes  piled  around  a  well  built  shack  in  which  the  occupants 
remained  a  winter  or  two,  but  the  veritable  "sod  shanty,"  it  ever 
used  in  tliis  county  at  all,  was  something  exceptional  to  common 
usage.  I<\)r  the  prairie  larms  the  j)redecessors  of  the  large  red 
barns  were  cheap,  low  structures  built  of  scantling  and  shiplap. 

Prior  to  1882  oxen  were  much  used,  esi)ecially  in  doing  the 
first  year's  amount  of  breaking  on  the  farms,  not  but  that  there 
were  already  some  horses  in  the  country,  but  in  starling  in  witli 
farming  oxen  were  often  used  at  first  so  as  to  save  tlie  larger 
expense  of  keeping  liorses  until  oats  and    other    feed    could    be 


IIG  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

raised  for  them.  While  being  worked  the  oxen  required  ground 
feed,  Vjut  on  the  whole  were  less  expensive  than  horses.  The  ox 
teams  were  largely  brought  into  the  country  by  the  settlers  them- 
selves rather  than  purchased  here.  They  could  then  be  bought 
in  the  older  parts  of  Minnesota  and  adjoining  parts  of  \Visconsin 
and  Iowa  at  $80  or  $90  per  yoke,  while  in  the  Ked  River  Valley 
they  were  worth  from  $125  to  $150  per  yoke.  In  1882  horses  be- 
gan to  be  shipped  into  the  country  in  large  numbers  and  previous 
to  that  3'ear  and  for  some  time  afterwards  they  were  rated  at 
high  prices. 

SOME  OF  THE  PRAIRIE  SETTLEMENTS. 

Gilby  township  is  situated  next  north  of  Mekinock  and  amidst 
the  prairie  section  lying  north  of  Turtle  river.  The  township  is 
more  a  portion  of  the  vallev  plain  than  of  the  central  valley 
sl(»pe  and  is  a  fine  Hgricultural  township.  It  was  first  settled  in 
1879.  Among  the  first  or  earliest  settlers  were  the  brothers 
George,  John  and  James  Gilby  who  cnine  from  Ontario.  Thomas 
and  James  Lewis,  George,  Jlobert  and  J.  W.  Scott  were  immi- 
grants from  St.  Croix  county,  Wi^iconsin.  J.  W.  Scott  broke  the 
first  full  quarter-section  in  the  township  in  1880. 

The  prairie  land  in  Arvilla  township  was  very  generally  filed 
upon  in  October,  1879,  but  the  land  was  not  occupied  until  the 
next  spring.  There  were  at  Grand  Forks  in  October  of  the  year 
mentioned,  James  H.  Mathews,  Prof.  Webster  IMeirifield,  John 
Hawkins,  John  Forsyth,  John  E.  Cooley  and  Thos.  F.  Eastgate. 
Tliese  men  had  already  been  out  and  selected  claims  and  they 
made  iheir  filings  on  or  about  October  6th.  Other  prospective  set- 
tlers of  that  time  were  Geo.  Bull,  Geo.  Ames,  .lames  Jenks,  Lewis 
Keller,  W.  0.  Ghering,  F,  D.  Hughes  and  B.  S.  Fryar.  Some  of 
these  men  were  from  various  counties  in  the  state  of  New  York. 
Most  of  the  township  was  taken  that  fall,  all  of  the  fairly  good 
quarters  being  filed  upon  that  season.  There  were  many  other 
persons  who  held  land  in  the  township  besides  those  specially 
mentioned.  Among  these  were  Gunder  Anderson  and  A.  B. 
Holte.  The  first  held  the  quarter  in  which  the  First  ward  of 
the  city  of  Larimore  is  now  located;  the  other  the  quarter  south 
of  this.  Their  claim  shacks  stood  near  together  in  ths  corners 
of  their  respective  claims  and  near  the  present  railroad  crossing; 
consequently  these  were  the  first  buildings  of  any  kind  put  up 
where  Larimore  now  stands. 

At  first  the  township  was  called  Orange,  but  afterward,  when 
the  Hersey  farm  was  originated  in  1882,  it  was  renamed  Arvilla 
after  the  maiden  name  of  Mrs.  Hersey.  The  Hersey  farm  com- 
prises 2,600  acres,  all  adjoining  and  lying  on  both  sides  of  Turtle 
river.  The  village  of  Arvilla  was  platted  on  land  of  this  farm 
in  May,  and  the  plat  placed  on  file  June  23,  1882. 


PROG  1{  ESS    AND    DEVELOPMENT  117 

Another  lar^e  farm  that  occupies  the  ceiitrstl  part  of  Arvilla 
township,  is  ihat  of  James  H.  Mathews,  known  as  the  New  York 
Farm.  This  grew  from  the  original  claims  by  the  purcliase  of 
adjoining  quarter-sections  and  others  more  or  less  detached. 
The  first  crop  was  grown  on  the  farm  in  1881  on  land  that  had 
been  broken  the  previous  year,  comprising  191  jicres.  Of  tliis, 
171  acres  were  sown  to  wheat  and  the  remaining  twenty  were 
cropped  in  oats.  In  1898  the  area  of  the  New  York  Farm  was 
considerably  enlarged  by  the  acquisition  of  the  estate  of  the  late 
(leo.  Bull  whose  land  adjoined  that  of  Mr.  Mathevvs  on  the  east. 
The  buildings  of  the  present  hirge  farm  are  located  1^  miles 
southeast  of  Larimore. 

Avon  township  is  situated  next  south  of  Arvilla.  The  land  is 
generally  level,  with  the  exception  of  being  just  a  little  ridgy 
in  its  eastern  half.  It  was  occupied  simibir  to  Arvilla  and  at 
the  same  time.  Among  the  earlier  settlers  were  Homer  I), 
Smith,  Samuel  and  Maurice  Swain,  Alonzo  and  Frederick  Deitz, 
Maurice  Hines,  Daniel  Corkins  and  VVm.  Hanrahan,  all  of  whom 
were  from  the  state  of  Michigan.  Other  settlers  from  various 
states  were  Geo.  Becker,  Thos.  Martin,  Daniel  and  [ra  Stevens, 
Wm.  (^Ihalloner,  Frank  Challoner,  Bernhard  Schrump,  Albert 
Sclnump,  John  Shirley.  Millard  Shirley,  Edwin  Kerkele,  Henry 
LaPorte,  Thos.  and  Addison  Bruyere.  The  two  latter  came  from 
New  Jersey;  .Addison  Bruyere,  who  was  a  promising  young  man, 
died  Dec.  29,  1885.  W.  N.  lioach  also  took  a  homestead  and 
tree-claim  in  Section  2,  which  he  fi'ed  upon  in  October,  1879. 

