USA > North Dakota > Early history of North Dakota: essential outlines of American history > Part 65
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Yellowstone, of which the steamer Key West, commanded by Captain Grant Marsh, was a feature, on that occasion reaching the Little Big Horn, becoming the first steamer to invade the waters of the Yellowstone above Brasseaus post, touched by General Sully in 1864. George Grinnell, a trusted scout and noted frontiersman, also accompanied General Forsythe, the reconnaissance being pre- liminary to the Custer expedition of 1876, which resulted in the death of Custer and his men. He was with General Nelson A. Miles on his campaign against Chief Joseph, who surrendered to him in 1877, after one of the most brilliant fights ever made by warring chieftain. On their arrival at Bismarck the victor and his staff and the vanquished and his chiefs were tendered a banquet at the Sheridan House, and as they were leaving the banquet hall the village school mistress planted a kiss on the cheek of Joseph in token of her admiration for his brilliant exploits and devotion to what he conceived to be the interests of his people. The author was one of the originators of this unique entertainment in which Kelly participated. Joseph was not a ruthless warrior.
Mr. Kelly later entered the Indian service and retiring settled on his Cali- fornia ranch.
THE SCOUT THAT CUSTER LOVED
Charles Reynolds was the favorite scout of General George A. Custer. He came to the Missouri River in 1868, and in 1869 furnished Fort Rice with wild meat and in 1870, in connection with Joseph Dietrich, one of the earliest business men of Bismack, performed a similar service for Fort Stevenson and later for Fort Abraham Lincoln. One day in June, 1873, seven elk fell from his unerring rifle on Apple Creek, about five miles from Bismarck. He was on the Stanley Expedition of 1872, the Yellowstone reconnaissance of 1873, and the Custer Black Hills expedition of 1874. He carried to Fort Laramie in August, 1874, the official dispatches from General Custer, and a telegram to the Bismarck Tribune, which enabled this writer to give to the Associated Press that famous "Gold in the Grass Roots" telegram which first announced the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. He was with Major Marcus A. Reno when his command sought safety on the Little Big Horn bluffs. Reynolds' horse was shot, and, falling on him, he was killed by the Indians, first emptying his revolver, every shot costing an Indian life.
Charles Reynolds was born in Warren County, Illinois, in 1854, and became an expert hunter and fearless Indian fighter at 16, taking part in the troubles on the Fort Phil Kearney trail, afterward in New Mexico and Kansas. He entered the military service in the 16th Kansas, in which he served during the Civil War. His remains are buried near the Michigan University at Ann Arbor as the result of the loving respect gained by him from a professor of that institution who knew him on the Black Hills expedition of 1874.
JAMES A. EMMONS
James A. Emmons established one of the first business houses of Bismarck, being post trader at Camp Hancock and in charge of a stock of goods owned by John H. Charles of Sioux City. He established the steam ferry at Bismarck,
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built one of the first brick blocks, was the first and best patron of the Bismarck Tribune and later engaged in the publishing business on his own account. Mrs. Emmons, nee Nina B. Burnham, of Yankton, came to Bismarck a bride on the first steamboat to reach the place after the Northern Pacific crossing of the Missouri was located and became the mother of the first child born at the Capital City, and one of the founders of the North Dakota Historical Society, and a worker in all good causes. The Master may have had need of her, for he called her from their home at Pawnee, Oklahoma, in 1917. Mr. Emmons was also a human helper, in whose heart there was no guile. He was born at Guyandotte, Virginia, December 29, 1843. He moved to Missouri in 1853 and to Nebraska in 1854, soon thereafter becoming a cabin boy on the Mississippi and its tributaries. During the Civil War he was engaged in the U. S. Transportation Service. In 1865 he took a steamboat to the head of navigation on the Missouri, and, becom- ing attached to the country, carried out his purpose to settle at the Missouri River crossing when that point was settled in May, 1872, and at first called Edwinton, later Bismarck.
D. W. M'CALL, MINER
In 1873, D. W. McCall, an old California miner, "grub staked" by J. S. and E. T. Winston, opened a lignite coal mine near the mouth of Knife River, mining some two hundred tons, for which there proved to be no market. In 1874 McCall was appointed as special mineralogist on Custer's Black Hills expedition, and it was his spade which brought to the surface the gold in the grass roots, on which the Associated Press telegram was based announcing the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. He returned to the Black Hills in January, 1875, with R. R. Marsh, Joseph Deitrich, W. H. Stimpson and others and returned with fine specimens of gold used by Major John A. McLean and Colonel Lounsberry in work before Congress to secure the opening of the Black Hills. Returning to the Hills he was killed by Indians when on a prospecting tour in the spring of 1876.
