Qass. 
 Book 
 
 J ia 
 
 u^2L 
 
 D5A' 
 
 PRESENTED BY^ 
 
THE 
 
 Early History 
 
 OF 
 
 THE DEVILS LAKE 
 COUNTRY 
 
THE EARLY HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 DENTILS la.k:b ;,, 
 
 COUNTRY 
 
 IKCLUDING TH£ PERIOD OF THE EAELf 
 SETTLEMENTS 
 
 L4RTM0RB, N. a 
 
 if REN TED BY H. V. ARNOUI 
 
 U20 
 

 PUBUSHBR^S BooB?LBrr No. 2S. 
 
 >8tF paonphlets are cot printed in »ny newspaper office, bnt at 
 >uf home place instead and on a prcfs that was devised eat 
 of a common copy press which priotE only one page at a time 
 <on four paged sheets. We use four limited fonts of body 
 t]^pe fjom six to nioepciot size, also a small vaiiety ot adver* 
 tising t}pe used mainly in prictirg title peges. Some of our 
 previous works beating on Northwestern Iccal history are; 
 
 The Early History of lokster, N D., 128 pp. 1916. 
 
 The History ot Old Pembina, 168 pp. I^i?. 
 
 The Early History ot Kaoscm Cconty, 74 pp. igiS. 
 
 Ike kail} Bistoty ot Oiabii I'oiLs, 154 (p. 1918* 
 
 Giffc 
 
 Auth or 
 
 OCT 2? iS20 
 
PREFACE 
 
 this work WM cootcaplated for scTcrml years before MytblBC 
 •as doae to print it. About 1917 the first two cbapteti vert 
 worked ofi the press in coojuactioo with two other workt, 
 since beiog of an introductory nature they were applicable to 
 Ui three, though with some changes in regard to the second 
 chapter. Last year this wotk was pushed forward again t« 
 page 48, when winter stopped further work on it until spiinc« 
 
 We are not aware as to what may have been gathered by 
 any iocal historian concerning the annals of the Detits Lakt 
 region, or more especially, in regard to the earlier history of 
 ihe city of Devils Lake. We were loid some years ago that 
 at least a sketch was in print there. We have not had lh« 
 advantage of any local history coacerning the city of Devilt 
 Lake that possibly may have been printed, but for the year 
 tSSj and first half of 18S3 the old files of the Larimore Pio- 
 neer furnished considerable information wbich might have 
 been somewhat expanded had correspcndents at the lakft 
 exerted themserves more than they did. Such correspondenct 
 is now of some historical value especially where writtea fro« 
 any settlement long before any local paper has entered the 
 same field. Soon after the railroad reached the lake hardly 
 soything more was said in the Pioneer concerning Devils Lakt 
 aSiirs. With the advent of the railroad the old tint hUtQrf 
 •f the lake region ended, for aaew era had begaa« 
 
 JUNS 10^ ffto. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ihe Sioux— The Chippewa CoDquest 
 
 • 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 
 Far Companies abd the fur Trad« 
 
 It 
 
 CHAPTER m. 
 
 
 legend and Fact 
 
 SS 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 
 Th* Expedition olJ, N. Nicollet 
 
 •3 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 
 IJfooi the Forties to dcttlement Times 
 
 40 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 
 BackgrDiiiid to the Lake Settlements 
 
 M 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 
 Around Stump Lake 
 
 57 
 
 CHAPTER VHI. 
 
 
 The North Shore and Other Points 
 
 n 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 
 Affairs in Eighty- three 
 
 u 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 
 The Ward Brothers Tragedj 
 
 98 
 
 Appendix 
 
 101 
 
THE EARLY HISIOaRir 
 OF THE 
 
 Devils Lake Countrt 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE SIOUX— THE CHIPPEWA CONQUEST 
 
 THE hunter itafe of life in the c«8e of an i»boriKiB«l 
 people, hnbituated to the use of stone, bone asi 
 liorn iiuplementfi, has ner^r beeo capable of prodocinf 
 p, dense population. The latter condition of culture if 
 ^used upon agricnUure, stock-breedinf. inining, com- 
 merce and manufactures. The Indiau tribes of Nortk 
 America often had iixed abodes, but were more or le« 
 eubject to nomadic changes, moving to other locatiottt 
 Dwing to change of season or the necessities of tha 
 Sihase. To some extfui the tribes cultivated corn^ 
 beans, potatoes, fequash, pumpkins snd tobacee, but 
 ihey lacked those cer-eals which usually have attended 
 the deteiopment of ciyilizatioi). Where large game wat 
 libundAiit the Indians ftub^isted more by the chase. 
 
 It was not often that several tribes became confeder* 
 ated together ho hs not to be at warfare with oae another. 
 3uch however was the case with the Hix Nations of the 
 region of ^ew York ftate, and the Dskotas (meaning 
 "allied") or Si«»ux of the Flainf. The fir>t mention ef 
 %he country vne^i of the Gre^t Lakes was made by Jean 
 Nicollet who wasaent out (H3 an exploffiog ■e2{>ed»tio» 
 
.-♦.->«AHIiY HISTORY OF THIi PEVII.S LAKE OOUICTKY 
 
 by the authoritieii at. Quebec. iu,lOS9. lu. wLftt is n^wf 
 Minnesota he found a people whom other lodiaus cali4<21 
 "Nadeweasioux," abbreviftied by ibe biter French ex- 
 plorers, traderf) and prientK to Si<»iix, the original term 
 meaning eneoMen. 
 
 In 165^ twu. Fietichaveu, (j!roii8ellif id and Kadissoxi, 
 
 frona Canada, penei rated Minneaota iu the iaterest of 
 
 fur trading and spent the fvinter at Mille Lacs amoBg 
 
 the Nadouaaioux whc^nj they represented as dwelliu); id 
 
 forty villages in that iegioii. The numerous lakes of 
 
 the Miile Lacs region ofteit h.nd marMhy shures in whi«k 
 
 grew the "wild rice," ai.d thiH, with the fiah of these 
 
 Jlakes, had some c%niiectioii with thu Indian occupation 
 
 uf that food-givinif f.»nrt oi llk«> country, l^hteron, wbiW 
 
 .Marquette was Bt La I'ointein the Lake Superior regioci 
 
 Ab<»ut 1670, he knew Bomething ot a "certain peopW 
 
 , culled Madouessi, dreuded by their neighbors: aiwi^ 
 
 . ahbcugh they only use the bow and arrow, they use -U 
 
 .with so ouch skill and dexterity that, in a momeni, 
 
 they fill the air. In the I'arthian mode, they turn their 
 
 .heads in flijtht^ and di^ch^^rge their arrows so rapidly 
 
 that they are no let*!* to be feared in their retreat thap 
 
 in their attack." 
 
 • In 168t) Father Louis Hennepin and two oompaniona 
 named AccHult and Du day, wrre captured near tlte 
 mouth of the VVit-tt)n8in river by a wnr party of tk« 
 NadiUHfioux who wt^re descending the Missit^sippi in 
 ^Hiiofs to attack a tribe of Illinois Indians. The whites 
 'h»id been Kent up the Miasisaippi from the Illinois river 
 !,by LaSalle to explore it above the Wisconsin in the 
 tintere»ts of possible future trading in buffalo hides and 
 ^tir and. beaver skins. The war party aow returB«C 
 
THK SIOUX— J^E CHIPPEWA COJCQUEST - ^- 7 
 
 End the captives with their good** were taken to the 
 Mille Lacs villHges. bieur du Luth WAa then coneluct- 
 ing trading operations in the Lake Superior region and 
 being: on friendly relations with some of the Sioux 
 tribes, hearing that three Frenchmen were being helct 
 aa slaves ul one of their villages, he made a journey to 
 where they wtre, procured their release and took them 
 to Mackinaw. 
 
 In ways like the inJKtaiic^s ju»t narrated the Sioux 
 nation enrly became known to the whites, first to tht 
 ITrench of Canada and inu«h later to English travelers, 
 euch at» Jonathan Carver. Hennepin mentions the 
 division of the Sioujc nation into different named clana* 
 There were origiusliy t«eveD bands iu different parts ef 
 Minnesota called the "teven coJincil fircM." One of 
 Shese bttiidfi were the Assiniboines who dnelt along tbe 
 Misfeissippi in the neighborhood of Lake I'epin. Fof 
 ioiue caut»e this tribe seceded from tlie Sioux confcder- 
 fttion sometime prior to 1634, and were driven out from 
 ihat part of the country, ultimately migrating to the 
 valley of the river in Canada that bears their name. 
 
 Unlike some trihes of Algonquin stock who cultivated 
 corn and t«onie of the more common garden vegetables, 
 the Sioux of the Mains subeisted more by the chase, 
 pHrticuJMly by hunting the buffalo which roamed the 
 prairies in immense numbers. The Sioux best became 
 k:iov\n to the American people after the middle of the 
 last century and to some extent before that time. At 
 that period the principal septs into which they had 
 long been divided bore such names as these: Yaukton- 
 ftin, VVahpetonwans, Siesetonwans, M'dewakantonwans, 
 Wahpekutewans, and Tetonwana. The Yankt^ns aiHl 
 
^ KApLt aiSVOBT OF Tfi[|C OETHiS i^KB (HKCf|rTItX 
 
 - ■ rr 
 
 Xttont were wide-spread and comprised a few aubdiTi- 
 •iooi. Jean N. Nicollei's mnp ot 1842^ places the 
 YaoktOD Country west of the Uiviere-a-Jaquea [Jamef 
 river] aod south of Miui Wakau Lake, in what is now 
 both Nortli Hod riou^th Dakota. Soirie writers called 
 thtf tribe the ihaukionv^ans. JBut a<^her}iig lor the 
 present to the spellings ou the map, the **Warpetofp 
 CouQtry'' is the region along the 8t. l^eter or Mlnisota^ 
 Ji;iTer below Big btone Liike. '1 he Sisseton Country lay 
 south of the last. The l^rdewakanton Country is placed 
 north of the big bend of the St. Peter and west of Fort 
 Idnelling aod site of the Twin Cities. The only other 
 j:iiou2 region ftbovt n on Nico]let's ntap is the W&rpekD° 
 tey Country between the big btnd oi the St. Feter aD4 
 ^ake jPepiu. Two points on the map are mark^ 
 I^Uhlpeway Country." These lie south of Lake Supe- 
 rior aud immediately south of Ked Lake. Nieol)e4 
 .designated the CQUUtry around Levils 1 ake, which h« 
 ▼isited in 1839, a "Salt Water Kegion." 
 