The  extensive  tract  called  the  l^]lk  Valley,  so  far  as  the  land 
lies  even  moderately  level,  includes  all  of  Northwood  and  adjoin- 
ing parts  of  Washington  and  liind,  most  of  Avon  and  the  east  half 
of  Grace,  the  southwest  portion  of  Arvilla  and  all  but  the  west 
one-third  of  Larimore,  the  mostof  Elm  Grove  and  parts  of  Agnes, 
Oakwood,  Inkster  and  Elkmount  townships.  This  tract  is  rather 
abruptly  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  higher  hill  country;  on  the 
east  in  the  central  land  belt  of  the  county,  the  surface  breaks  into 
low,  broad  ridges,  the  land  falling  thence  with  a  gentle  descent 
to  the  valley  [>lain. 

In  the  days  of  butfal(»  hunting  the  Elk  Valley  was  a  range  of 
these  animals  and  the  elk.  The  great  quantity  of  buffalo  bones 
that  lay  .scattered  over  the  prairie,  as  seen  by  the  first  settlers, 
was  an  attestation  of  the  fact  that  these  animals  had  frt-quently 
been  hunted  here  by  the  Indians  and  halfbreeds.  The  bones  of 
single  sinimals,  as  observed  here  by  the  writer  in  1880,  never  lay 
together  but  were  always  strewn  over  a  space  of  several  rods,  as 
dragged  about  by  the  coyotes  and  foxes  soon  after  they  had  been 
killed.  The  most  prominent  of  these  remains,  bleached  l>y  many 
years  of  weathering,  were  the  skulls.  These  varied  in  size,  the 
larger  ones  evidently  having  behmged  to  the  bulls.      The    horns 


118  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

were  usually  gone,  their  cores  remaining  and  forming  two  point- 
ed stubs  about  five  inches  in  length  projecting  outward  and  up- 
ward at  a  small  angle  from  each  skull.  The  latest  date  at  which 
any  of  the  herds  could  have  visited  this  section  was  1868. 

\Ve  have  no  record  of  the  first  white  men  who  saw  this  former 
buffalo  range.  They  were  probably  employees  of  some  one  of 
the  various  fur  companies  who  followed  up  the  courses  of  one  or 
another  of  the  timbered  streams.  The  route  of  one  of  the  geo- 
graphical expeditions  of  Nicollet  and  Fremont  lay  close  to  the 
western  border  of  the  Elk  Valley  during  their  visit  to  this  part 
of  the  country  sixty  years  ago,  and  white  men  used  the  old  half- 
breed  trail  long  prior  to  the  settlement  of  the  county.  Walter 
J.  S.  Traill,  Hector  Bruce  and  Geo.  T.  Inkster  explored  Turtle 
and  Forest  rivers  in  1874.  Bruce  and  Inkster  made  a  second 
trip  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Forest  and  Little  Salt  in  1876. 

In  those  days  the  section  about  the  headst reams  of  the  Turtle 
awd  Forest  was  a  notable  game  country.  Black  bear  were  some- 
times seen,  while  elk,  black  tailed  deer  and  antelope  were  more 
plentiful.  Otter  abounded  on  the  streams,  and  even  the  beaver 
appeared  about  the  time  that  the  first  settlers  came  to  that  sec- 
tion, these  shy  animals  doubtless  being  then  on  their  retreat 
from  the  south  before  the  advance  of  the  first  wave  of  civilization 
for  some  halfbreeds  assured  Mr.  Inkster  that  the  beaver  had  not 
previously  been  known  on  the  headwaters  ol  Forest  river. 

The  Elic  Valley  was  so  named  by  1).  McDonald,  at  that  time 
postmaster  of  Grand  Forks,  and  who  was  one  of  a  hunting  party 
that  came  out  to  this  tract  in  the  fall  of  1879.  'i'hey  saw  a  herd 
of  elk  in  the  southern  part  of  Elm  Grove  township  near  the  south 
branch  of  the  Turtle  and  being  favorably  impressed  with  the  wild 
aspect  of  the  land,  Mr.  McDonald  designated  it  by  the  name  it 
has  borne  ever  since  the  year  of  the  visit  of  the  hunting  party. 

To  the  west  of  range  54  prospective  settlers  were  generally 
content  to  await  the  subdivision  of  the  townships.  At  the  time 
that  Larin)ore  township  was  beinij  subdivided  in  August,  1880, 
J)yke,  the  surveyor,  expressed  surprise  to  the  writer  at  not  find- 
ing such  fine  looking  land  wholly  occupied  by  squatters.  The 
first  to  locate  in  Larimore  township  were  E.  C,  H,  V.,  and  H.  F. 
Arnold.  They  were  of  a  New  England  family  but  had  resided 
in  Houston  county,  Minn.,  from  early  in  the  'sixties.  Leaving 
that  section  April  10,  1880  with  two  wagons  and  five  yoke  of  ox- 
en they  arrived  at  the  Elk  Valley  I\ray  27tli  and  made  their  set- 
tlement on  the  28th.  They  broke  155  acres  that  season,  back- 
setting the  most  of  it  besides  doing  considerable  work  outside  of 
the  township.  Mrs.  Arnold  and  two  daughters  came  early  in 
September.  H.  F.  Arnold  went  to  Grand  Forks  in  December, 
was  offered  a  position  by  J.  H.  Bosard  and  remained  through 
the  winter  employed  in  the  office  of  Clerk  of  Court. 


PROGRESS    AND    DEVELOTMENT  119 

Several  weeks  after  the  township  had  been  surveyed,  various 
parties  came  in  and  put  up  claim  shacks  on  huids  which  they 
selected,  but  none  of  these  later  comers  attempted  to  winter  on 
their  claims.  Tliey  returned  in  March  and  April,  1881,  and  be- 
gan breaking  when  the  proper  season  opened.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  Albert  and  Ernest  Heudrickson,  David  Dick- 
son, \Vm.  Carnathnn,  \Vm,  Wilson,  L.  A.  Brooks,  S.  P.  Ben- 
jamin, Win.  Clone,  Greeley  Snyder,  C.  M.  Williams,  Richard 
Daely  and  William  and  Henry  Schrump. 

