Walsh Co., ND - Description and History, 1884 This file is a complete transcription of the descriptive information about Walsh County as found in A. T. Andreas' "Historical Atlas of Dakota", 1884. Walsh County, ND This county lies in the Red river valley one county removed from the international line. It is bounded on the north by Pembina County; on the south Grand Forks and Nelson counties; on the east by the Red River of the North, and on the west by Ramsey and Cavileer counties. It comprises a trifle over 36 congressional towns, equivalent to about 1,300 square miles or 832,000 acres. The county is drained by Park and Forest rivers, and their numerous branches. On both these streams there are very considerable bodies of timber, and especially around the head branches of the Park River in the northwest part of the county, on the slope of the plateau. There are four considerable lakes the county; Salt Lake in the north part of Town 158, Range 52, covering about 600 acres; another salt lake in the southeast corner of the same township, also salt having an area of 250 acres; one near the center of Ardock Township, also salt, covering about 100 acres, and one in Lampton Township with a surface of 200 to 300 acres. Forest River passes through the largest named. In the southeast corner of the county, stretching through Walshville and a part of Pulaski Township, is a long, crooked bayou, running parallel with the Red River and probably abandoned channes of that stream. There is a considerable area of marsh and meadow land, nearly all of which is susceptible of drainage. The country from the Red River west to about the east line of Range 56 may be described as a vast plain with an imperceptible slope toward the east, and having a deep, rich alluvial soil, nearly identical with that of the other counties of the great valley, so famous for its wheat producing capabilities. The three western ranges of towns, two of which were unsurveyed at the time our work went to press, are more hilly and broken, rising quite sharply towards the plateau lands to the west of the valley. This region is peculiarly adapted to stock raising and dairying. Nearly the whole of the county is susceptible of cultivation. This western portion has here and there small conical hills or buttes, and occasional ridges or low hills, among the prominent of which is a sharp little peak in Section 3, Town 155, Range 57 called Mount Sinai. This region has more or less timber of an inferior growth along the numerous ravines and gulches which cut into the slope toward the plains. Walsh county, which was named in honor of the Hon. Geo. H. Walsh of Grand Forks, was formed from the two northern tiers of township of Grand Forks County and the two southern tiers of Pembina, and was organized in 1881, when Governor Ordway, appointed Geo. P. Harvey, Wm Code and B. C. Askelson a board of County Commissioners. This board met for organization, on Tuesday, August 30, at the residence of Geo. P. Harvey, in Forest river Township. The board organized by the election of Geo. P. Harvey, Chairman, and W. A. Cleland, temporary clerk. N. Upham was appointed Register of Deeds and County Clerk; Jacob Reinhart, Sheriff; J. N. Nelson, Assessor; E. O. Faulkner, Judge of Probate: K. O. Skatteboe, Treasurer; Eugene Kane, Surveyor; Dr. H. H. Hamilton, Coroner; R. M. Evans, Superintendent of Schools. The liquor license was placed at $300 per annum. The Acton News was made the official paper of the county. The question of the location of the county seat then came up for consideration, and the towns of Minto, Grafton and Kensington each received one vote. Being unable to decide this question, the board adjourned. On August 31st the second meeting was held, for the purpose of locating the county seat, at which meeting the result was the same as before. On September the 14th another meeting was held, at which one vote was cast for Kensington, and two for Grafton. On September 23rd a contract was closed with Messrs F. F. Walker & Co for a building for the use of the county officers, at an annual rental of $720. The first meeting of the County Commissioners at the county seat, was held October 3rd, 1881, when they met as a Board of Equalization, and placed the following valuation upon real estate: Forest River Township, per acre $5.75; Pulaski, $3.00; Unorganized Townships, $4.25; Walshville Township, $3.00; and on Oct 4th a tax was levied, based upon this valuation, as folllows; For general purposes 4 mills; For bridges 2 mills; For schools 3 mills; For territorial taxes 3 and 2/10 mills. On April 3rd the contract was let for the first county jail, which cost $275, and which was completed and accepted by the commissioners June 5th 1882. The board granted a charter to the village of Grafton on May 8, 1882. On September 23rd the county was divided into election districts, of which there were twenty, and at the November election there were 2,291 votes cast in the county. On January 2d, 1883 , the newly elected Board of Commissioners, consisting of B. Askelson, Wm Code