 It was the first three of the tribes mentioned tha^ 
 made incursions iato the Red KiTer Valley in /ur trad- 
 ing days, as far as Pembina, and battled with the Ujib!> 
 iways orChippewas, who were their hereditary eoemiea. 
 Pther of the Sioux tribes mentioned roamed the country 
 to the southwest a« far as the ^'latt river and the Black 
 Hills. One of their tribes once Inhabiting Minnesota 
 when the state was Indian country were called Tintoc- 
 wans, presumably the same an the Tetons. After the 
 
 ♦ Thi8 was a map pnblished by tbe gorernment In oenneeCien 
 -with tbe work of the Bureau of TopdRfaphlcal Bnglneers. U 
 ;waB called tbe "Map of tbe Hydrograpbloal Basin of the Up^ 
 MisslEclppI Rlrer," and foIde4 IntQ NiooUet'a prlnte<i reiipfi. 
 
^tablisbment of Fort Snelling, 1819-1823, the Wabpe- 
 iODS aud St88etoD8 beeaji making annual journeys to th« 
 bead of steamboat navigation un tbe Migsissippi to visit 
 tbe traders located at Mendota, nejtr the fort. Tbey 
 l^iruck out a trail or ifaveJed route down tbe valley o# 
 the Minnesota river, which, however, cut meroMS th« 
 great soutberiy bend of the streant bj passing through 
 Nicollet county, again reaching the river atold TraverM 
 des Siouz. 
 
 lo pu8hiDg their ezploratio^is aiid fur trading opera- 
 jftfiions into the region of the Great Lakes, tbe Fre&ch 
 became acquainted with variojus Indian tribcB who were 
 of Algonquian atoci. Among these were the Ojibway* 
 pr Chippewas, dwelling fvoutb of Lake Superior an^ 
 west of Mackinaw. 'lh« French traders and priests 
 feadily established friendly relations with the tribes 
 who were Algonquian. Coiilenporary with tbe rise 
 and growth of tbe French fjur trading <jperatioD8, the 
 Chippewas increased in strength and snmbers and be> 
 gan presiiing westward upon the domains of the 8ioux> 
 Their progre«8 was partially along lines of latitude, 
 iben more or less characterized by forest belts. Iq 
 their contests in the timber they were uniformly victo- 
 rious, but when it came to fighting in tbe open country 
 the Sioux generally had tbe advantage. The Chippe< 
 was had the earlier became f^uppHed with fires rmt^ 
 beside«, had received accessions from other Algonquiao 
 tribes who had migrated from farther east. 
 
 Once began the strife between the contending tribef 
 jnras doubtless long and bloody. The Bioux probably at 
 last wearied of being attacked, and anticipating do end 
 to tbe strife so lopg ai they apd the CbippewM cootioo^ 
 
10 KAELT KiaTORY OF THB Dl?YirS LAKB COUNTRY 
 
 fd to occupy adjoioin^ regiuiiK, decirled to abnudon the 
 region now conaprised in naribern Minoftsota. Tbejr 
 theiefoi"e dispersed thein?(elve« along the Minoeeota ritef 
 ^xpellintr the lowaa from the country immediately to the 
 aouth ot that fltreHUi. These cvcr^ia occurred about 
 1760. Onrvcf found iheic located on the Minnesota ia 
 1766 and pasaed the winter amoD^ them. 
 
 For ten or twelve .yeHra following the abandoBDieat 
 by the Hioux of the i»ke r^cion of siorthero MiDoesota 
 it wa« not occupied by the c hippewan except (or oeea> 
 «|onfiJ huDtitig purpohe. In the meaotime the Biooz 
 «ppeHr to have encuiirnged the OsaukieP, the Baes %nA 
 Foxeg, tt.id Kick»i'<x)n, tribes dwelling in \VieeoDtiB» 
 to take pos^essicn of the df*>ert,ed territory, and tbey 
 Koop did so. For tt while, with nome ?tp#i8tance from 
 the Siuux, they muiuti»infd rlierreelyes there. But tb^ 
 .Chippewaft resented this occnpatiop of territory wbicb 
 they considered Jtheirn by right of conquest, and com- 
 bining their banda under a chief called White Fi6ker|, 
 they ^ave battle to the inter lopera near th,e falle of tb« 
 St. Croix. The offending tribes made a resolute stand 
 but were defeaieil an«i fled down the river. Nor did any 
 other tfibea iheieafter save the Chippewas themfielTjm 
 eeek to ' c cupy t>«e vucRtfd country. 
 
 In aucceedjrig years the OhlppewnM began to prtaa 
 lyveatward through ncrtb^rn Minuesotji, reaching Bed 
 )Hke and the Ked River Vj'lley nbove Pembina. There 
 being no opposition to prevent them, they ultimately 
 carried their away to the Turtle Mouutainaand beyond. 
 During the same period the Sioux tribe*, lured further 
 westward by the abundance of the buffalo, elk and deer, 
 jiflvanced into the Dakota^ and became more than \i^ 
 
•f aw mo<;-:ii^TUji. osmrmm^ ed-^QUEsy M 
 
 ^ore, a praino t>eopi». ihti© dwt-Unloi.g the bhejeuiije 
 ,nver H tribe cnlled ^haw■HV^ or .sIveyenueH ((rom whom 
 tbestreHDi wa« naiuetl) ui,ii i^^t^^^f iLfciMoux alUcktdRad 
 .^rore to tLe Muilhwe^i, Kcron* ihf ^lihsiuiri river. 
 ''*rlie Cotiuiry ce:n,|»rj*ad :iu Ui« i:]u{4kt'wa couqueut 
 from the »ionx not oiiJy uirlutt^d nmni of nonbern 
 MioQesoU but a con«iderabie fc^ettiui) ol Xorth iJakota 
 ,a8 well. The tract g&iiied by tbe«» m ibis etaiemaj b« 
 sketchfcd ag follows; Beguiiiiii^ o« the 3Bten)AlioDai| 
 boiahdRry the Ked riytr lor,fr;td its ea^i line a,} Jar 60Ui^ 
 &k the iiiuutL oi :Goo£e rivti ; tbeuce up thai etreaut anil 
 i't^' south fork to JJeyiis laiie; thence through the lake 
 ^o it« western eud; ub.eu.ce west hy «ouih about 90 niile^ 
 to 'Maison du .Cbitxi or iJtcg'a Utu, a butle on the eaat- 
 stu side of the MiKsowri coteau .{iii Mci^an Conniy); 
 thence west by north to n point on the !Mii^fi»uri near 
 the mouth of Little Knite nyer, thence nortJ»erly to the 
 intercationai boundary and eastward along that line to 
 the place of begiHuing. Some of the Chippewa chiefs 
 claimed the Cheyenne as a part of their siaithern bouudr 
 ary but the territory between the tioose apd Sheyenne 
 jiver was rather more of the nature of a border land or 
 ijommon battle ground of both parties Neither the 
 Indian or the half breed population who gathered aboat 
 Pembina, Oevils lake and the Turtle moantains wei^ 
 ^imited in regard to a buffalo range. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 FUR COMPANIES AND THE FUR TRADE 
 
 FROM about the thirteenth ceuturj there arose in 
 Earope among the higher ciasfies an increasiDg de** 
 mfiltid for furs of the finer sort. ADimals that furoiBl^ 
 the u)o»)t valuable fuis are denizeuB of either cold ^ 
 coM ttniperate regioca of the northern hemisphere. 
 The European supply of furs h«d mainly coB)e froiw 
 the regions arcund the Baltic and Black sean, but the 
 taking of Constantinople by the Turks in 1458 intcr> 
 rupted trade of h1) ktudfi b«twet>n Europe and the £••!« 
 Id a l«rge measure thf old trade routes to and from 
 ^he Orient were permanemly disrupted. Jn the seyeiK 
 teenth century the chief moiiva that led the Hu^fiiaos la 
 take possession of Siberia was to acquire a country from 
 which rich stores o<" valuable furs might be obtained. 
 
 When voyages began to be made to the northern 
 Atlantic coasts ol America, but more tspecially when 
 fettlemeota began to be established on the bays and 
 along the tide water rivers of the seaboard plain during 
 the flrat hrtlf of the seventeenth ceninry, the fact began 
 to be rcc<.rgnizf(^ that the grent wilderness regions oC 
 jyorlh America must be :«. storehouse of valuable hides, 
 skins Hnd furs owing to the large variety of animals 
 that were denizens of the forests and swamps of the 
 continent and with the skins of which the aboriginal 
 inhabitflnts clothed tbempelvfs. The l>utch who had 
 located on Manhattan island and along the Hudsoi) 
 paid considerable attention ^o bartering with the Iht 
 diansj but the territory t>om whi^b they drew supplies 
 
wxm Q«)Bt>A»i]B6 A«^ Y&s rcTB TBAms y^ 
 
 <wa8 not e2tent>ive. lu New ED{(iaud some attentioii 
 fraa given by indiTiduals to the eulleciion and shipping 
 ^f furs tu Eiiglund, but the coWniBis in general cared 
 ^itile lor xhe butsiiiett^; mort^ovtr, their relentless anni- 
 Ikilatiun ot aiuuusi whol« tribes elimioated in that Bet- 
 lion of the cuuntr^' one ol the principal iactora of th« 
 iut trade, it has been said that the Indians nielttd 
 ui?a; ijom contact with the Anglo bason race like ib« 
 Iroat before the south wind. 
 