Albert  F.  Clark  was  a  settler  who  came  from  Clayton  county, 
Iowa,  and  rented  a  place  on  Turtle  river  in  the  spring  of  1880. 
He  broke  twenty  acres  on  the  S.  Kj  section  12  adjoining  the 
township  line  that  season.  This  is  the  quarter  which  now  con- 
tains, the  Second  and  'I'hird  wards  of  the  city  of  Larimore. 
Clark  built  a  small  house  on  his  claim  in  March,  1881.  'I'his 
stood  about  on  the  sire  of  the  present  Swain  House.  The  quar- 
ter south  of  Clark's,  along  the  north  side  of  which  is  now  located 
the  depot,  two  elevators,  sidetracks,  etc.,  was  originally  the  claim 
of  a  person  named  Patrick  Donnelly,  while  the  one  west,  con- 
taining most  of  the  roundhouse,  the  coal-chute  and  adjoining 
railroad  yards  was  taken  by  August  Schiebe,  previously  a  Turtle 
river  settler.  Samuel  Whittaker  came  in  the  fall  of  1881,  put 
up  a  shack  on  a  vacant  claim  near  the  foot  of  the  hills  and  went 
east  for  the  winter;  returning  in  the  spring  he  continued  his  res- 
idence there  for  over  seventeen  years.  Larimore  township  was 
named  for  John  W.  and  N.  G.  Larimore  of  the  K\k  Valley  Farm- 
ing company,  and  was  organized  in  August,  1881. 

Grace  township  is  situated  next  south  of  Larimore  township 
and  iti  Range  55.  Only  the  east  half  of  the  township  is  in  the 
Elk  Valley.  'I'lie  first  settler  was  Andrew  H.  Tigham  who  set- 
tied  on  the  SWi  Section  13  in  the  fall  of  1880  an<l  remained  on 
his  claim  through  the  following  winter.  During  the  ensuing 
spring  and  summer  many  others  located  in  the  township.  Some 
of  these  early  comers  were  J.  E.  Lavayea  and  son,  Henry  Lav- 
a\'ea,  (for  whose  daughter  the  township  was  named  somewhat 
later  on)  AlbertSchrump,  Iver  Anderson,  Andrew  Kvenshaggen, 
Andrew  Johnson,  Ole  IMine,  E.  J.  Anderson,  Thos.  Welch.  Wm. 
Welch,  A.  D.  Henry,  John  M.  Crerar  and  N.  C.  Abbott. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  squatters  on  Turtle  river,  Elm 
(irove  township  remained  vacant  through  the  year  1880.  A  few 
claim  shacks  were  put  up  in  the  township  during  the  fall  of  that 
year;  then,  without  waiting  for  the  land  to  come  in  market,  the 
township  was  quickly  occupied  in  the  spring  by  numbers  of  set- 
tlers who  began  breaking  as  soon  as  the  season  opened.  Among 
the  settlers  of  the  southern  part  of  the  township  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  south  branch  of  Turtle  river  there  were  at  that  time,  D.  P. 
Mcliain,  Amidon  Young,  Henry  (^uinn,  A.  W.  Lee,  Noah  Goyne, 


120  HISTORY     OF    C;  R  A  N  l>    FORKS    COUNTY 

Robert  Wilson,  T.  H.  Simrns  and  Geo.  Fadden.  Jn  the  central 
and  north  part  of  the  township  there  located  that  spring  Simon 
A.  McCanna,  Thos.  S.  Edison,  T.  O.  Edwards,  Hiram  Spade,  P. 
McEIligott,  David  Gorman,  A.  McLaren,  L  L.  Kyllo,  Medley 
Harting,  Nels  Larson,  Joseph  Barstow,  T.  \V.  Lane,  Levi  Carr, 
Joseph  Stahl,  Henry  Olmstead  and  others. 

Agnes  township  lies  next  north  of  Elm  Grove  township  be- 
tween that  and  Inkster  and  in  Range  55.  A  ridge  running  near- 
ly northwest  through  the  township  from  Section  26  to  4,  divides 
its  area  between  the  Elk  Valley  and  the  main  valley  slope,  the 
larger  part  of  the  township  belonging  to  the  former  topograph- 
ical division  of  the  county.  Besides  the  earlier  settlers  in  and 
around  Bachelors  grove  there  came  to  other  parts  of  the  t»»wn- 
ship  not  earlier  than  1881,  J.  C.  McWilliams,  A.  P.  Hall,  Chas. 
Beatty,  VVm.  Ditton,  Frank  Kelly,  James  Callahan,  Wm.  Smith, 
Horatio  Hulick,  August  J.iodow,  John  C.  Orr  and  Silas  Burgett. 

Elkmount  is  the  most  northwestern  township  of  the  county 
and  lies  next  west  of  Inkster.  Over  half  of  its  western  part  lies 
in  the  hill  country,  the  remaining  area  of  the  township  lying  in 
ihe  Elk  Valley.  The  township  was  first  occupied  in  1880;  the 
first  land  within  its  limits  used  for  permanent  settlement  was 
broken  in  1881.  William  Houtwell,  however,  broke  a  strip  of 
the  prairie  sod  in  1880,  but  abandoned  it  without  cultivation  and 
removed  into  Oakwood  township.  Franklin  Estabrook,  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  the  township  and  county,  settled  in  the  vnlley 
portion  of  the  township  in  1881.  Some  other  early  settlers  of 
Elkmount  were  James  M.  Haviland,  Neil  Bell,  Angus  Bell,  Wm. 
McConnachie,  John  McOonnachie  and  H.  Katcliffe. 

OPENING  THE  ELK  VALLEY  FARM. 

There  are  several  large  farms  in  Grand  Forks  county,  but  that 
known  as  the  Elk  Valley  Farm  stands  at  the  head  of  the  list. 
It  was  established  just  prior  to  the  founding  of  the  city  of  L.Mr- 
imore,  the  original  townsite  having  been  platted  on  two  quarter- 
sections  then  but  recently  acquired  by  the  Elk  Valley  Farming 
company.  According  to  the  plat-book  of  the  county,  issued  in 
1893,  the  company  own  between  nine  and  ten  thousand  acres  of 
land  contained  in  Larimore,  Arvilla  and  Hegton  townships. 
These  lands  are  mainly  comprised  within  the  east  half  of  Lar- 
imore township  and  the  west  row  of  sections  of  Arvilla  township 
where  the  company  have  about  forty  quarter-sections  contiguous 
to  one  another,  the  remainderconsistingof  quarters  that  are  more 
or  less  remote  and  detached  from  the  main  body  of  the  farm. 

