Oliver County ND Archives History .....Brief History Of Oliver County ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nd/ndfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 June 25, 2013, 1:47 am BRIEF HISTORY OF OLIVER COUNTY Taken From Items of Center Republican Oliver County was named for Hon. Harry S. Oliver of Lisbon, a prominent member of the territorial legislature of 1885. It was organized from Mercer County in 1885, having been a part of Mercer County since 1875. The first county seat was located in the platted site known as Raymond, near the present site of Sanger. Louis Connolly, H. E. Fisher, and C. H. Sanger were the first board of County Commissioners, appointed by Territorial Governor Gilbert A. Pierce. They held the first session on May 18, 1885 and appointed the following county officers: Robert Hutchinson, Register of Deeds and County Clerk; Willard Birchardt, Treasurer; H. M. Manley, County Judge; Geo. Gordon, Assessor; Wheaton Huntley, Surveyor; J. A. Culligan, Coroner; John A. Day, Sheriff. At the first meeting bids were asked for a court house to cost not to exceed $1000.00. At the next meeting we find a record of a petition signed by 32 voters remonstrating against and asking that a sum not to exceed $400.00 be spent for a building. The County Commissioners finally let the bill for $440.00 for a building 20x30 feet to be used as a court house. The first school district was Marysville No. 1. The second was Manley. This seemed to be the total school districts in the county and Geo. Sanger was appointed as County Superintendent at a salary of $50.00 per year. On April 1st, a petition was presented to change the name of the county seat from Raymond to Bentley and this was done to take effect May 20, 1888. The first County Auditor was appointed in July 1890 and Geo. Sanger was the appointee with a salary of $400.00 per year. The Treasurer drew $300.00 and the County Judge $150.00. In the summer of 1902 a petition was presented to have the county seat moved from Bentley to its present location, now Center, and the question was submitted to the voters on November 4, 1902 and approved. The first towns in what is now Oliver County were Raymond, located on the SW 1/4 of Section 19, Township 143, Range 81 and Hensler on Section 24, Township 144, Range 83. The population of the county was 327 and there were about 102 farms. After the Indian and the buffalo had faded from the prairie, large herds of cattle, sheep and horses grazed over the Oliver County hills. This scene was soon replaced by the homesteader whose residence was made of sod, logs or rough lumber. He and his family, by their mode of living, their interest in church and school, established the way of life as we know it today. Additional Comments: Extracted from a booklet "Pioneers of Oliver County, 1906 - 1956" File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nd/oliver/history/other/briefhis11gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ndfiles/ File size: 3.2 Kb