 On the other hand, the geographical position el inh 
 jPreuch on the lower ;bt. J>Hwrence, the northerJjr ]aV- 
 ittidd in which their feeitleuiente were made, their easy 
 IKCesB to the Great LiiiieH b^ natural waterways, ibe 
 aiuBost nulioiited scope oi territory' thai lay opes te 
 •beca to iht west ot Candida, combined with a natnrai 
 urociivity vt establishing and maintaining friendly 
 leiations vrith most ot the Indiau tribes with whom they 
 <c&me in contact, gave them special advantages in secur- 
 ing the bulk oi the fur trade prior to about the begic- 
 ;ttlng of the last century. 
 
 In the Witter half of the seventeenth century the 
 Aaaeric&ii fur trade had become well estjiblished. The 
 French pushed into tbe new regions of the west with 
 persistence and uaring energy. It is evident that one 
 of the leading motives of LaSalle in securiug the line 
 of the Illinois river and building lorts in its valley, laj> 
 in the quest th«n being made for beaver skins and bufr 
 falo hides. Tbe fur trade of the iirencb evolved the 
 '♦coureura dea boi»" or rangers of the woods, and the 
 "Toyageurs," canoe or boatmen. The first were origio- 
 liliy traders who made long trips to the Indian country, 
 pometimea to be gon^ a year, bvt ia cot^rse of t|^«t^ey 
 
•ame to adopt, ic a meH«:ure, Indian ways of life umd 
 drevs. Many of them took lodian iwiveB and the raoe 
 of hallbifeds thus iaad tb^ii beginuiiij;. The iiuinber 
 9f the coureurs dfcs bois was increased Houiewbat by 
 yagrants wbu preferred tbe freedom of tbe woods to 
 the iestrMiBt» ot piyiiicatiou. As a Hpecial class they 
 l^eanie useful in variuuH wa;s io cunueatioo with the 
 fur trade. 
 
 Tbe Jesuit and FrML)ci5€an mif^siooaries accompaBied 
 or followed in the tra<cl( of the early eipeditioDs, winh^ 
 leriog t<> tbe sick apd tbe wounded and receiving tb« 
 «0Dfei*sioD8 of tbuke who dit^d far fron; boHte. Thtj 
 also establiiibed ii<iK»>ioi)i< for ibe lBdiui>»«, as at J)etreit, 
 MicbiliiDacinack (iVIitckiii&« ), Cireeu hay »h6 LaFoiote. 
 They were men of bonorKl meirory, sopie few of whom 
 have left their names attached to counties, towBS BwH 
 /cities that finwe into beiii); long after tbeir time. 
 
 During the French regime in Canajda tbe policy of 
 tbe governors (general was that of looliing after ibe 
 {Operations of tbe iur traders. To legHlIj engage iia tbe 
 business of the fur trade, tbe tr«der»< were soppesed t<» 
 carry a governpient license, otherwise they were iia^)I»» 
 to have any Mtock of fuis they might brinj dow» to 
 Quebec &ei?ed aud contiscatcid- '1 bis license tax od 
 their business the traders would evade if they couW. 
 LaSalle accused Sieui de Luth with trafficing with (Be 
 Indians in ao unlicensed mannier. The sale of spiritp- 
 oua Liquors to the Indians was strictly prohibited. 
 
 In 1656 the two adventurers, Badisson and Grosseilr 
 Iters, hn ugbt down to Quebec from the region of tho 
 iifettt Lakes a flotilla of canoes maoned by Huron 
 todiaB* ^utd»Ud&D with tv^ra. Thej|r «er« anlioeDiM 
 

 traders aod besides the liability of having tbcir stock 
 of furs coofiacated by ihe CanadiuQ officials, were also 
 liable to b« punifihed lor violatiuu of the law. But the 
 ^^occasiou for trade just then being a matter of isDpof" 
 tance tu the lnhabi;uni8 of Quebec, the affair was wiak- 
 ad at by the aulhoiiiibA aiid the liceofled traders, hu^ 
 tor that time only. On a E^iiuilar visit to Quebec fovr 
 je&rs Iftier, iheRe trnderK had their large stock of pelt- 
 tries seized by the authorities and confiscated. 
 
 Thereafter the two advehturtra seem to hate be«» 
 ready to circuznveiit the auihoiilies hy some method of 
 -optiiing trade wit-b liie huglitth by way of HwdsoD Bay> 
 the shores of which the -English claimed. They tried, 
 kowever, to induce the nieFr.bants of Quebec to send a 
 ▼easel to the bay, having presumably gone in that diieo- 
 'tipn about the year 1662. Neit they went to Boston n^nd 
 (it certain Capt. Gillam is itaid to have made a voyage to 
 the buy. The adventurers then went to France wbertr 
 4hey are believed to have gotten letters of intioduetioH 
 to persons of note about the court of ^Charles II cf 
 England. One result of whatever .tronterenceg were 
 held was the forming of a company to trade in Budsois 
 ;bay. This WHS about 1667. In 1668 the company sent 
 two ships to the bay one of which with Kadissou aboard 
 ^ever reached it. The other commanded by the Capt. 
 fGiilam before mentioned wintered in James bay. A 
 4rsding post was built near the mouth of Rupert river 
 ^nd considerable trsflicing ws» done with the Indians 
 lo 1669 the ship reached England. 
 
 The company now sought to obtaia chartered rights 
 «which the king the more readily granted since himself 
 and brother, the iJiuka of Yoik^ ^ad UkkiM> #tf<^.Ul t^ 
 
16 BAJlil'1r^'^xB9^0Bx «ir iuil ^sTftA^kirk cowtkj 
 
 •uter prise. The company cuiiMiited of thv king, <iukt» 
 jPrinte Kupert and t\^«lve other members. The cbsrMr 
 \fiM dated May 2, 1670, and designated the asBOciatiqy. 
 as '*The Governor and Company of Adventures of Kuj^ 
 1ai)4 Trading »viih Hu<Uon B»y," but they came to h% 
 known an the HudHon Bay Company. The charter veii- 
 Md tke company in the onuerohip of all the territory 
 •rained by rivorn which itowed to HudROU bay, tbic 
 territory to he called ltU(.'ert'K Land. Tht soverDKi^sl 
 •^an through^ governor und council responsible tb'tbe 
 •row I) for a proper MdminiMtrHiion of affairs. 
 
 'For a long peruid the anenix of the company tloi^ t» 
 tlie shores of the buy and inadenoefforl to establish ttA^ 
 iug posts in the interior, of the country. In fifteen years 
 ^Uer the charter was given them the ccnipany h«d «r^ 
 ta^lisiied only fiveipostf, nil on the thorns of the bay„ 
 Tiieir policy was to encuura^e the Indiahs to brieg their 
 'peltries to the posts on the shores of the bay. Other 
 ■Lips weie sent to the bay from time to lime, one of 
 which had Kadisson on board who succeeded in reacV 
 ingliis dfstiiiiitroi) MiiliMt Veil g tun €d baek by iIkj 
 closing of the passage into the bsy by ice. 
 
 In 1690, the ^Stuarts having been expelled from Epg- 
 land, the company a^ked of d'arlia-nent a confirmatiaif 
 ,of their charter. That body would only consent that 
 'the company 'b tenure should continnt >eveD mortyeai^ 
 jifter which the charter M)lgh( be annuUed. When that 
 time had expiied tLecon.pei> did mi h*k for any re- 
 newal, seeming to dread any thing that wouW direct 
 public atteation toward them. However, some one 
 cali«-d tbc attention of FarlifiDiem to the, matter as ao 
 Ju'iidesirable monopol/. At that tiin« JCi:|£Und ii)Ud! 
 
mf-M GoipcrAirias ^tr^ tvB tvb tmawm If 
 
 f'rance were at war and the members had other thinga 
 lodiacusa, •• that the Hudson Bay Companj matter waa 
 4 led awaj and forgotten, ajid hence the company's tern- 
 >are of the territory they claimed reatained undisturbad. 
 Had it been otherwise the question might have ariseii 
 in FarUament as to the right of Charles II to give away 
 territory which included lands wherein no JEngliihrna* 
 ^d t^eu set foot, the extent of which was unknown. 
 
 Oaring the first two warH between England and 
 France in which the American colonies were inyolTed, 
 •ome of the H^udsou Bay <Cujn.pany posts were taken 
 #Dd held by the French of Canada. By the peace of 
 IJtrecht signed iu 1713 ttieae were restored to the Bog- 
 linh. The goverivor and council. of the company were 
 chosen from among the members and resided in L^ondoB. 
 At least annually a ship viMted the bay to bring back 
 the cargo of furs that the potJ^ts had collected. The 
 principal post whs iocai&d at the mouth of Nelson riTCf 
 <And called York Factory. The |)er8on is charge of a 
 post was called the chief factor. 
 