In  its  beginning,  the  name  of  Oscar  M.  Towner  is  closely  con- 
nected with  the  opening  stages  of  this  enterprise.  But  little 
seems  to  be  known  of  the  previous  life  of  this  man,  though  he 
has  left  his  name  inscribed  on  the  map  of   the    state.       He    was 


PROGRESS    AND    J)EVKLOPMENT  121 

presumably  >i  native  of  of  one  of  the  southern  states  and  during 
the  civil  war  was  a  soldier  in  one  of  the  Confederate  armies. 
In  the  spring  of  1880  Towner  came  to  Fargo  and  spent  the  early 
summer  iti  looKing  over  the  country.  He  siiw  the  tract  of  coun- 
try called  the  Elk  Valley  and  conceived  that  it  whs  practicable 
to' open  here  one  of  the  large  farms  for  which  the  Ked  lliver  Val- 
ley was  alresidy  beconung  famous,  provided  thMt  men  of  ample 
means  could  be  found  who  were  willing  to  invest  the  large  amount 
of  capital  necessary  to  insure  the  success  of  so  great  an  enter- 
prise. Going  to  St.  Louis,  he  interested  several  gr;tiii  comniision 
merchants  of  that  city  in  the  project.  Towner  returned  in  the 
fall  iind  remained  here  until  the  approach  of  winter.  At  tiie 
close  of  1880  all  there  was  to  be  seen  on  the  site  of  the  present 
headquarters  ot  the  farm,  located  one  mile  southwest  of  J^ar- 
imore,  consisted  of  two  claim  shacks  which  Towner  had  caused  to 
be  put  up  in  September  of  the  same  year. 

'riie  VAk  Vallev  Farming  company  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  Missouri"in  1881.  The  company  as  originally  organized, 
consisted  of  John  N.  Booth,  Thos.  Booth,  John  \V.  Larimore  and 
N.  G.  Larimore.  J.  W.  Jiarimore  was  president  of  the  company. 
O.  I\I.  Towner  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  farm.* 

During  the  latter  half  of  the  winter  of  1880-Sl  a  great  body  of 
snow  accumulated  on  the  ground  and  lasted  until  the  middle  of 
April.  While  the  snow  still  remai?ied,  or  in  March,  1881,  ex- 
tensive teaming  operations  began  in  hauling  lumber,  brick,  farm- 
ing implements  and  machinery,  feed,  provisions,  etc.,  from  the 
terminus  of  the  railroad,  then  at  Ojata.  At  that  time  \V.  N. 
lioach  entered  the  service  of  the  company  as  accountant.  As 
the  spring  opened  the  erection  of  the  present  buildings  that  con- 
stitute the  headquarters  was  begun.  Althouirh  there  was  much 
building  done  that  year  there  has  been  considerable  alteration, 
addition  and  enlargement  in  this  respect  since  that  time.  Mules 
were  shipped  up  frorii  Missouri  and  a  large  amount  of  breaking 
was  done  during  the  season  of  1881.  No  crop  was  raised  on  the 
farm  that  year  other  than  flax,  millet  or  whatever  could  be  sown 
upon  new  breaking.  From  time  to  time  members  of  the  company 
made  visits  to  this  section.  John  N.  Booth  and  .bdni  VV.  Lar- 
imore came  up  in  the  summer  of  1881;  N.  G.  Larimore  made  his 
first  visit  in  June,  1882  and  took  up  his  residence  here  in  1889. 
The  farm  grew  by  the  accretion  of  purchased  quarter-sections 
until  it  soon  attained  nearly  its  present  dimensions. 

The  first  regular  crop  fro'/n  the  farm  was  harvested  in  1882, 
this  having  been  a  fairly  good  year  for  cereals.  Owing  to  the 
non-residence  of  any  of  the  members  of  the  company  and  throuuh 
other  causes,  it  happened  that  in  1881  and  the  early  part   of    '82 

*  From  statemciits  of  rijiy  and  N.  G.  Larimore. 


122  HISTORY    OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

O.  M.  Towner  or  Col.  Towner,  as  he  was  commoiiiy  called,  was 
an  ever  present  and  overshadowing  personality  in  the  section 
around  Lariniore.  Kis  management  of  affairs  not  proving  wholly 
satisfactory  to  the  company,  he  was  succeeded  by  Clay  Larimore 
who  came  up  in  1882, 

RAILROAD  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

Of  tlie  150  miles  of  railroad,  more  or  less,  that  are  comprised 
within  the  limits  of  the  county,  by  far  the  greater  proportion 
belongs  to  the  Great  Northern  system.  The  first  rails  were  laid 
in  the  county,  as  we  have  seen,  in  January.  1880,  and  all  of  the 
lines  owned  and  operated  by  the  above  named  company,  so  far 
as  contained  in  the  county,  and  not  including  the  trackage  of 
yards,  sidings  and  pa.ssing-tracks,  were  all  built  before  the  close 
of  1884  and  have  been  greatly  improved  as  regards  the  road  beds, 
tracks,  buildings,  etc..  since  Ihat  year. 

The  railroad  development  of  the  county  fairly  began  with  the 
warm  season  of  1880.  Patrick  FJrennan,  an  experienced  track- 
layer, had  charge  of  tlie  laying  ot  the  rails  of  the  Great  Northern 
system,  then  the  St.  P.  M.  &  M.,  in  this  part  of  the  state,  and  on 
the  main  line  he  had  charge  of  this  work  as  far  ^vest  as  Miuol. 
During  the  summer  the  the  track  was  extended  from  Grand  Forks 
out  to  the  site  of  Ojata,  covering  the  grading  that  had  been  done 
the  previous  fall.  At  this  temporary  halting  place  of  the  road 
the  village  of  Ojata  was  begun.  The  place  was  laid  out  by 
John  J.  Cavanagh  who  had  it  platted  in  September,  1880,  the 
plat  being  placed  on  file  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month.  This 
was  the  first  place  in  the  county  to  be  begun  on  a  railroad  line 
and  as  a  result  ot  the  construction  of  the  same.  At  first  the  vil- 
lage was  called  Suick^iey  but  this  name  was  changed  to  Ojata  in 
February,  1881.  The  end  of  the  track  remained  at  this  point 
from  July,  1880,  until  the  latter  part  of  October,  1881. 