CHAPTER XXXIII
PIONEER SETTLERS AND SETTLEMENTS IN NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS COUNTY
Aside from the trading posts of Henry and others, Grand Forks had its earliest beginning, so far as the records are concerned, with the organization of Pembina County, of which it was then a part, in 1867, though for five years it had been nominally a part of Chippewa County, which was never organized, but the real beginning of its history was in 1871, when John Fadden was granted a ferry charter across the Red River at that point at $21 per annum for a period of five years. July 3, 1871, Grand Forks was established as a polling place, the precinct commencing at the mouth of Turtle River, thence up that stream fifteen miles and then due south to the Goose River, thence down that stream to its mouth and up the Red River to the place of beginning. September 4, the place of beginning was changed to the mouth of Park River and west to the Pembina mountains. Thomas Walsh, John Fadden and S. C. Code were appointed judges of election, and the first election was held at the house of John Stuart, at the site of the present City of Grand Forks.
In 1873 Grand Forks County was established by act of the Legislature, and George B. Winship, John W. Stuart and Ole Thompson were appointed by the Legislature to organize the county. Its boundaries as then organized were later changed, a part going to Walsh County and a part to Nelson.
In 1873 Frank Veits, who had been in business two years at Georgetown, took charge of the interests of the Hudson's Bay Company at Grand Forks, including their Northwestern Hotel, and in 1875 purchased their interests. in store, hotel and town property. In 1877 he built a 50-barrel-a-day flouring mill, an improvement of greater importance to North Dakota than any other at that time, settlers coming from points as far as one hundred miles with grist to be ground at this mill. He built the Veits House, later known as the Richardson, and later he and associates built the Dakota House.
Among the first settlers at Grand Forks, in 1871, were Capt. Alexander Griggs, Michael L. McCormack and Thomas Walsh, the latter bringing a saw- mill. Nick Huffman kept the stage station, John Fadden the ferry, W. Clark and D. F. Reeves, George B. Winship, William Budge. These, with the Hud- son's Bay Company store and hotel were about all of Grand Forks in 1871.
Reeves built several boats that summer at Grand Forks. The engine from the Walsh sawmill was finally sent to Winnipeg and used on the Saskatchewan. Burbank, Blakely & Carpenter put on a line of stages from Fort Abercrombie to Pembina in 1871. The Hudson's Bay Company had maintained a post at George-
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town for many years prior to 1873, when they moved to Grand Forks. They had stations also at Frog Point (now Belmont), Traill County and Goose River (now Caledonia), and at Red Lake. Their post at Red Lake was established in 1797 and in 1801 a post was established and for several years maintained at Grand Forks.
LARIMORE, GRAND FORKS COUNTY
Larimore takes its name from N. G. Larimore, principal owner and general manager of the Elk Valley Farm, which immediately adjoins the city. The farm consists of 15,000 acres, of which 10,000 are under cultivation. In the plowing season plows start on this farm at breakfast and without stump, stone, or other obstruction, make a furrow six miles in length and in returning make another of the same length before dinner. In the afternoon they repeat, men, teams and plows traveling twenty-four miles daily. The teams in plowing, seeding and harvesting go in gangs. The forty-three harvesters, cutting 600 acres daily, form an impressive scene.
The selections of land for this farm were made soon after the surveys in 1878, and the opening of the land to settlement in 1879. Then Larimore was conceived and in 1881 the site was laid out. The railroad reached Larimore December 25, 1881. The city was laid out on the lands of the Elk Valley Farm- ing Company, and Senator W. N. Roach became the agent for the sale of lots.
Senator Roach landed at Larimore in August, 1879, and opened the stage line from Grand Forks to Devils Lake, carrying the first mail, being the con- tractor.
The railroad was completed to Larimore Christmas Day, 1881, from Grand Forks, and from Casselton to Larimore in 1883. In 1884 it was extended to Park River.
Beginning with 1882, Larimore entered upon a boom period lasting about three years. In 1882 it was the principal trading point for a vast extent of country and it prospered beyond comprehension, almost. The lands were pro- ductive ; prices for products were high and the farming lands were being devel- oped, creating a demand for supplies of every class, and its population soon exceeded one thousand. The wheat receipts from the crop of 1882 were 300,000 bushels.