 The most conspicuous personage of the second quartei 
 fOf the eighteenth ^c^ntur} who was engaged in ejiplor»- 
 tionacd lur trading went <»f ih^e Ureal Lakes, wasFierre 
 'Gnultier Verennes, otherwise knouii asSieur de la Ve- 
 rendrye. He wa« a ^o|l i.f a na^istrate of Trois Rivi- 
 eres and young in life entered live military service. J» 
 ^ueen Anne's war, 1702-17 13, he raw som^) active ser* 
 vice, taking part in a denionstration against Kew Eng- 
 land in 1704. Two years later he went to France 
 ^o participate in the war rn Furopean Foil. Later i|^ 
 life Verendrye is found actively engaged in building 
 trading posts ojb 3ed ^iifef an^ thf AMi j^ Jh uaj i^ fl «od V^ 
 
WJ EAJSLT mSTORT OF THfr UKTIXS LAKB COUNTRY 
 
 aearching for the "Shinir.jr Mocntaint*," beyond ^hlek 
 was ftupposed to lay the Pacific Oceao. 
 
 lu 17^8 Verendrvd re-ttstablighed an abandoned poal 
 iit Take Nipigon, In 17IiO he waa viwited there by a» 
 AsMiniboine chief jiaaied Uchngjich, imd ng a result of 
 InquirieM made by Verendrye in regard to canoe routes 
 to the chief's country, the latter drew a rough m lip of 
 the ]akp8 Knd atream?* iMt-ivpninK between the head of 
 ^^ake {Superior nhfi tUf KetJ Kiver Valley. Vefendry* 
 ,took thin map to the C4».T«rrror of Canacla «Dd it retail Iteii 
 ill the explorationH ,c<>aductfd inter by Verendrye, bUt 
 sons and nephew, J^erenmye. A stioDg incentive to tbeie* 
 operations Maa the mdenTor to dipcorer some sort of 
 waterway that wxuild lead to the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 Verendrye organised a fur company in Montreal and 
 «t hi« own expense both J»ent and led expeditions into 
 the Lake of the Woods country and the Red Kiter Vair 
 jjey. Post* were built at the lake mentioned, at Rainy 
 lake, at lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba, at the mouth of 
 the Aasinibolne, and one near the site of Portage la 
 Prairie in 1738. Their trade was mainly with the Crees 
 and Aisiniboines. This wah entering upon and exploit- 
 ing a region covered by the gnmt of tbe Hudson Bay 
 4^ompany. Verendrye died in 1749, but the French 
 continued to occupy the c^ujntry iuitil the fioglisb con- 
 quest of Canada in 176(0. The fur trade in the fallen 
 then languished, passing inn» the hands of individnali 
 traders 'Ihe po^ts that the French built south of th^* 
 international boundary were t,he two in the border lako 
 region, Fort de Bois Blanc (site of Past Grand Fork*^ 
 and probajbly one opposite the mouth of Pembina rivejf. 
 The Hudson Bay Company had oeglectod to puab tbelf 
 
TVlk V^MS'AMftKS 4N^E> T»9 T^% TBiJKt If 
 
 9p«ratioQ» into the interior anu so the French eomiag 
 in from CRnad«, bad T«^f a a^Wsintage oi the f«ct. Ot 
 iwcount of ;he pr«»«eDce ol the French in the Red aii4 
 ^n the ^pfirJboJiif Tallejf«, the English built a trading 
 post In 1742 <:n A Ibitny river about 150 miles above iU 
 mouth. Iii H do?:er* or more years Verendrye accom^ 
 ptisbed aVi&p»t as xnuvh ua the great company had donfli 
 5ci 70 years. 
 
 Duriajj the period aher 1760, owing to the Engli^k 
 jonquest of Canada, the fur tr?jde aa <!arried on fro» 
 Jhat proTJace, was conductfd by individual traders. 
 These sn^c competed with one another and sold liquor 
 io the Indians. Matters in these reapeetfl^rew lax and 
 a train of abu^^es was engendered. To remedy maiterf 
 In some measure, and to prosecute the fur trade io a 
 more systematic ;r.anner. j^.everal mer.chnnt^ at Mont- 
 seul formed an association called the ''Oomftagne dn 
 ^ord Oueat," or Northwest Fur Coinpany. Thie wae 
 vorganized in 178o and four years later they absorbed a 
 lival company ol fur traders. This principal partners 
 ^ived in baronial stylie nt Montreal and Quebec; tben^ 
 -besides these ,tb«re neie junior partners who resided at 
 the trading posts in Abe fur country aiut looked after 
 ■the busineas o( the company. 
 
 The NoribwfjBt A/ompfiny, as it came to be called, 
 followed a ctifitrt^iil pcli.cy tlmn thfit o! the Hudson Bay 
 iCompiiny. They «ent their agents into the lodiact 
 coucny and built posts there. By the year 1787 they 
 had begun to conduct operations in the Red Rivef 
 -Valley. Their principnl post was at Kaministiqniaf 
 later called Fort William, on Thunder bay of Lakf 
 Superior. After the pompany had becoin;^ v«U *«tB]b' 
 
ffi^.vjij'.vf miwxonrtov i:he Dsrits lakb govvtkv 
 
 Mnh^d in l)ir n1•rtLwe^U^n vouiairj, the snnual gatker^ 
 iug of tbipir officeiH nud -^ n pic yeeR were held there 
 during; each fi\4cc«e<itiifr Mutumi). Feafttiog, ^rinkiog. 
 revelry, %ith occBsianxIbriiwlu, chnracterized the 4fh 
 ioga ot \ht pUc** for h number o/ dayi. The cobubob 
 t^pK^yee? <>Ue» »(pe?'t their year's earnings io Hqnef,^ 
 And in trinketfi, gewgawt* ard finery for their JndU^ 
 wirea. 
 
 A traveler calif d (<*UDt AdttKDi visited the coaotry 
 in 1791 nnd represented that u>o6i of theai had heeoBi» 
 t^ound to ftervice by reason of their indebtedoees te t^ 
 eoinpHiiy pout* for goods received. Many of tbeee •»- 
 pl^yeei were halfbreecl?, comirtr)}' called Boie Brvlef 
 or "Burnt Wood.*" on accduot of the color of their nkii. 
 But tiio men, whether baHbr»^fd8 or iJihitcB rather liked 
 ikeir CO I r.9< lion with the ivr trading bueinere, though 
 ,o» the tnhole a rather hard ^ojrt of life be^et by nuip^r- 
 
 An individual trader who»e tiaBie ii» koI new k}t««n 
 , Rppearo to have be«'ii located Ht PeBnbiMa in J780. He 
 was a Canadian Vrepcb&»i» and was f<'ni)d Ibere 4& 
 years later by Mpjor lonp'j' pnrty. It should not be 
 !iVppoffed that he Djaintsined a coctinnous jefii^ieDee »» 
 .Fembica hince the trnden^ charged about cocasionally^ 
 Other f.er^c'l)^ cf Tvbom we hnve accountp a*» trading Ip 
 the valley prior to It'CO, vyi^i^r to b^ve been iiitheaer 
 vice of the Northwest CompnDv. Peter Grant kuilt * 
 poRt opposite the mouth of Pembina river where the city 
 of St. Vincent now ntunds, in 1794 or 1796. About W 
 a trader named Chaboillej: built a post od the weit sid« 
 pf Bed river and just »outh of the irotitb of Penbine 
 riyer, which he called Fort Pauhiao. ^ose oflheM podt» 
 
SUB OailPyXIXS AMD THE FUR TBABB 2% 
 
 I ;■ ■" ■' -- 1 ! ■ ' . ' I III I I.I.I I 
 
 ftboat Feosbina were continuously occupied. Tanner 
 4tftt«e Shftt wben be aud Chaboillez came tbere, no In* 
 ^aA8 or wbites were reMidiog there. Then three yeara 
 Uter Oapt. Henry found the place deserted. 
 
 Farther up Ked river there were three other trading 
 poniB, two on the we^t and ene ou the eaatBide. Onewaa 
 called KoyN ?}nrthwfgt Company post, which was at the 
 mouth of Biic Salt (Fore»t) river, maintained fron 1787 
 io ISOO. David Tbompeon, aftronumer and geographer 
 af the Northwest Company, on his way to Cass lake, 
 stopped with Roy March 22, 1798. The other west side 
 post WHS »t the mouth of Turtle river where the village 
 of Turtle River is located. A trader named Daniel 
 McKenzie was in charge of this post from 1787 to 17^9 
 when he left it to ^o to another post, when it was aban. 
 doned. The third or east side post north of the month 
 of Red Lake river bad been called Fort de ik>i8 Blanc 
 (the Whitewood fort), but probably in the last decade 
 of that century it was li:D(»wn aa Grandes Fourches. In 
 1796 it was occupied by J. B. Cfidotte Jr., and then th» 
 place was abandoned as a tradinir point niitil Captain 
 Henry's time. 
 
 Tiiree other companies that conducted operatioua In 
 the Ked River Valley msy be nientioned. The findeon 
 Bay Company began to trade in ibe valley abool th« 
 beginning of the last century and vwiog to somedissen- 
 tions Alex. McKenzie and others formed in 1801 a new 
 fur trading organization ceiled the X. Y. Company, 
 so called because these letters c'ame next after the W 
 in North West Company, meaning too that they niean| 
 to follow that company with sharp eompetition. Trad^* 
 |Dg houses oDw bepame iccre ovcoerotM than before, 
 
2S fcAKLY ttiHTOKY OF THii: ]»SYIL8 LAKK COVKTBT 
 
 {>t 1605 thii< (trgHniKHtion wue merged iuto th« Norlli* 
 '.veil (\>mpany. 
 
 A Inxe formed Aii80ci»ciotj whs called the Colvmbla 
 t^ur Company organised by Joseph Kenvilleaud othera 
 in 18-2 owing to the uniting of the North weai aod Uudr 
 'oD Bay coDipaniea tlie previous year. They made UM 
 of the discharged employees of the Northwest Compaoj 
 who numbered about 900, and established their head- 
 quHrterB hK Lake Traverse. 
 
 Another association, organized in 1832 was called tha 
 American Fur Company. Their headquarters was at 
 Bt. Louis from which place steamboats were sent up tka 
 Missouri river, along which they had trading poeta i» 
 the Dakotas and Montana. Joe Rolette traded for fiiiv 
 for this company at Pembina. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 LEGEND AND FACT 
 
 TH£ oame commooly applied to the body of water 
 called DeTils lake, hb is well known, comet from 
 Biiftaking on the part of the whites the Indian signift* 
 cation uf the name ther gave it. The Chippewas call* 
 #d the Uke Miineto Sahgiegun, which the private ink- 
 made maps of the Northwest Fur Company (kept secret 
 (rom the geographers of civilitatioii) translated aa 
 "God's lake." The Canadian French hunters, trappera 
 and Tovagers of the company, however, being babitaal*- 
 ly a profane class uf men, spoke of this sheet of water 
 as Lac du Diable, of which the objectionable modera 
 name is simply the ED^tish rendering. As before oty- 
 served, Nicollet's map has "Mini VVakan Lake" from 
 the name in use among the K^ioux, and here it is time to 
 abserve that the word "wakan" is said to have the sense 
 of our word "mysterious" (probably in relation to the 
 mirage) so that in the Sioux language their name lor 
 the lake signifies "mysterious water." 
 