The  line  from  iNfoorhead  and  Fargo  to  Neche  by  way  of  Grand 
Forks  was  begun  abont  the  time  that  the  grade  out  to  Ojaia  was 
being  ironed.  The  grading  on  this  line,  north  and  south  from 
Grand  Forks,  was  carried  on  in  both  directions  from  that  point, 
but  onl}'  a  part  of  the  road  between  that  city  and  Fargo  was  iron- 
ed in  1880.  During  the  fall  of  that  year  the  track  was  laid  from 
Grand  Forks  Junction  (which  is  oj  miles  west  of  the  city)  to  a 
point  between  Grandin  and  Argusvilie  in  Cass  county.  That 
part  of  the  line  from  Grand  Forks  to  Hillsboro  was  opened  to 
traffic  that  fall.  About  the  first  of  IMay,  1881.  through  connec- 
tion was  made  with  Fargo  and  the  first  passenger  train  from  that 
city  came  into  Grand  Forks  on  Sunday  afternoon,  May  9.  In 
the  fall  of  1881  the  track  on  the  line  north  from  Grand  Forks 
was  laid  to  Grafton,  reachins:  that  place  toward  the  close  of 
December. 


TROGRESS     ANIJ     DEVELOPMENT  123 

Work  WHS  again  begun  on  the  rruiin  line  in  June,  1881.  and 
during  the  fall  the  track  was  laid  about  18  miles  west  of  Ojata, 
which  brought  the  road  to  Larimore.  This  place  had  began  to 
get  its  first  start  about  the  middle  of  October,  though  it  was  not 
till  the  first  half  of  November  that  as  mnny  as  a  dozen  buildings 
were  completed  or  under  way.  Building  operations  were  in  pro- 
gress when  the  triicklnyers  reached  this  place  on  the  afternoon 
of  November  22d.  Nine  days  were  next  occupied  in  getting 
things  ready  for  traffic  about  the  tertninus,  including  the  com- 
pletion of  a  depot  and  freighthouse  when  this  extension  of  the 
main  line  was  opened  to  business  by  the  arrival  of  the  first  reg- 
ular train,  which  also  brought  the  first  mail,  Sunday  morning-, 
i)ecerwber  1.  1881. 

At  this  time  tiie  Northern  Piicific  company  were  building  a 
branch  north  from  C.'isselton  which  was  begun  in  1879.  The 
track  reached  iMayville  in  October,  1881,  but  the  grading  was 
carried  as  far  as  IMcCanna  that  season,  tliongii  not  wholly  com- 
pleted at  all  points.  It  had,  however,  been  completed  through 
Larimore  and  for  several  miles  beyond  by  the  time  tliat  tliis 
})lace  was  started.  But  the  N.  P.  companj^  never  ironed  the 
grade  farther  than  Mayville.  While  this  work  was  in  progress 
the  St.  P.  M  &  1\I.  also  graded  a  line  northerly  from  the  Lar- 
imore townsite  to  l*"orest  river.  J^arimore  remained  tiie  termi- 
nus of  the  main  line  until  September.  1882,  when  the  track  was 
again  started  westward,  but  only  reached  Bartlett  that  year, 
J)eing  completed  to  Pevils  J^ake  during  the  summer  of  1883. 

The  Casselton  branch  of  the  Northern  Pacific  was  acquired  by 
the  St.  P.  M  &  J\l.  company  in  June,  1882.  In  1884  the  grade 
between  Larimore  and  Mayville  was  ironed  and  the  ni)rth  line 
was  also  built  the  same  year  as  far  as  I'ark  iliver.  A  large 
amount  of  railroad  iron  was  brought  to  Ijarimore  that  year  atid 
the  laying  of  both  tracks  was  carried  on  from  this  [)oint.  'iVack- 
laying  on  the  south  line  began  Monday,  June  23,  and  one  week 
later.  Monday,  June  30.  a  separate  working  gang  began  track- 
laying  north  from  the  Park  River  Junction,  about  2^  miles  north- 
west from  Larimore,  where  the  track  diverges  from  the  main  line. 
In  July.  1884,  work  was  in  progress  in  this  county  simultaiieons- 
ly  on  both  the  north  and  south  lines  from   Larimore. 

hi  1887  the  Northern  Pacific  company  extended  a  branch  of 
their  system  through  the  northeastern  quarter  of  this  county. 
'I'his  passes  through  (irand  Forks,  thence  runs  riearly  northwest 
to  Mekinock  and  Gilby  and  north  thiongh  Johnstown  ami  be- 
yond the  county  limits.  I'he  villages  named  were  platted  that 
year  as  a  result  of  the  building  of  this  line  througii  tlie  county. 
The  portion  ot  this  road  that  is  contained  in  tliis  county  amounts 
to  about  34  miles.  Since  its  construction  there  has  been  no  new 
lines  of  railroaii  built  in  this  county. 


124  H  1  S  r  O  H  Y     OF    (i  li  A  N  1 )     FORKS    GOV  N  T  Y 

THE  BOOM  YEAR. 

Each  passii)^  yeiir  since  1877  had  witnessed  constantly  swelling 
waves  of  emigration  toward  the  Red  River  Valley.  These  move- 
ments next  took  on  what  for  those  emigration  years  was  their 
final  phase.  This,  in  a  large  measure,  was  produced  through  ex- 
tensive advertising  of  the  country  by  agents  of  the  railroad  com- 
panies, townsite  boomers  and  persons  interested  in  real  estate 
transactions.  These  efforts  to  attract  attention  to  the  country 
just  at  the  time  the  most  of  the  valley  had  already  been  taken, 
though  not  very  far  developed  as  a  wliole,  and  when  the  country 
was  beginning  to  be  ramified  by  railroad  lines,  culminated  in 
the  t»;reat  immigration  wave  of  1882.  Hitherto  the  settlers  had 
largely  come  frt)m  Minnesota,  Iowa,  Wisconsin  and  even  from 
Ontario.  Now,  New  York,  Ohio,  Micliiiran,  Indiana.  Illinois 
and  northern  Missouri  became  prominently  represented.  These 
immigrants  could  now  reach  the  valley  directly  by  railroad  and 
many  of  them  shipped  here,  along  with  their  household  goods, 
stock,  particularly  horses,  and  fartning  implements. 