and Daniel Stewart were qualified, and organized by the election of Wm Code Chairman. At the November election in 1882, the following townships were organized: Acton - Adam Gray, Chairman; Robert Lynn, Clerk Pulaski - Peter Kedroski, Chairman; Frank Wyrocki, Clerk Walshville - R Howard, Chairman; A Maxwell, Clerk Martin - Fred Hildebrand, Chairman; Henry McClerman, Clerk Harristown - J. W. Major, Chairman; H. J. Byron, Clerk Ardoch - W. T. Sheppard, Chairman; J. K. Lyons, Clerk Farmington - N. W. Deter, Chairman; Henry Watts, Clerk Grafton - O. O Hangeved, Chairman; J. A. Krogstadt, Clerk Walsh Centre - F. O. Sitzer, Chairman; J. H. Lovine, Clerk Forest River - Walter Kidden, Chairman; R. B. Warren, Clerk Glenwood - John Brast, Chairman; Peter Anderson, Clerk Fertile - Robert Arnot, Chairman; C. M. Grimstelt, Clerk Prairie Centre - C. N. Reese, Chairman; J. N. Kratky, Clerk Ops - Samuel Wilson, Chairman; T. O. Keefe, Clerk Dundee - H. B. Harrison, Chairman; Nils H. Rinde, Clerk Kensington - C. H. Honey, Chairman; F. Robb, Clerk Rushford - W. H. Ward, Chairman; Wm Brown, Clerk Eden - O. O. Skattehoe, Chairman; C. C. Ward, Clerk Lampton Nels Anderson, Chairman; Daniel Shunn, Clerk Vernon - H. G. Horsford, Chairman; J. Millspaugh, Clerk Medford - F. B. Sanborn, Chairman; A. h. Kellogg, Clerk The present county officers are the following: Register of Deeds, N. Upham; Auditor, E. O. Faulkner; Clerk of Court, W. A. Cleland; judge of probate, E. E. Daily; Sheriff, J. Reinhardt; Coroner, W. M. Evans; Treasurer, J. P. Birder; Superintendent of Schools, R. M. Evans; Surveyor, R. b. Warren; Assessor, C. M. Grimstoedt. Settlements ACTON - Jacob Reinhart and Antoine Gerrard first explored what has since become Walsh County, in the year 1866. They returned to McCauleyville, Minn., and when Carpenter & Blaikie commenced running their stage, Mr Reinhart drove one of them, and in 1877, he and Mr Gerrard settled down uppon land near Acton, which was then called Kelly's Point, and was in Grand Forks County. Mr Gerrard was appointed Postmaster, and Mr Reinhart was his deputy. Mr Reinhart opened a store in 1877, and Mr Gerrard kept a tavern. The Settlement was augmented by the arrival of Mr B. S. Kelly and his family, from whom it took its original name. Three or four saloons were opened. In 1879 Mr Wm. Budge opened a store and for a time it bid fair to be quite a town, but in the year 1881, the railroad entered the county twelve miles distant, and business and people followed it. The present settlement consists of the tavern of E. F. Schumann, the store of John bouldic, and the post office, of which Antoine gerrard is still Postmaster . WALSHVILLE was the next settlement, which now consists of the post office and tavern, which are both kept by Augustus Williams, who settled there in 1877. KENSINGTON. In the fall of 1878, five families named Irish settled on what is known as the North Branch of the Park, Township 155, Range 55. they came there from Wisconsin. they were immediately followed by several families of Canadians, who came from the county of Wellington, among whom were Wm Code and two brothers, Geo. Brown who is the present Postmaster of Minto; Wm. and Alex. Bruce, John wedge, Alex. Smith, Wm. Burbridge, John robb, E. O. faulkner, George Oakes and Wm. Oakes. This settlement, at that time was the largest in the county, and the farthest west in location, was named Kensington, and Thomas Honey was appointed Postmaster. ST. ANDREWS. The land upon which St. Andrews is located was settled upon by Michael McGraw and Chas. finkle, in the year 1879, and in 1880 the Red River Transportation Co. laid out the town. L. E. Booker of St. Vincent opened the first store. In the summer of 1880 Chas. Finkle was appointed Postmaster. The settlement, which is located on the Red river, flourished, and for a time gave promise of being quite a town. But, like Acton, the railway took away the business, and now the only store is kept by Mr Wm. McConnell. The post office is still maintained. SWEDEN. Wm. McKenzie located upon land in Township 158, Range 54, and built a dwelling house and store in 1879. He was soon joined by A. A. Blekken, who also opened a store. A post office called Sweden was established, of which Mr McKenzie is Postmaster. MINTO. The next settlement was the village of minto, on the Forest River. The land upon which this village is located was bought from Mr James wilson, by Messrs. Comstock & White, townsite proprietors of Moorhead, Minn. In 1881, the year in which the town was laid out, the settlement included a saw-mill, owned and operated by J. W. Major, who also kept a tavern, and a general store kept by Zulsdorf Bros. The St. Paul, Minneapolis & manitoba Railway reached the place in the fall of 1881, and the influx of business and people was great. The winter of 1881-2 was one of marked activity. The Forest River Bank was organized, and the Forest River Journal was established. Fifteen or twenty general stores were opened, and the forsaken prairie assumed the bustle and activity of a thriving village