 Another Htatement is to the effect that the Sioux word 
 'Vakan" means anything bad and that in regard to the 
 lake it referred to the quality of its water which isaom** 
 what nlkaliue. More Hatisfuctory. is a brief legend 
 which we find printed in Vol. I of the coUectiona of tl^ 
 North Dakota Historical Society, as translated from its 
 ^ioux form, proably a writing oi the Fort Tottem Indian 
 School, by Father Jerome: 
 
 "My father lived on the lake-shore near what is now Mianc- 
 vaukan town, as eariy as(85X. I was born 'there in 1863. 
 
M &mi.T kilATOliJ OF TUE DKVlUi LaKKOOUNTBT 
 
 ^J father told me of an isUod which ased to be there. Sinca 
 l^e lake has sunk this islaod jx bat 9 point of land. Ona 
 ttight io tummer wheo there was no moooH|[ht 9^^^ darkneu. 
 wat so thick that the island could aot be seea from the m^in. 
 kftd» Itraogt sounds were heard. The beating af a dnjoa 
 <miae across the water, the sound of chanting and canfi|sed 
 toices mingled with the usual rustle of leaves and swish of the 
 waTt*. There was great wonder in the camp. Coald Chtp- 
 pewat have cume sp close? Coqld friends he leekiag !•» 
 la ? \n the rtrly daan a nun>beT of I acotahs swan over 
 ta the island and searched the woods. But a few frightened 
 4a«r and small animals were all they fouiid* So real had been 
 th« sound of voices in the night, and so regular the beatiag al 
 the drum, that they could not believe the sounds to hav|B bean 
 Oade by winds or animals, t rotn thi^t time they called tha 
 ktke Minuewaakan or Holy- Lake, What yon call DevU'f 
 Heart we call tl^e Heart of thf Holy Lake." 
 
 Durinjf the early part of the last century there IWe<i 
 at Pembina, at least intermittetitly, a man who haa 
 aometimes been called "The White Captive," aUhou«h 
 his stay among the IndianR after he became a maD wa» 
 of the nature of a voluntary residence. This was Joht* 
 Tanner, who was the son of minister, and was borr* li^ 
 Kentucky about the year 1780. While still » child \u 
 yenm, his fHther moved across the Ohio riyer i^nd settled 
 rear the mouth of the Miami. Jt seem«« that the wife 
 of a chief of the Saginaw t )ttaw as of Lake H ufon haA 
 lost a son under ten years of age and besotight her 
 husbaiirl to make prisoDer some boy of like age to 
 whom she could transfer her affections. Qo<m after the 
 Tanner family had crossed the Ohio river, a small band 
 o/jC^ttswas Wjcnton a scout for Net-no-kwa, the squa^ 
 chieftain. Contrary to prohibition •( h{s faih<er, JOQM 
 
i.BGSKi> AND VACT 25l 
 
 TABoer, then six or seven years of a^e, strolled intotb* 
 woods and had just filled his hat with suts when b« war 
 •eited by the Ottawan and carried awaj to Lake Huroa. 
 The squaw chieftain whs pleased to get a boy of about th« 
 tame age as the one she had lost. She treated Tanner 
 kindly, which in alter years be reciprocated by taking 
 care of her when she was old. 
 
 Tanner was still a boy in Hge when about 1792 those 
 with whom he lived migrated tu the Northwest, residing 
 at Lake of the Woods, on the Assiuiboiue, and along Redi 
 river in ditterent year^ with Indians of A Igonquian stock 
 as were the Ottawas. Being; brought up among Indiana 
 he acquired their language, customs and habits, finally 
 taking an Indian wife, and was adopted into the tribe^ 
 He was still a young man when he became known to 
 'the traders at Pembina, but had forgotten his native 
 language. He probably learned to converse with tb^ 
 Canadian Frencb employees of the fur companies %94 
 was known to them as a successtul hunter. 
 
 Lord Selkirk assisted Tanner in finding his relativee 
 In Kentucky. He met a brother about two years older 
 than himself at Detroit and located at Sault Ste. Marie 
 as an Indinn agent and interpreter. Ihf story ol bi* 
 (Captivity and life among the Indians was redDce<) U* 
 writing by Dr. Edwin James and published in ]9ew 
 York in 1830. Tanner lived to the year 1«47. We 
 •hall first give another legend of Devils lake to b« fol- 
 lowed by an episode derived from Tanner's Narrative. 
 
 ''One evening a band of hunter* who had explored tor day* 
 returned with disturbing, but by no means aawelcome news^ 
 It had been discovered that ipme hated Ojlbways were camped 
 ler the winter n*ar tl^e Turtle Mo^^talas 3hoold they camp 
 
ii XABLT BZSIOKT OF TQS DXTlLS LAKB COUNTRY 
 
 itt pe«ce7 The young men hoped not^ for the very name, 
 Qjibvray, made their ftghtiog blood leap. The old chieb 
 h«ld council and to the great joy of the 3roung men who listen- 
 ■d flileatly — for they were not allowed to speak in coancll 
 male«s qnestioned by the old men — to their great )oy, war was 
 4€clared. Through th* following week^ the arrow-maken 
 and boat-builders were busy from dawn ttll dark. AroaMi 
 eiBp-firet at«nlght the old warriors planned the expedition, and 
 ail day long Indian o^aidens.and squaws sat dn their wigwaast 
 tashioaing their tribal ornacnents of war. So eager were all 
 iat the fray that the warnings of the seer, Owahada, were langb' 
 •d at. His dreams were scorned and the battle- fury in tbt 
 wairiuis'i blood made omens that were usually -gravely obeyed 
 •eem insignificant. The unusual southward flight of birds wa» 
 bat plentiful game sent by the Graat Spirit in time of need. 
 The early reddening of the leaves was not a portent of bloody 
 defeat or of northern storms, but rather the radiant herald off 
 tictory. And though ^o the toaidenswho watched their bravta 
 «mbark on the great morning, ih^ shining waters seemed da»> 
 gerously calm and their brightness showed glints of treachery, 
 to the warriors the stillness of wind and wave was bat another 
 evidenee of the Great Spirit's approval, and the Indian Saor 
 mer warmth and haze gave them the freshness and %igor thai 
 cfeeps through the veins when the sounds of melting svowasd 
 running streams answer the spring winds. 
 
 All d?.y the DakoLah women and children with the old mcft 
 watched the placid 4ake for the returniog boats. Night caoMi 
 but the warriors returned not. Another day passed and the 
 bosom of the bay was ruffled by fitful whirling gusts. Dvsky 
 clouds gathered in the east. Red leaves drooped in the late 
 heat, and ominous rumbles of distant thunder broke the anal* 
 ous stillness of the camp. The western lake was blood-red fro« 
 the crimson sky. Above the range of tiins«t, black clouds, 
 jLheir edges curied with bronse, movod i^^nderMsly iato fearful 
 
LBQBKp 4irp FACT 
 
 «&tpe&. A try broke from N«dassa» *the chieftain's dark* 
 wftA daughter.* Against the lurid sky the retarning boati 
 were silhouetted. Scalps waving from their prows proclaim* 
 •d the expedition victorious. Great was the joy in camp. 
 Firei were lighted, peace*pipes filled, and welcome prepared 
 lor the hoQje'Ccmiag braves. How slowly the boats crept on. 
 The sunset faded. Lightning gashed the heavy clouds an4 
 •bowed the sleeping lake a livid green. Nearer and more 
 .9maioua rolled the thunder. Moans in the hill-tops told of 
 tising windn. A blaze of fire from the heavens, a deafening 
 ^raah that shook the hills, aad the anger of the saddenlf 
 irtod-laihed lake burst forth. All night long the tempest 
 laged. At dawn tbe broken trees showed wreaths of tor» 
 ua-weed and sandy foam on their stripped branches. Th« 
 skin sides of the lodges were torn by falling bonghs. Tbt 
 women, exhausted from the fury of the storm and the anxiety 
 iO their hearts, wailed listlessly on the desolate beach. Tber« 
 was no need to search for the brave warriors whom they bad 
 watched in the red light before the storm. Shattered boats witk 
 bits of hair and feathers hanging to them drifted ashore. Tb« 
 mysterious waters bad carried all else beyond Bnding. The 
 beautifnl lake, angered because its bosom had been desecrated 
 by blood spilled in hatred, had avenged itself and now m thm 
 cold sunlight of the Autumn morning brooded snHeniy erevita 
 wrongs. And the green waves, stili Jashing each other ia the«|>, 
 slowly dying fury, closed with cruel greed over tbe lo?m •# 
 Kadassa whose stricken heart found rest only io tbe darkB««» 
 in which Watha had been lost. 
 
 ••And for long years after whenever tbe twiHgWa beant^k 
 was darkened by angry clouds and riie waves rose in fnry, 
 Dakotahs watching from the shore saw tb« faithful Nadassa 
 and her lover Watha braving the angry spirit of the lake ift 
 search of the lost warriors."— Mary R. Breaoan, Sute Hi»» 
 iorical Society Collections, Vol. L 476-g« 
 
$$ AA9X.T Bt«i>onT 07 rnt okyils lakbcouktbt 
 
 J l " II ' J ' - ■ . ' " ' ■ '^ 
 
 Th9t9 is»j be other iegendft having tQine conneetioa 
 fvUh Ueyils Uke» but if so ttie publisher hat never met 
 frith them in print. From the warmth of poetic faney 
 ire shall next turn to colJ fact aud relate an episode of 
 Indian life which occurred somewhere on the north 
 •bore of the lake, possibly where the city now stands, 
 lioce the Chippewas would likely have selected tkt 
 •dge of the near by bay, which once existed there, fuf 
 the site of their camp. The distance from Pembina to 
 the lake in a southwestern direction is about 100 inilet, 
 The episode to which reference is here made ia from 
 'Vauner's Narrative. 
 