Conditions  were  such  during  the  earlier  half  of  the  year  1882 
as  to  produce  a  stage  of  development  and  phase  of  life  entirely 
different  from  anything  that  the  country  had  witnessed  pevious- 
ly  or  has  experienced  since.  ^^ore  land  was  being  broken  and 
building  done  on  the  farms  than  in  any  previous  year;  a  large 
amount  of  eastern  capital  was  then  being  sent  into  the  country 
to  be  invested  in  land  and  other  real  estate  securities;  these 
facts,  with  railroad  building,  platting  of  townsites  on  these  new 
lines,  town  building  and  increased  mercantile  transactions  com- 
bined with  the  rapid  increase  of  population,  all  conspired  to  in- 
vite and  even  precipitate  the  boom  of  1882.  And  so  it  has  came 
to  be  remembered  as  an  historical  year. 

The  city  of  (irand  L^'orks  built  up  rapidly  that  year.  Some  of 
the  more  notable  buildings  theii  erected  were  the  Catholic  church 
costing  $30,000;  the  Grand  Forks  HoUer  Mills,  thecostand  equip- 
ment of  which  amounted  to  $40,000;  a  fine  and  costly  residence 
built  by  Capt.  Alex.  Uriggs;  the  Citizen's  bank;  the  White  El- 
ephant elevator;  the  second  depot  which  was  a  wooden  structure 
24  by  80  feet  that  stood  alongside  the  line  to  Neche,  a  few  rods 
to  the  north  of  the  roundhouse;  then  there  were  as  many  as  138 
residences  erected  that  season  varying  considerably  as  t(»  cost. 
The  same  year  the  city  was  bonded  in  the  sum  of  $15,000  for 
waterworks.  These  were  located  in  Viets'  addition  and  upon  the 
river  bank,  the  water  being  drawn  from  Red  Lake  river,  the 
most  pure  of  the  two  streams.  Real  estate  transfers  for  the  city 
of  Grand  Forks  amounted  that  year  to  $1,502,741.  At  the  close 
of  1882  the  population  of  the  city  was  estimated  at  5,000  inhab- 
itants.    In  three  years  Grand  Forks  had  gained  in  population  by 


PROGRESS    AND    DEVELOPMENT  125 

as  many  thousands  as  previously  there  had  been  hundreds.  The 
gain  in  population  for  the  whole  county  that  year  was  both  sud- 
den and  enormous.  Real  estate  transfers  for  the  whole  county 
footed  up  to  $2,670,878,  the  largest  aggregate  ever  reached  here. 

The  Larimore  townsite  was  platted  by  Alex.  Oldham  during 
the  fall  of  1881;  the  plat,  however,  was  not  dated  until  March 
13,  and  it  was  placed  un  file  by  the  townsite  company  March  29, 
1882.  For  the  most  of  that  year  Larimore  was  the  terminus  of 
the  railroad,  which  was  then  called  the  "Devils  Lake  branch,"  al- 
though intelligent  persons  saw,  with  the  advance  of  the  survey- 
ors and  graders  toward  the  lake,  that  this  was  another  continen- 
tal line  aiming  for  the  Pacific  coast.  J^arge  numbers  of  im- 
migrants landed  at  Larimore  that  spring,  rapidly  overran  most 
of  the  hill  townships,  while  numbers  of  others  pushed  on  toward 
Stump  and  Devils  lakes.  A  daily  stage  line  was  opened  to  the 
lakes  that  summer  in  ndvance  of  the  building  of  the  railroad 
and  '"Adler's"  and  "VVamduska"  became  well  known  stations  on 
the  route.  Larimore  temporarily  became  the  outfitting  point 
for  the  coutitry  lying  beyond  and  business  boomed.  There  was 
also  a  l.'irge  amount  of  teaming  done.  During  the  spring  and 
early  summer  the  town  built  up  rapidly  in  what  is  now  the  cen- 
tral part  of  the  city.  It  was  expected  that  the  rails  of  the  Cas- 
selton  branch  of  the  Northern  Pacific  would  arrive  before  fail, 
and  the  location  of  some  of  the  buildings  was  made  in  accordance 
with  that  supposition.  Late  in  June  the  building  boom  was 
checked  by  j«  report  that  the  Casselton  branch  had  been  sold  to 
the  St.  F.  M.  &  M.  company,  together  with  a  disastrous  fire  that 
occurred  early  on  the  morning  of  the  29th  and  destroyed  a  num- 
ber <»f  new  buildings  on  both  sides  of  Towner  avenue  and  mainly 
in  two  bl(  cks.     'i'he  burned  area  was  soon  rebuilt. 

At  that  time  the  public  lands  in  the  county,  more,  perhaps, 
th;«n  in  any  previous  year,  were  in  process  of  being  rapidly 
transferred  from  governnit- nt  possessicm  to  that  of  individual 
ownership.  This  also  was  a  (actor  of  the  times,  and  it  involved 
the  transaction  of  a  large  amount  of  legal  business.  Hence, 
"land  offices"  sprang  up  in  in  the  new  towns  to  facilitate  the 
location  of  settlers  on  new  lands,  in  making  final  proofs,  in  ex- 
amining coiitest  claims,  and  in  assisting  in  the  sale  of  lands  upon 
which  settlers  had  already  made  their  final  proofs.  In  the  mat- 
ter of  final  proofs  and  contests  these  offices  were  intermediary 
between  claimants  and  the  U.  S.  J.and  Office  of  the  district. 
Every  lawyer  from  the  east  entering  upon  his  profession  here 
found  that  he  had  to  familiiirize  himself  with  both  thelaws  and 
all  of  the  details  of  land  office  business,  thus  entering,  so  to 
speak,  a  new  legal  world.  Moreover,  the  newspapers  then  be- 
ing started  in  the  new  towns  did  a  thriving  business  in  publish- 
ing innumerable  final  proof  and  other  legal  notices. 


126  HISTORY     OF    GRAND    FORKS    COUNTY 

Another  circumstance  that  pertained  to  those  times  was  the 
(acility  with  which  ordinary  social  conditions  reached  an  organ- 
ized or  settled  state  of  affairs.  As  we  have  said,  the  immigrants 
were  gathered  from  different  states  and  from  various  parts  of 
the  same.  Here  they  came  in  contact  with  people  simihirly 
irathered  but  who  had  been  longer  in  the  country.  Each  person, 
lo  a  considerable  extent,  knew  nothing  of  the  previous  life  of 
his  neighbor.  But  the  social  reserve  of  the  older  states  was 
readily  thrown  off  and  new  acquaintances  and  friendships  were 
us  easily  formed.  Ih  the  evolution  of  society  in  the  new  towns, 
business  relations,  but  more  particularly  the  newly  organized 
church  societies,  were  the  principal  factors. 
THE  HILL  Country. 