The railroad grading commenced west of Larimore in September, 1882, and reached Devils Lake that fall, and the track laid to Bartlett and to Devils Lake the next summer. The country about Larimore developed rapidly and many other farms developed, ranging from 320 to 2,500 acres. Here land could only be obtained by means of purchase from actual settlers or by the use of the various forms of land scrip, limiting the size of farms in comparison with Cass and Traill counties, where the odd sections were acquired by the use of dis- credited railroad bonds.
Visited by the World's Fair Foreign Commissioners in 1893, this farm attracted world-wide attention and immediately gained a reputation quite equal to the Dalrymple Farm and the Grandin farms of even greater acreage.
Col. O. M. Towner located the land for this farm and it was through his agency the title was acquired for the Missouri corporation which owned it.
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Other noted farms in this vicinity were the New York Farm, owned by James H. Mathews, the Hersey Farm, by D. H. Hersey, and the Emery Farm at Emerado.
CASS COUNTY-WHY THE LARGE FARMS WERE ESTABLISHED
Before the failure of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company in 1873, Cas- selton was selected by George W. Cass and Peter B. Cheney, leading spirits in the Northern Pacific enterprise and directory, as the site of an experimental farm, with a view to proving the fertility of the Northern Pacific lands.
It was conceived that timber could be planted along the right of way of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and that it would not only afford protection from snow, answering the purpose of snow fences, but it would furnish timber to replenish the ties as those in use fell into decay. It was thought that by planting willow and cottonwood in the first instance, settlers could be supplied from the right of way, or from the nurseries, which it was intended to establish every twenty miles, and thus encourage the general planting of timber which would modify the climate, break up the winds, and tend to relieve the drouth on the plains. Accordingly, in 1872, timber was planted along the right of way from Fargo to about Jamestown. Cuttings were procured from the forests along the Red River and were plowed under, the prairie sod simply being turned upon them. Most of the cuttings were dead before planting, but had they been in the best condition not one in a million could have grown, for the ground had not been properly prepared to receive them. Eighty thousand dollars was spent in this experiment, and it is doubtful if a single tree was produced.
In the spring of 1873 Col. John H. Stephens, of Minneapolis, was employed to take charge of the tree planting on the Northern Pacific Railroad and he established a nursery for growing forest trees at Casselton, placing Mike Smith of Minneapolis in charge. Mike planted trees and grew vegetables.
Smith's house was a Northern Pacific box car banked with sod to the roof, making comfortable quarters even in a 40 degrees below zero temperature; being furnished with bunks and his table supplied with "all the luxuries the country afforded," prairie chickens and ducks in their season.
Colonel Stevens was succeeded by Leonard B. Hodges, who took charge of the tree planting on the Northern Pacific. William Creswell in 1876 became agent for the Northern Pacific Railroad and for their nursery, and postmaster at Casselton.
Colonel Stevens caused a large number of tomato plants to be placed on Colonel Lounsberry's homestead at Bismarck. They flourished and gave great promise, as did five acres of beans, but a few million grasshoppers came in on a gentle breeze and in half an hour there was not a green thing left on the ranch.
The selection of the Dalrymple farm and Dalrymple to take charge of it was an incident of the Northern Pacific failure of 1873. The lands were selected by J. B. Power in 1874 and improvements commenced the next year. J. B. Power was then agent for the land commissioner of the Northern Pacific Rail- road, William A. Howard of Michigan, who was afterwards governor of Dakota and died in office.
About two thousand acres had been put under cultivation and settlers had
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commenced to come into the country, when in 1877 the townsite was laid out at Casselton and William Creswell, the company's agent, erected the first dwelling.
The great Dalrymple farm is in the immediate vicinity of Casselton, a part in the corporate limits. It embraces the Cass, Cheney and Alton farms, and sev- eral farms owned by Dalrymple. About fifteen thousand acres in all. The land was selected in 1874, was broken in part in 1875, and the first crop in 1876, the amount under cultivation being largely increased in 1877-8 and succeeding years.
It was purchased with discredited Northern Pacific Railroad bonds, some of which cost Mr. Cass and his associates par value, and some from 10 to 20 cents on the dollar. The farm was opened as an experiment and for advertising pur- poses ; it became a bonanza to its owners and led to an era of big farming in North Dakota.
BARNES COUNTY
This county was created January 4, 1873. Originally the county was called Burbank, so named for John A. Burbank, governor of the territory from 1869 to 1874, but by an act of the Legislature, July 14, 1874, the name was changed to Barnes in honor of Alphonso H. Barnes, who was an associate justice of the territory at that time.
The first survey of lands in Barnes County was made by Charles Scott and Richard D. Chaney in 1872. Their work was approved by the surveyor general in January, 1873, and filed in the land office at Pembina in September, 1873. The lands were made subject to preemption and homesteading May 19, 1873.