 In the summer of 1804 a band of ten Chippewas, h^ 
 sides squaws and children with the chief. Little C)a«i 
 ahell. left Pembin^ for the lal|e, their intention being 
 to camp there, hunt and make peromican. Tanner 
 Was iUTited to Join the party, but eicused himself from 
 foing on the ground that he "wished to remain in m 
 troody country, for the purpose of hunting the fnr>bear> 
 ing animaU/' Among the party there was a yottng 
 man, a sort of dreamer, ^lio, before leaving Pembinn 
 
 predicted that if they went at that time be himself 
 would be killed. On the journey to the Jnke his pr«*v 
 dictiouj* influenced otbern so that J<everal of the party 
 ftole away and skulked back to Feinblua. The rest, 
 men, womeu and children, went on to the lake, btttOD>j 
 one ever returned. This wj«i» a person whom TaBoet 
 callit "a foolish and lying young man." The etorj b# 
 told as an excuse for returning to Pembina, wa» that ho 
 ifelt that signs of danger had began to thicken aronrnl 
 jLiitle Clam and his b«nd, so thht io the night bo bad 
 left the camp, and bad traveled a considerable dittOOQt 
 
LBOSND AKD PACT 
 
 wlMo ia the onomiog he had heard the soood of gunt 
 9omiog from the direction of the camp. As to the rMl 
 of this affair, Tanner'^ Narratiye says: 
 
 '*Wc did not immediately credit the account of tkii Baft, 
 tet waited anxisusly from day to day till at last the chiefs 
 4ettrmiaed to send twenty men to ascertain whether there was 
 any foundation for his statement. This party, when they 
 arrived at the place where the Little Clam bad been encamped 
 found that the whole band bad been eut ofi. First, and \m 
 advance of all the camp lay the body of Se-gwnn-ooas, the 
 young man who had predicted the attack before he left Pea»> 
 Vinah. Near him lay some young men of his own age, and 
 iarther back the stout body of Little Clam stuck full of arrows. 
 Ia the camp the ground was strewed with the bodies of wome* 
 and children. At a distance was the body of one of the Sioaa 
 la a sitting posture and covered with the pukkwi, or mats* 
 Which had belonged to the 0)ibbeway lodges. Not one es- 
 caped except Match* e* toons, but some afterwards doubted 
 whether he had not fled in the time of the fight instead ci the 
 evening before as he stated. Thus died Little Clam the iasl 
 of the considerable men of his age belonging to the Otibb^* 
 ways of Red river. Our village seemed desolate after tbe^kif^ 
 of so many men.'* 
 
 The lant sentence of Tftnner'ft reUtion, coosiatiAg oi 
 a remark, needs some explanHtiou. Aa before otated^ 
 the narratiTe of his life wnn dictated or related, pk>e« 
 by piece, to Dr. JxmeR, an army pofitsurgeoB, tometicne 
 after Major Long's visit to Pembina in 1S28. This was 
 many years after the principal events of his life. Hat> 
 log spent much of his life hm n hunter aiul trapper, and 
 Unable to read or writv, his memory of the order of 
 etents and of the Indian chiefs concerned, had become 
 confused. Of the three Jt'emb ch chiiitaiAS who were 
 
JO SAJtLi Mtirrour of the devilk lakkcountbt 
 
 m ^ i' i 
 
 -billed by the Biouz iii the first decMde of the century 
 TaDoer seems to have been under the impression that 
 Xittle Clam bhell wns the bxt, whereHR other records 
 ihow that he wus the first of the three that lost their 
 liTes in hostile encounters with the Hioux. The second 
 chief killed was Heaupre or L« Liard who lost his life 
 in a massacre on Tongue river July 3, 1805, this chief 
 being father-in-law to Capt. Alex Henry of Pembina; 
 the third chief killed by the Sioux was Tabashaw whom 
 Tanner speaks of as Ta-bu-shinh, near Wild Rice riyer 
 In December, 1807. It was then that Tanner might 
 Well have said, "Our villnge seemed desolate after the 
 loss of so many men." 
 
 With much going on in the Northweet during that, 
 first decade of the Isst century, we may now inquire aa 
 to how little or how much was known of this then re- 
 mote region to the people of our eastern states. We 
 may get some idea of this subject by citing a few brief 
 <|Uotation8 from a descriptive geographical work called 
 the Morse Geography,* first published in 1789 and used 
 in the schools of this country for between twenty and 
 thirty years thereafter. The copy quoted is of an edi- 
 tion printed in 1807, the eleventh. 
 
 Speaking of the remote parts of what is now the roi<!t- 
 dle west the geographer remarked: "There is a large 
 tract of country (formerly included in the terrhory 
 N. VV. of the Ohio) lying north of the Dlinuia an<! west 
 of lake Michigan, and extending to the northwest point 
 
 • •'Geocraphy Made Easy; being an AbrtdKettest of tbe 
 American Univerial Geography." By Jedldiab Motm. D. D. He 
 was our first American geographer, resided in ChaVlettowo, 
 (iDd was father to 8. F. B. MorM, of talegtAph aaemory. 
 
LVaXKD AND FACT 3) 
 
 ■) III I ———1 ■ ■ III II II —.1.— Ill I ■ 
 
 q1 th« Uoited Suten, which If inhabited by rariou* 
 tribes of lodiaDS, and which ia little koowo." 
 
 lo describing the Great Lakes he beeios at the weal 
 ftcid with the Jiaice of the Woods. "The principal lakea 
 i& the United State*, are the Lake of the Woods, io tht 
 northwest corner of the United States, 70 miles long 
 Siod 40 wide.-»As you travel east you nextcometo Long 
 Lake, 100 miles long, and about 18 or 20 wide.— Thenee 
 you pass through sereral smHlI lakes into Lake Supe^ 
 rior, the largest lake in the world, being about 1^600 
 miles in circumference." 
 
 Could Capt. Henry ha?e looked over a chance copy of 
 thin work he might have smiled over the enlargement 
 of Rainy lake, being on a route he had frequently gone 
 back and forth over; but having been in 1806 out tothe 
 Missouri river, he certainly would not have agreed with 
 the geographer in regard to the sources of that and 
 some other large rivers, as indicated by what follows; 
 "The Indians say that three of the largest rivers io 
 North America, viz: bt. Lawrence, Mississippi and 
 Oregon, or river of the went, have their sources witbilt 
 About SO miles of each other. If this be a fact, it profit 
 that the lands at the heads of these rivers are the high* 
 est in North America." 
 
 A crudely engraved map of North America, p>ea9ur- 
 ing about 8 by 7 inches, dated 1806, which tM^d into 
 the book, represents the Missouri river as bsving its 
 source in a lake in what is now the western part of 
 Mebrsska. The geographer evidently knew notkiog of 
 the Red river country. Ci»uld be have seen tome mai>. 
 uscript maps of Verendrye's time, buried among the 
 colonial records of France, might have been benefitted 
 
^ AAKLT tiZ^TORT OV TliE DEVILS LAKE COUNTRY 
 
 in 8f)m« In those reepectH. I'he Lewis ftod Clark ezpedi* 
 tion hftd returned in 180G, but for f^ome reasoa or othef 
 their report nus n«)t pul))ishef1 till 1813. Id the mean- 
 time the journal of Alexander Mackenzie wai printed la 
 New York in 1809, and this gave much new ireograpk- 
 ifal information conrrrniMtr the region between HudaCHi 
 Hay and the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 When the Loulaiana Purchase was made Id 1808, ita 
 Qorthern boandarj was unsettled and although it wai 
 thought that the 49th parHllel of latitude should becomt 
 the boundary in question, this wh«* not definitely agreed 
 apoo between Great Britain and the United Statea nntil 
 the y«ar 1818, and then only from the Lake of th« 
 Woodi* to the Rockv Motintaina What is now Idaho, 
 Oref^on nud WashiDgu>n wh4 neyer included in ih# 
 L(mi>iaQH Por«:haf»«, althoueh the contrnry Idea waa 
 encouraged. Under the circum»»iance8, in Capt. Henry'a 
 tiqfie, no boundary line was recognized by the tradera t« 
 -the west of Lake Superior. 
 
 The first white men that saw Derils lake wer« Hke^y 
 to hare been persons in the employment of th« Nortlh 
 west Fur Company, We find no mention of white mep 
 ▼isiting the lake until about 1815 or later when Duncan 
 (Iraham, a Scotchman, having married a 8loox woman, 
 fettled on an itiland named after him, and traded with 
 the Indians for dome time. About 1819 Auguttin* 
 Roche, a French Canadian trader, also a squaw man, 
 establiflhed a post on another island, located near th* 
 present Chautauqua grounds, and named after him Koeh 
 island. Years now pass with no further allusicne io thi« 
 region owinRto(he isolation of that p«rt of t|»« coiuiUy, 
 
CHAfTER JV. 
 KXPEDITION OF JBAN N. NIOOLT.ET 
 
 AS loDf; ago as when Jackson was Fregident th«r« 
 had been established by the goTerumeut a body 
 of men called the Bureau of Topographic^ 1 Engioecraf. 
 In part their work was of a geographical nature, riail* 
 jog with military escorts little known portions of Ik* 
 tf^rritories, mappiutf the lakes, streams and land beigkta, 
 also nscertaing such details a» altitudes, latitude and 
 longitude of various piMntw, the width and depth of tk« 
 stream*, and other particulars, their finding» being 
 •mbodied in reports and accompanying maps. 
 