That  part  of  Grand  Forks  county  which  extends  to  the  higher 
plateau  west  of  the  proper  limit  of  the  Red  River  V^alley,  com- 
prises the  townships  of  Loretta,  Logan,  Moraine,  Niagara,  the 
most  of  Oakwood  and  larger  half  of  Elkmount,  all  of  which  bor- 
der on  the  Nelson  county  line;  in  the  next  range  of  townships 
east  of  these  the  larger  part  of  Lind,  half  of  Grace,  the  western 
third  of  Larimore  and  the  southwestern  part  of  Elm  Grove  lie 
upon  the  slope  of  the  uplands,  the  remaining  portions  of  these 
townships  being  part  of  the  flat  land  of  the  Elk  Valley. 

In  the  fall  of  1881  the  settlements  had  advanced  westward  to 
the  base  of  the  uplands  and  some  filings  were  also  made  that 
year  on  these  lands.  The  first  settlers  in  Moraine  township 
were  Samuel  S.  Smith  and  a  companion  who  located  at  Smiths 
lakes  that  fall  on  the  Fort  Totten  trail.  In  the  spring  of  1882 
this  township  was  occupied  by  settlers  chiefly  from  Michigan 
and  New  York  state  and  at  the  same  time  many  who  were  from 
western  New  York  made  their  locations  in  Niagara  townsiiip. 
The  village  of  Niagara,  near  the  west  line  of  the  county,  was 
started  the  next  year,  the  village  plat  having  been  placed  on  file 
May  4,  1883. 

Thus  the  settlement  of  the  county  practically  reached  its  con- 
clusion, progressing  during  its  last  year  or  two  with  accelerated 
rapidity.  The  last  portions  of  the  county  to  be  occupied  were 
itc  northwestern  and  southwestern  townships,  compsising  parts 
of  the  hill  country.  If  we  take  the  year  1878  for  the  time  when 
the  first  general  advancement  west  of  Red  river  had  its  begin- 
ning in  this  county,  we  find  that  the  westward  progress  of  civil- 
ization occupied  four  years  in  reaching  what  is  now  its  western 
boundary,  having  advanced  at  the  average  rate  of  ten  miles  per 
year. 


NOTES. 


Note  A. 


Page  2.— There  is  a  long  gentle  slope,  or  descent  of  about  three  hundred  feet 
from  the  Elk  Valley  to  the  valley  plain.  Eight  to  ten  rtiles  west  from  the 
river  the  surface  formation  beneath  the  topsoil  gradually  changes  from 
lacustrine  and  alluvial  deposits  to  bowlder  clay,  thus  forming  a  sort  of  geo- 
logical boundary.  Between  this  boundary  and  the  foot  of  the  actual  slope 
is  an  expanse  of  till,  which  differs  from  the  bowlder  clay  of  the  higher  land 
only  in  having  its  surface  nearly  flat.  The  change  of  the  surface  from  the 
flat  valley  plain  to  the  main  valley  slope  is  hardly  perceptible,  the  one  form 
of  the  surface  imperceptibly  merging  into  the  other.  However,  Uphani  notes 
that  the  first  rise  of  the  surface  on  the  railroad  line  occurs  between  Ojata  and 
Emerado,  about  13^^  miles  west  of  Red  river.  Altitude,  865  feet,  or  35  feet 
higher  above  sea-level  than  Grand  Forks.  No  topographical  map  of  the 
county  has  yet  been  published,  this  feature  having  been  neglected  in  the  plat 
books  and  other  maps. 

Note  B. 

Page  43.— In  all  of  the  extant  literature  concerning  the  Red  River  Valley 
the  writer  has  never  met  with  any  statement  relative  to  the  time  when 
the  last  buff'alo  was  seen  within  its  limits,  though  stories  of  buffalo  hunting 
and  stampedes  are  abundant  in  print.  The  point  mentioned  has  some  im- 
portance historically.  D.  M.  Holmes  who  came  in  1871,  states  that  no  buffalo 
were  ever  seen  in  this  county  since  his  arrival  here.  S.  C.  Cady  says  that 
he  killed  buffalo  between  Fort  Abercrombie  and  Fort  Ransom  in  1868,  but 
is  of  the  opinion  that  the^  never  ranged  as  far  east  as  the  Red  river  during 
that  year.  John  Lindstrom,  speaking  of  the  portion  of  the  valley  south  of 
Goose  river,  notes  that  the  last  buffalo  seen  in  that  section  was  killed  in  1867. 
Geo.  B.  Winship  states  that  while  teaming  in  the  valley  in  1868,  he  occasional- 
ly heard  reports  of  buffalo  being  seen  in  the  region  about  the  headwaters  of 
Turtle,  Forest  and  Park  rivers,  but  that  they  never  ventured  as  far  east  as  the 
valley  plain  that  year.  It  is  fairly  certain  that  if  any  of  these  animals  came 
into  the  western  side  of  the  Red  River  Valley  as  late  as  1868,  none  were  ever 
seen  anywhere  within  its  confines  later  than  that  year. 

Note  C. 

Pages  59,  60.— According  to  the  recollections  of  R.  M.  Probstfield,  Nicholas 
Huffman  was  born  in  a  small  village  of  Rhenish  Prussia,  in  either  the  county 
of  Malmedy  or  of  Montjoie.  district  of  Aachen  (Aix  la  Chapelle)  about  the 
year  1839.  The  family  of  which  he  was  a  member,  came  to  this  country  in 
1854  and  settled  in  St.  Anthony,  Minn.  After  the  siege  of  Fort  Abercrombie. 
in  1862,  Huffman  went  to  St.  Cloud,  where  he  spent  the  following  winter. 
Returning  to  the  valley  in  the  summer  of  1863,  he  worked  for  David  McCau- 
ley.  In  the  spring  of  1864,  he  came  to  Georgetown,  and  worked  for  a  firm  who 
had  leased  the  International  of  the  Hudson  Bay  company  so  as  to  transport 
the  company  merchandise  between  Georgetown  and  Fort  Garry.  The  winter 
following  1864  to  that  of  1865  he  was  in  partnership  with  Reuben  Messer  who 
kept  a  trading  station  at  Georgetown,  buying  furs  of  the  Indians  and  trappers. 
The  winter  of  1865-66  Huffman,  Messer  arid  others  were  in  the  region  of  the 
Coteau  des  Prairies  trading  with  the  Indians,  and  the  party  barely  escaped 
perishing  of  starvation  and  exposure  to  storms.  From  that  time  until  he  en- 
tered the  employment  of  W.  C.  Nash,  he  remained  around  McCauleyville  and 
Fort  Abercrombie,  working  for  David  McCauley  and  others. 