The first settlers were at Valley City in 1872. County Commissioners Christian Anderson, Otto Becker and A. J. Goodwin, appointed by Governor William A. Howard, organized the county, August 5. 1878. There is no record of their doings. The new board, elected in 1878 were, Christian Anderson, F. P. Wright and Chris Paetow. L. D. Marsh qualified as register of deeds, Joel S. Weiser as county treasurer, D. D. McFadden as sheriff, E. W. Wylie as assessor, Joel S. Weiser as justice of the peace, Otto Becker as superintendent of schools, James Le Duc as coroner, B. W. Benson as judge of probate, at the meeting of the board of county commissioners, January 6, 1879. George Worthington and L. D. Marsh were the promoters of county organization and dealers in real estate. Valley City, at first known as Wahpeton, became Worthington and later Valley City. Marsh and Worthington contracted with the railroad com- pany that all of the railroad lands in townships 139 and 140, range 58, should be reserved for them at $3 per acre, payable in the bonds of the company, then worth about nine cents on the dollar, but the contract carried a provision for improvements and reserved section 21, in town 140, on which it was proposed to build a town. It was agreed, however, that any settler on this reserved land should have the privilege of purchasing a town lot at $5, or an acre outlot for $5, but to persons other than settlers on the Marsh-Worthington contract the price of lots was to be $10, and for acre property $25. Five-acre lots were to be sold at $75, and ten-acre at $100. This contract was for the year 1874, but there was provision for its extension.
D. D. McFadden, the oldest settler in Barnes County, filed the first pre- emption entry in October, 1873, but had previously raised a crop, 150 bushels
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of potatoes on six acres, also some wheat, specimens of which were sent to the St. Paul fair and received a premium. W. N. Gates made an entry on public land November 25, 1874, on section 24, township 140, range 58.
Other early settlers, with the year of their arrival, were: F. P. Wright, 1874; Otto Becker, '77; Arne Olson, '77; J. S. Weiser, '77; James Daly, '76; Christian Anderson, '76; Con. Schweinler, '77; Herman Starkey, '78; Andrew Widen, '78; P. P. Persons, '78; Wm. Schultz, '79; Wm. Kerncamp, '79; D. N. Green, '79; N. P. Rasmussen, '79; Wylie Nielson, '79; Hugh McDonald, '79; John Holmes, '80; M. E. Mason, '78; Sim Mason, '79; Louis Humble, '79; A. M. Carlson, '78; George Larsman, '77; A. A. Booth, '79; M. O. Walker, '77; Aaron and Jacob Faust, '80; George Stiles, '79; Thomas Olson, '78; Jens Jenson, '78; Robert Bailie, '80; Samuel Fletcher, '80; M. B. Hanson, .'78; John Lawry, '79; Ben Smith, '79; Ed Fox, '80; George W. Critchfield, '78; P. O. King, '78; O. P. Hjelde, '80; J. F. Walker, '80; Andrew Andeberg, '79; James Rogers, '78; John Marsh, '79; Jacob Baumetz, '78; C. L. Etzell, '79; H. H. Randolph, '80; George C. Getchell, '78; John Simons, '79.
EARLY DAYS AT JAMESTOWN
In 1872 there was a post established at Jamestown, at first called Fort Cross, in honor of Major Edwards' old commander, but later changed to Seward, in honor of William H. Seward. Camp Thomas was the immediate predecessor of Fort Cross. The same year Fort McKean was established opposite Bismarck, but was changed in name to Fort Abraham Lincoln. Its immediate predecessor was Camp Greene. At the same time Camp Hancock was established at Bis- marck.
Captain Thomas was the first in command at Jamestown, but the command- ing officer at Fort Seward was Captain Bates, son of Attorney General Bates, of Lincoln's cabinet. Later, Capt. J. H. Patterson. Capt. Thomas Hunt was the quartermaster. In December, 1873, Colonel Lounsberry paid $75 for a team to take him from Bismarck to Jamestown. The only settler between Bismarck and Jamestown was Oscar Ward, five miles east of Bismarck. There was a dug- out covered with railroad ties kept by the section foreman about where Sterling is and a discharged soldier (Sam McWilliams) had a dug-out and shanty at Crystal Springs. There were a few persons at Jamestown. Vincent kept the section house at Lake Eckelson, Flood kept a stopping place at Valley City, Mike Smith at Casselton, and Mrs. Bishop at Mapleton. There was a place kept by Duffy, also, in the vicinity of Tower City.