 Jean N. Nicollet was a Frenchman by biith. H« 
 was born in the villMse of Cluses, Krance, in 1786. This 
 place is located in the department (county) of Haute 
 i^a?oie, about 35 miles southeast from Geneva. NicoU 
 let studied astronomy under La Place and in 1817 he 
 was appointed librarian of the Paris obNervatory. With 
 a irood equipment of the physical knowledge of his time 
 he sailed from Bre^t tor the Unite i State* in 1881. 
 After arriving; in this country he entered the service 
 of the Bureau of 'li>po^rHpliic>4l Engineers. After ex- 
 ploring the basin of the lower Missisr<ippi river and ita 
 a£9uents in the south, he v>as next assigned tu the region 
 of the upper Mi^sipwippi with heaHqiiarteriiat St. Louis, 
 
 The geographical and other work "ow done in Iowa, 
 Minnesota and the I akotas was more thorough than 
 bad been done before by the united efforts of all pr^ 
 ▼iouR explorers. In the^^e later explorations wbijBh 
 covered the years from 183^ ift )843, Lieut. JobD Ou 
 
M iCAKLY HiBlUHX Uk JT^JC UKTILS LAKA country 
 
 Fremont waf< Nicullet'N priucipal «iii and asaiHUnt froii\ 
 the time of his appointmeut iu 1888. A biography of 
 Fremout which wan published in 18^6 when he waa 
 a candidate tor ihe Presidency, says in regard to kU 
 asAigixment to goveruiii<\ut nt-rvice uucer Nicollet: 
 
 "Uariog the admin istra^on of Mr. Van Bureo, an act wa« 
 passed and approved by iiim on the 5th of July, 1838, to m* 
 crease the military es^blishment. The fourth section required 
 that the corps of topographical engineers should be organized 
 and increased, by regular promotion in the same^ so that th^ 
 said corps should consist of .one colonel, one lieutenant colo- 
 nel, four majors, ten captains, ten first lieutenants, and ten^ 
 second lieutenants; and the htth section ordained that th^ 
 f acancies created by said organization, over and abote those 
 which could be filled by the corps itself, should be taken from^ 
 ihe army, and from such as it may be deemed advisable of thf 
 civil engineers employed under the act of the ^oih of April, 
 1824. 
 
 '*The latter clause let in Mr. Fremont. It was probably 
 designed to do so, as his friend and patron, Mr. Poinsett, was 
 then Sectetaiy of War. He was accordingly commissionedi 
 two days afterwards, on the 7th of July, 1838, as a second 
 lieutenant of the top< graphic-<<l engineers. About this time 
 he had been tran^feircd tn the theatre of his fame, the field 
 where his greatest work in life was to be done." 
 
 The woik hbove quoted ^ctf^M on to fitate that the task 
 of a t()| igraphichl .'^urvey of the va(«t region west of the 
 Mississippi wa8 deemed by the adminiHtratioD to be 
 in (orthnt, and that Mr. Micoilet, astronomer and mem- 
 ber of the French Academy, and a gentleman of great 
 l^ereral uciompiishmerts and worth, re*»iding in 8t. 
 l^ouiH, hud bten placed iu charge of this ^ervice. Hft 
 
SJtFKDITiON OF JKaA H. NiOULL£T 35k 
 
 bad requested that gome CHpable and young person be» 
 asftociated with him hs an aMdi«tHiii, and heuce l^ieui. 
 Fremont was assigned to that podiiion and be gladly 
 accepted the otfer of it. Hi? first service with NicolUti 
 was during thai year in Minnesota. 
 
 During the warm nea^ion of the year 1S'6\) Nicollet's 
 party w^h again in the field They left rit. l^ouis Aprii 
 4th on tiio Pteamer Anielope which ran on. the Missouri 
 river iii the service of the AmericaH Fur Company, and 
 un June l2th they landed at Fort Fitrre Choteau with 
 rteventfen horses. They had occupied sixty nine dayn 
 with stoppages for obi^ervationM, and covered a distance 
 of 1271 miles. Having crossed to the east side of the 
 river, by July 6th the expedition was enroute ior DeviU 
 Ukd. They traveled in ^ iiiortheastern directioii acrosa 
 the southern exten^ion ot the Missouri I'oieau to a post 
 of the American Fur Company called Uakwo<jd Settle>- 
 meot on James river, or liiviere a JsqueM as the tradera 
 then called this stream Tiiis trading post was near 
 the south line of Brown County, S. D. The line oi 
 inarch was next up the wet»t side of James river to B«)ne 
 Hill (in La.Moure (\)unty). whence, having crossed the 
 river, they continued noiiheafit t«» the ^he^enne river^ 
 which wax rt-ached a few milfM below where Valley City 
 In now located. This* stream was followed up toward 
 heviU lake. The 25th and 2Cth of July was spent about 
 a group of small lakes south of the upper reach of the 
 8heyerne, of which Lhke Jcfsie is on^.-so*^ Darned at 
 that time in honor i.f Jessie (Bentui/) Fremont. U4> 
 one of the last days of July the expedition arrived on 
 l\ts south shore of I evils ]ak0 at a ^ptteX^ieh Nicollet'a 
 piap calU Chantre Hill. 
 
.^tt KARLY tfiafOMT OF iht okTILS tA« OOVlfTKT 
 
 A week wh8 Hpent nround the lake and in its Ticinity, 
 mapping it« outliues, outing pbysicHJ features, and 
 making obflervationn. The party explored its soath 
 Mbore as far west &h the point of laud near Fort Totten 
 and the north shore to where Grand Harbor is located. 
 The west end of the lake was not visited, so Nicollet's 
 map leaves that portion of its outlines unfinished, or as 
 not bfing known. l^rinted on what represents the 
 water surface on the map mentioned is this inscriptioo: 
 
 MINI W A K A N L A K K 
 
 (Devils L.) 
 
 The north shore ot the lake is shown as bluH'j, as if tb« 
 land north of it whs a plateau, then this line of blnffsr 
 extends around the north end of Stump lake, turninp 
 south and uniting with thowe shown along both sides of 
 Sheyenue river above its big bend, t^onir bays are alsry 
 shown indenting btith shorcH, those niont prominenf 
 pertaining to the south fehore. The narrowest part of 
 the lake is represented as being opposite where Fort 
 lotten is located. The country in two places, both 
 north and Houth of the lake, ij» niarked "Suit Water 
 Region" in OHpital letter!'. Stump lake Ih called oi» 
 the nap "Wamiiunhka" lakr. 
 
 On August 6th, .Nicollet's party were at the Houtb eud 
 of the ea!«tern arm ol Stump lake and on the Stb they 
 marched through the southern part of Nelson County 
 and into the western part of (irand Forks County, or to 
 the western verge of the Ked Hiver Valley. Engaged 
 largely in topographic work,' it was not to Nicollet** 
 purpose to explore level plains already mapped by Prof. 
 Keating. Their course was thereforjB cbanged to the 
 
mmmttKHHi om j>ka9 it. iticohhwt^ ZT 
 
 aouthward to reach and explore the Coteau des Prairies«, 
 lo this state the journey tu that region led tbrougb 
 Hteele, Barnes, Hansom and 8arg«^iit counties. 
 
 The map to which reference has been made, measur* 
 ed about 2J by 3 feet and was* printed on thin paper 
 »o as to fold up in a pocket of Nicollet's published 
 report. It was called "The Map of the Hydrographic»> 
 Basin of the Upper MisHi^sippi Kiver," and is dated 
 1842. The territory covered embraces the entire statea 
 of Iowa and Minnesota and parts of others that adjoin 
 (hem. To some extent the innp wan based on othera 
 preceding it, but HeyerlhelesH contained what were tkeo 
 many new geographical features, particularly in what 
 is now Minnesota and the eastern parts uf North and 
 Idouth Dakota, then all Indian country except for a few 
 military posts and fur trading establishments. In later 
 years Gen. G. K. Warren pronounced Nicollet's maj» 
 "one of the greatest contributi(»nM ever made to Amer-» 
 ican geography." 
 
 N. H. Winchell in his history of explorations ap- 
 pended to the forefront of the first volume of the Geo- 
 logical and Naturwl History r^urvey of Mirnepota had 
 this to say in regard to Nicollet's methods and work: 
 
 "He aims to locate correctly, by astronomical observations, 
 the numerous streams and lakes, and the main geograpbica* 
 featuren of the state, filling in by eye- sketching, and by 
 pacing, the iatermediate objects. His methods, allowing for 
 the imperfection of his appliances, 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, have been well if the methods of Nicollet 
 pould have been adhered to in tht surveying and wappiag of 
 
m £AKLY »lirFD&Y OF THK DETlL» l.KKK OOPWTRT 
 
 the irestern territories. Their geography would have beec^ 
 less rapidly developed, but it would have been done more 
 correctly. Nicollet's map embraces a multitude of nantes^ 
 including many new ones, which he applied to lakes aad^ 
 streams." 
 
 The followhip wre nameH on Nicollet's map that <>cear 
 un or near the route followe«i frum the Missouri riyer 
 to DeviU lake. Some of them still persist on present 
 <iaf maps. Any fignreM attached refer to altitudes •x- 
 teptint( days of the iiiooth which are quite obvious. 
 
 K. Medicine Knoll R. 
 
 Coteau du Missouri. 2026. 
 
 Wamdushkah or Snake K. 1696. 8th July. 
 
 Tchanrarachedan or Small Scattered Wood L. 9tli July. 
 
 Talle de Chenes. Otuhu Oju Oakwood Settlement. 
 
 Riv. A JaqOes. 
 Hampah or Mocasin R. 
 Chedi L. Maple R. Pey or Elm R. 
 Tuan Chicahah L. (Dakota lake in Stutsman Cfanty.ji 
 Two Forks lytb July. 
 Butte aux Os or Bone Hill R. 
 Butte aux Os or Bone Hill. 1400. iSth July. 
 Mato Pahah or Grisly Bear Hill R. 
 