R.  M.  Probstfield  came  to  the  Red  River  valley  in  the  spring  of  1359,  at  the 
same  time  that  Capt.  Northup's  steamboat  expedition  did,  though  he  was  not 
a  member  of  that  party.  He  settled  on  the  Minnesota  side  of  Red  river  about 
four  miles  above  Georgetown,  and  his  name  is  linked  with  the  history  of  the 
upper  part  of  the  valley.  During  Huffman's  residence  in  the  valley,  Mr. 
Probstfield  knew  him  intimately  as  a  close  friend,  and  the  following  brief 
tribute  to  his  memory,  from  the  pen  of  the  latter,  is  worthy  of  permanent 
record:  "A  nobler,  more  disinterested,  tender-hearted,  and  scrupelously 
honest  fellow,  I  have  never  known.  He  was  a  deep  and  independent  thinker, 
but  so  unostentatious  that  most  of  those  who  knew  him  superficially,  took 
him  for  a  coarse,  illiterate,  common-place  fellow.  He  was,  in  fact,  a  precious 
diamond  in  the  rough,  unground,  uncut,  and  unpolished,  as  society  would 
express  it.    His  memory  will  ever  be  dear  to  me." 


1 28  NOTES 

The  spelling  of  his  name  in  this  work  has  been  according  to  the  form  used 
in  connection  with  "Nick  Huffman's  Story."  Record  Magazfne,  Oct.  1896;  but 
.Mr.  Probstfield  informs  us  that  the  correct  form  was  Nieolaus  HofFman. 
Also  that  August  Loon,  the  associate  of  Hoffman,  was  Gustave  Loon,  the  last 
name  being  the  translation  of  the  French  L'huan,  "the  loon."  He  was  a 
ranadian  Frenchman  and  remained  around  Grand  Folks  until  about  1880, 
w  hen  he  removed  north  and  located  on  Red  river  near  Acton. 

Note  D. 

I*age  60.— It  appears  from  statements  made  verbally  to  the  author  by  W.  C. 
Nash  of  East  Grand  Forks,  that  he  held  the  sub-contract  of  Blakely  &  Car- 
iventer  for  carrving  the  mail  between  Breckenridge  and  Pembina  in  1868, 
and  employed 'Hoffman  and  Loon  at  first,  but  after  about  two  years  he  turn- 
ud  the  business  over  to  Hoffman.  In  the  fall  of  1871  the  stages  took  the  mail. 
.Mr.  Nash  also  stated  that  he  still  has  the  original  papers  in  his  possession 
that  relate  to  the  matter.  The  author  is  aware  that  there  must  be  many  such 
records  in  the  possession  of  private  parties,  which,  in  the  coming  century, 
are  likely  to  become  of  considerable  historical  value.  All  such  documents 
having  any  historical  bearing  on  the  Red  River  Valley  should  be  carefully 
Itreserved. 

Note  E. 

Page  61.— The  letter  of  Stutsman  concerning  the  naming  of  the  Grand  Forks 
post-office  in  1870,  was  given,  Mr.  Cady  states,  to  the  Old  Settlers  Association. 
R.  M.  Probstfield  thinks  the  name  to  have  been  in  use  for  nearly  or  quite  100 
years,  both  himself  and  S.  C.  Cady  stating  that  it  is  from  "le  grand  fourche" 
"the  French  of  the  voyageurs  and  trappers  for  "the  great  forks." 

Note  F. 

Page  61.— James  J.  Hill,  president  of  the  Great  Northern  Railway  system, 
was  born  Sept.  16,  1838  on  a  farm  at  Rockwood,  Wellington  County,  Ontario, 
of  Scotch-Irish  parentage.  He  obtained  his  early  education  at  a  seminary 
at  Rockwood  kept  by  a  Quaker.  His  first  start  in  life  was  the  spending  of  a 
year  as  clerk  in  a  local  store.  Some  years  before  the  civil  war  he  came  to 
.^t.  Paul,  then  a  place  of  about  5,000  inhabitants  and  started  in  there  as  a 
laborer  on  the  levee,  but  he  soon  acquired  a  clerk's  position  and  familiarized 
himself  with  the  transportation  business.  During  the  civil  war  he  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  conflict,  forwarding  men  to  the  front.  Thence  onward 
his  career  has  been  from  warehouseman  to  railroad  magnate. 

Note  G. 

Page  79.— Edwin  V.  Holcomb  died  suddenly  in  St.  Paul  on  the  evening  ol 
Nov.  26,  1899.  The  purchase  of  the  last  of  the  real  estate  owned  by  the  Hud- 
son Bay  company  in  Grand  Forks  was  made  in  December,  1879. 

Note  H. 

lage  106.— Geo.  T.  Inkster  was  born  at  Seven  Oaks,  now  just  outside  the 
limits  of  the  City  of  Winnipeg.  His  mother  was  born  near  Hudson  bay  and 
was  closely  rela'ted  to  the  last  earl  of  Orkney.  Among  Mr.  Inkster's  early 
recollectio'ns  is  that  of  hearing  his  father  relate  that  he  could  trace  some  de- 
scent from  the  Vikings  who  conquered  and  settled  a  part  of  Scotland  called 
Orkadia.  Mr.  Inkster  selected  his  land  on  Forest  river  sometime  prior  to  re- 
moving to  that  section.  He  located  there  about  Sept.  1.  1878,  his  idea  being 
cattle  raising  and  mixed  farming.  Speaking  of  game  toward  the  head  of 
Forest  river,  he  writes:  "The  first  winter  I  was  on  Forest  river  I  could  find 
elk  in  an  hour's  ride  anytime.  Black  tailed  deer  were  very  plentiful  and  I 
often  killed  them  in  going  across  country  to  Grand  Forks  for  supplies."  In 
August,  1882,  he  removed  to  the  Mouse  River  country,  taking  through  the  first 
bunch  of  cattle  that  was  brought  into  that  part  of  the  state,  and  going  there 
by  way  of  Fort  Totten.— The  pinnated  grouse,  or  prairie  hen,  followed  civil- 
ization into  the  Northwest  and  were  found  on  the  borders  of  the  settlements. 
Mr.  Inkster  states  that  the  first  he  saw  of  these  birds  in  this  county  were  some 
near  Grand  Forks  in  1879. 


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