of some 500 people. In the fall of 1882, the Forest River Bank was chartered as a territorial bank, with P. B. Broughton as vice-president and H. Ammerland, cashier, and a paid up capital of $30,000. During the summer of 1882, Pillsbury & Hulburt, of Minneapolis, erected an elevator with a capacity of 40,000, and since then J. H. Townshend & Co., and E. F. Chase have also erected elevators. Minto has a good school house, two churches, and a Territorial Normal School is also located there, though no building has yet been erected. The country around Minto is among the most fertile, and earliest settled section of the county, and a large amount of wheat is handled annually. GRAFTON. The city of Grafton was settled in 1879, by Thos. E. Cooper, who came from Goodhue County, Minn., in the spring of the above named year. The land was not at that time surveyed, and he had only a squatter's right. Shortly following him came Messrs. Nils Monson and Gus. Colson, who squatted on claims adjoining his on the west. Mr Cooper built a small hotel, and from the first, anticipated that there would be a town at this point, for he felt, as he expressed it, that "nature never make a mistake". In June, 1879, Mr Cooper was appointed Postmaster and the office was named Grafton. He assigns the fact that he considered this a "graft on " the civilized world, as his reason for the name. In 1880, Mr. T. A. Beer opened a general store here, which was situated on the bank of the Park River. He was soon joined by a blacksmith named Valk, and to the business of the settlement was soon added the store of H.J. Roholt. The only addition to the hamlet that year was Mr. W. Chandler, since become the Postmaster, who also opened a general store. In the spring of 1881 Mr. Cooper proved upon his claim and received title from the government. In july following he sold 110 acres of this land to Comstock & White, of Moorhead, Minn., who also bought 210 acres from Messrs. Colson & Monson. They platted the townsite, and on August 31 Mr. J. A. Delaney, as their agent, commenced the sale of lots. The first sale was to F. F. Walker & Co., and consisted of six lots, for which the consideration was $1000. The First National Bank now stands on these lots. Immediately succeeding the commencement of the sale of lots, Mr. Chandler moved up from the river bank to the site of the present city. The railraod was not at this time completed to the the town, and all lumber and merchandise had to be hauled several miles. Despite these disadvantages however, several gentlemen commenced the erection of business buildings, first among whom were Stuart Cairncross, Wm Pearson, and E. F. Chase. Mr Cairncross built a store, Mr Pearson a saloon, and E. F. Chase & Co. an elevator, with a capacity of about 20,000 bushels, at which there was about 100,000 bushels of wheat handled in that year. Rev. Mr Cobleigh, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, built the first private residence, about this time. The railroad reached Grafton near the close of December, and upon its arrival found a thriving village of some 300 people. The rush continued all winter. The Walsh County Bank commenced business, which was soon followed by the Bank of Grfton; the Grafton News was started by F. M. Winship, and Walsh County Times by H. C. Upham. Schuman & pierson opened the Sherman House for the accommodation of travelers, and the little settlement grew so rapidly that it was a lively town in a few months. In the spring of 1881 it was incorporated as a village, with Wm. Leistikow Prresident, Edward Harton Clerk, M rannim Treasurer, and jno. L Cashell, P. Wildt and Wm Leistikow as trustees. This organization was in force until April, 1883, when the Territorial Council granted a city charter, under which Stuart Cairncross was elected Mayor, D. W. Yorkey City Clerk, A. Krogstadt Treasured, John Mitchell City Justice, and P. H. McLaughlin Attorney. The City Council is composed of the following named Gentlemen: E. F. Chase. Wm. Chandler, John Myrick, --- Weggan, Nels Grindy and Wm Turney. During the year 1882 Messrs. Pillsbury & Hurlbut, of Minneapolis, constructed the largest elevator on the line of the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway northwest of St. Paul. it is located at Grafton and has a capacity of 125,000 bushels of wheat. Several churches, a good school house, and other buildings of credit to the town were constructed, so that a substantial and well built town of 2,000 inhabitants stands where, but three years ago, Thomas Cooper slept under the cover of shawls and coats spread over bushes because there was not a house for miles around. Grafton now has four grain elevators with a total capacity of 245,000 bushels. Thje grain, live-stock and lumber business of Grafton is very large and constantly increasing. Among the most important and valuable institutions of the place is the roller flouring mill of Mr. William Leistikow, who came to Grafton from Otter Tail County, Minn., in the winter of 1881. Concluding that this was a good point for a flour