A. W. Kelly, the first settler at Jamestown, was born at Calais, Maine, Decem- ber 17, 1832, and came to Fort Abercrombie in July, 1861. On the way to Aber- crombie, for which point he left St. Paul on the day of the battle of first Bull Run, he met the regular troops from Abercrombie, they having been relieved by a portion of the Third Minnesota, under Captain Inman. He was later at George- town and sawed the lumber for the International, built by J. C. Burbank & Co., to run between Abercrombie and Winnipeg. The first boat was the Ans. Northrup, which was built at St. Anthony, as the H. M. Rice, sent up the Missis- sippi to near Brainerd and hauled overland to Georgetown. It was pulled over the rapids at Sauk Rapids by means of ropes, this in 1859. In 1861 Mr. Bur-
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bank bought the old Freighter, which had been running on the Minnesota River, sent it up to Big Stone Lake and tried to get it over into the Red River by water, but it was a day or two late and it became stranded. The machinery was taken out, hauled overland to Georgetown, where the International was built, as stated, and sold to the Hudson's Bay Company. The next boat was built by Hill, Griggs & Co., the Selkirk, in 1871.
Mr. Kelly was quartermaster's clerk at Wadsworth the winter of 1865-66 and was the contractor at Fort Totten, built in 1867. Having a lot of surplus beeves when the Northern Pacific came to be extended, he drove 130 head down to Jamestown, where he located on May 9, 1872, and in December of that year became postmaster, which position he held until Mr. Cleveland came into office in 1885, when he resigned.
After Mr. Kelly, Robert Macnider was the next to locate at Jamestown, where he opened a stock of goods in a tent. Nathan Myrick was next with a post trader's store, also in tents. F. C. Myrick had charge. George W. Vennum and Archibald McKechnie were the next to locate, and they erected a large tent for hotel purposes, which they called the Cabinet. Within ten days several others came, among them Loring, Black & Co., of Minneapolis, with the railroad supply store. Smith & Bussey established the Jamestown Hotel, also in a tent. The Chapman House tent was also erected. John Mason established a wholesale liquor tent, with James Lees in charge. John Clayton (Limpy Jack), Mike Norton, Jacob Fra, Pat Moran and Jack White, afterwards famous in Bismarck, were in the saloon business, all in tents. Sullivan ran a dance house and H. T. Elliott a blacksmith shop. A little later Hubbard, Raymond & Allen established a store. John Whalen had charge. That fall they sold to Belmont Clark and Ward Bill and in the spring Raymond & Allen established a store at Bismarck, followed by Clark & Bill, Robert Macnider, Jack White, John Mason, and others ..
Kelly, Lees, Moran, Clayton, Fra, Vennum, H. C. Miller, George J. Good- rich and his sons, J. W. and Talcott, remained at Jamestown. Then Dennis Kelli- her, who had come up from the Union Pacific with Colonel Brownson, agent at Bismarck, took the section house and made a fortune in hotel keeping at James- town, but fortunes must be carefully guarded in order to abide and Dennis died poor. His hotel was popular and diverted much of the trade from the Dakota in its early days.
Later Mr. Kelly put in a store and Myrick having sold his establishment to H. C. Miller, Kelly and Miller were the only merchants at Jamestown for several years. Anton Klaus was the first to break in on them. In the very early days L. G. Bouret had run a store and saloon in connection with his beef contract for Fort Seward. He gave the outfit, building and all, to Joseph Perre.
Stutsman County, named for the late Hon. Enos Stutsman, of Pembina, was created January 4, 1873, and organized June 20th, with A. W. Kelly, George W. Vennum and H. C. Miller, county commissioners. George W. Vennum was appointed register of deeds and county clerk; Archibald McKechnie, sheriff ; Henry T. Elliott, assessor; A. B. Innis and George J. Goodrich, justices of the peace ; Chas. D. Thompson and Myrick Moore, constables ; F. C. Myrick, auditor, and Patrick Moran, judge of probate and ex-officio county treasurer. The liquor license was fixed at $30 per annum, and this seems to have been the only source of revenue until 1879, when the first taxes were levied. The liquor licenses issued Vol. I -- 34
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in 1873 were to Thompson & McKechnie, Phillip A. Baigs, Patrick Moran, L. G. Bouret, Mike Norton, James Lees and Jacob Fra. Groff resigned and S. G. Comstock was retained as county attorney, though living in Moorhead. The Bismarck Tribune was the official paper. There was an election held in 1872, but there was no record kept of it. The election of 1873 was at the home of H. T. Elliott, and A. W. Kelly, Frank C. Myrick and Antoine Pelisser were the judges of election.
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