mill he commenced the erection of one 45 by 50 feet and five stories in height, and completed it with engine-room and storage building ready for business October 1, 1882 at a stated cost of $50,000. The mill has three runs of stone and twelve double sets of Donnton rolls, thirteen reels and complete set of machinery for the manufacture of 250 barrels of flour every twenty-four hours. About twenty hands are constantly employed and the business has been so successful that the proprietor intends erecting another mill at Larimore. The Grafton mill has established a fine reputation. According to the statements published in the Grafton Herald of date January 17, 1884, there were handled at that point during 1882 and the first six months of 1883, about 23,500,000 pounds of wheat, equivalent to nearly 400,000 bushels. There are four extensive lumber firms. There are also two brick-yards in successful operation and a wagon-shop doing a good business. Grafton contains two weekly papers, the Herald and News and Times; seven church organizations, a good school with 150 scholars; eight hotels; twenty-five mercantile houses; eight agricultural warehouses, and the ususal small traders, artisans and mechanics. WESTERN SETTLEMENTS. In the early summer of 1880, a party of Norwegian prospectors came from Iowa, and looked Walsh County over thoroughly. After looking particularly at the Elk Valley, west of Kensington, they returned to Iowa, and sent a large number of their fellow-countrymen out to possess the land. They settled in Township 157, Range 56 and established a post office, which in honor of the murdered executive they called Garfield. The settlement includes three stores, two or three dwellings, a blacksmith shop, two saloons and the post office. LAMPTON is situated in Township 158, Range 56. In the fall of 1881, Nels Anderson, Ole j. balstadt, George Mickey and Bolton Cunningham settled this town, and at that time their houses were the farthest west of any in the Red River Valley. A post office was established in 1881 and george Mickey appointed Postmaster. MEDFORD is located in Township 155, Range 56, and was settled by J. B. Sanborn, in the spring of 1879. When Mr. Sanborn went there, his nearest neighbor was more than ten mile away. He was there alone for a year, when he was joined by Messrs. Kellogg and Worthing. Mr Worthing was appointed Postmaster in 1880, and still holds that office. During the summer of that year a blacksmith shop was opened, and Mr Carpenter opened his general merchandise store. in the summer of 1883, Mr William H. Mitchell established the medford Messenger, a five column weekly paper. The surrounding country is all settled up, and the mercantile business is well supported. FOREST RIVER - Although among the earliest settlements, having been settled in 1880, there is no town here at all. Graham Bros. settled in the year above named and opened a general store, and they were followed in short time by Bates Bros., who also opened a general store. The post office was soon established, and William Wood appointed Postmaster. ARDOCH is a small town on the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad near the southern line of the county. It has several general stores, a consideralble trade and a population of 100 or more. Post offices in various parts of the county, not before mentioned, are Nora, Praha, Eaton, Gale, Garfield, Vesta, Mount View, Dundee, Edinburgh, Silvista, Richmond, Kelso and Latona. Walsh County is a comparatively new factor in the political formation of Dakota, and, as has been shown, its settlement, with the exception of a few families along the river has been mainly during the past four years. The county is bounded on the east by the Red River and the early settlements were made along its banks. It was at that time the great commercial thoughfare between Winnipeg and St Paul, and a considerable amount of trading was done upon its waters. In 1881, the railroad entered the county some ten or twelve miles from the river, and its business was cut off. This injured the river towns, and transferred much of their business to the railraad towns. By this time the land from the River west for some distance beyond the railraad, had been quite generally settled upon, all of the most desirable of it having been taken up. In the spring of 1882, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company surveyed a line from Casselton, in Cass county, to Walhalla in Pembina County near the boundary line between the United States and British America. This line passed through a range of Townships 56, and was completed as far as mayville in Traill county, and graded as far as Garfield in this county. This action on the part of the Northern Pacific brought large numbers of settlers into the western part of the county, and, with the exception of Ranges 58 and 59, the entire county is pretty thoroughly settled up. In the spring of 1883, the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway obtained possession of the Walhalla line and work opon it was suspended.