 Shayenn Oju R. (Sheyenne river.) 
 Matota or Bears Den Hill. 
 Inyan Bosndata or Standing Rock. 
 •Tampa or Bird C. Ist Bald Hillock R Toll L. 
 
 ' Butte Michaux. 1386. Bald Hillock C. 
 
 L. Jessie (and several small unnamed lakes) 2$ k a6 Joly. 
 Horse Butte and L. 1378. Beaver Lodge R. 
 Free Peoples L. with fresh water. Chicot L, salt water. 
 Chantre Hill 17— 
 
 Mini Wakan Lak^ (Devils L.) . 
 
smrmvtimm cp mkah «, mcouusr 8^ 
 
 We do Dot wish to coDclude this eketcb relatiTe ia 
 (be work of a worthy officer of the corp» of top(»gr«pb> 
 ical engineers to whom the Dakotas was mocb indebted 
 tor the eariy deTelopment of a good part of iu geogra^ 
 phy, without giviDg the reader some idea relative W 
 the manner in which the said officer and explorer baa 
 been reoiembered by varions Hketrb writers and other 
 per^on^ e»«ayiog to write concerning the early history 
 9f this state. The following are specimens: 
 
 ♦*In 1839 Gen. John C. Frcroont crossed over the country 
 from ihe Missouri to the James and tbeuce up to Devils lake/* 
 
 "In 1836 7 John C. vFremont visited the region describing 
 accnrately Devils lake and other important localities." 
 
 *'It was afterwards explored by Lientenant- Colonel Fre- 
 moat, by Captain Pope, and by Lfentenant Warner.** 
 
 *'Over this trail General Fremont and bis party made tbeiff 
 jovmey eastward from Devils lake to Red river, and here ii^ 
 the immediate vicinity of the two lakes they pitched their 
 camp for a night." (No date mentioned, but the reference is 
 to Stump lake and a small fresh water lake near where Nicol- 
 let's party camped August 6, 1839.) 
 
 All of the above is bnsed of CdUrse opon Frerot»nt's 
 Ister lopularity «»• an explorer and pathfinder in what 
 was then the far west. The yenr he was with Nicollet 
 in the hakoths be wso 26 years of age, gaining a Tain* 
 »bl? rxferience for futpre ardoous services. Nicollet 
 died at Wai^hirgt* n, D. C, ?eptfmher 11, 1843, while 
 his rf|.ort wns Itirg rfvif^d and printed. Nicollet 
 I'MtntT, Minn., and an avecne in Minneapolis were 
 pamed after him. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 FKUM THE FORTIES TO SETTLEMENT TIMES 
 
 FOLLOWING the risit of Nicollet and FreaioDt we 
 find DO record oi tbe coming to Devils Imke of nnj* 
 other ezpeditiuuarj force uiitil the yenr 1846. Od the 
 $d of June that year Uapt. E. V. Sumner left Fort 
 Atkinson, in nortbea^tero Iowa, with a companj of 
 troop9 MDil headed iiOTthwentertj for the IVIioDeeot* 
 river, arriving; at Traverse de» 8ioux oo the 22d of 
 of the HMine month. Ih the coiinti^ f»oiith of the Wp 
 beud of the river a junction was effected with another 
 company under Lieut. Allen, who had marched north- 
 ward from Fort Des Moines*. From Traverse des Sioux 
 ihe united force next nmrclied to Lac qui Parle where 
 Capt. Snmner had an important conference with tbe 
 NYHb^^etori »i(»ux. liig tiStone lake was reached on tbA 
 5tb of July where a council was held with the ^issitODf. 
 The route from Big Stone lake to Devils lake was by 
 way of the j»outh bend of the Sheyenne river. Tbe 
 expedition reached Devils lake July 18th where they 
 met, presumably on the north ^hore, a band of about 
 180 halfhrfeds, who were oat on their u-'UhI .-umroer 
 buffalo hunt. Oii the return trip this military force 
 reached Traverse des rtioux August 7th, and later the 
 compsnies separated and returned to their respective 
 headquarters. This expedition "seems to have been 
 made more for the purpose of jqnpressing the Indian^ 
 with the power of the government and the necessity of 
 committing no depredations on the settlers, than for 
 the purpose of learning tbe nature ^f tbr<^uotry.". 
 
In tboxe yearA the Pembina and M»oitoWk kftlfbreedii 
 ^ften ▼ititf'd the coiintry nrljacfitt to tbe 9(>rtb sbpreot 
 the lake tod camped arouiul the indenting bays. Tbtic^ 
 women and chiMren accompanied them on the suBM«f 
 ^unt and it had become cuittomary to bare a pritt|| 
 with them who held a reiigioa§ service each Sunday 
 andinnttuctfd the children in camp at times on otb«r 
 dayA of tbe week. Capt. Pope who came tqt Ptinbia* 
 with Major Wood^ in 184V, thu» speaks of these %uwk* 
 Sier buffalo bums: 
 
 **The7 xabsist almost entirel}^ upon tbe dried buHalo mcat„ 
 which i» procured and prepared for use during their bants ifi 
 the autuma and summer. About the loth of June the baitr 
 breeds of tbe Selkirk settlemeuts join those of Pembina, and 
 baring elected some persons to manage their marches aad tbsi 
 afiairs of their internal police, they set out upon their bunt faff 
 the buffalo, which are only found withia the territory of tbfi 
 United States. They observe with great regard and unwavering 
 fidelity any agreements as to {(ovetnment which were madf; 
 before Starting, and are entirely submissive to the authority of 
 those they have selected ^% ^^ad^r^ until the return of tbe ca* 
 peditions, when everything like control is at once abandoned. 
 
 *'The greater portion of th«m own fine horses upon wbic| 
 10 pursue the chase, and those who have none are provided 
 for by permitting them to follow on foot tbe hungers, and, by 
 assistir.g to eta t up ©nd prepare for use the daughiercd bufialo, 
 to share the profits of tbe hunt. Some six pr eight hundred 
 of the small French carts, usually drawn by one o« or berte ifk 
 the shsfts, and capable of carrying pight hundred or oacthow* 
 Hand pounds, are taken out by the hunters, and are loaded 
 with their yearly supply of provisions. The women and cbiI4> 
 ren always accompany tbe expeditions, tbe women being 
 principally charged with the preparation of tbf d^d bntalo 
 meat and maanfactare ef tbf penniicaa.'* 
 
¥1 SAIiLT HISTORY Or THB DE¥IL8 LAKE COUNTRY 
 
 i)uring the years 1853, 1854 and 1855 there were con* 
 ducted several exploring nud surveying ezpeditiooa 
 near the 47th and 49ch parallels of latitude, the object 
 q\ which was to determine the practicability of a rail- 
 road route frutn the upper Mississippi river to the Pacific 
 Oceao. The engineers were accompaDied by militarj 
 escorts. iSuch projects had been broached back Id the 
 forties, which probably led to the government expedi*^ 
 tioDS mentioned. Reports were published, but we have 
 met with scarcely any accounts of parts of the country 
 examined by these parties. However, Gen. Htevena io 
 command ot one party, visited the Devils lake country 
 in 1853 and marked oai a trail leading southeast to Big 
 Stone lake. 
 
 By this time there was a well marked trail leading 
 from the lake northeast to St. Joseph and Pembina, 
 ^nd made by the halfbreed bi^ttalo huQters. In th» 
 fifties it was sometimes traveled over by the fur traders 
 of Pembina and rit. Jonepn. About the year 1858 tbf 
 traders arranged a peace conncil between the Chippewa* 
 and the 8ioux, which took place on the plains of Nelt^on 
 County, near i^tump lake. 
 
 In 1862 ('apt. Jas. 1^. Fi«k, who wa« sent to Kort Aber- 
 crombie, was authorized by the Secreiary of War to 
 escort with a company of troops any emigrant traiq 
 that might be bound for the western gold tields through 
 Dakota Territory, and those intending to make the tlip 
 were instructed to start from Fort Abercrombie. Early 
 in the season a company of about eighty emigrants from 
 Minnesota not knowing of the military escort, took a 
 more northern but longer route, and went by way of 
 Pembina. St. Joseph and along the uortbren boundary. 
 The train that Capt. Flak's truopa guarded left fort 
 
FKOM THS FOBTIX8 TO bETTLEMKMT TIMES 43 
 
 Abercronibie Juiy 7. 1S62, ftcd reached the first crosi- 
 ing ot the Sbeyeone where a fiuating bridge had been 
 provided, the next day. The route followed lay gener- 
 ally northwest toward Devils lake. The emigrant traift 
 WHS bound for VValU Walla, Wash., and was making 
 for Fort Benton by the most direct course. Just before 
 xeachiog the second crossing of the 8heyenne on the 
 14th, a herd of buffalo wa8 seen estimated to comprise 
 6,000 animals. Lake Jessie was reached in a couple of 
 days and passing through the rolliug country to the 
 auuth of Wevils lake the expedition filed on its way 
 toward the Missouri river. The troops took a 12-pound- 
 er cannon along wiih them bui had no occasion to use 
 it, for tnis was a few weeks ha/ore Indian hostilitiea 
 broke out in Mioneeota. 
 
 During the 8ioui Indian war of 1862 64, a good part 
 «)f the campaigniDg carried on against them was in the 
 Dakotas by the armies of Generals Hibley and Sully. 
 The army under (len. H. H. Sibley contiisted of ovaf 
 3,400 men and was organized for a summer cj^mpaign at 
 LeSeur, Minn., from which place they marched in June, 
 1863 to Big Storte lake, (/rofc-sin^ Browns valley between 
 that lake wnd Ljjke Iraverne the last of the onf>nth, the 
 inarch wac couiinued no« thwesierly to the bow or south 
 bend of iSheytnne river *vhich was reached July 4, 1863. 
 Crosiiiug the stream at a ford, the army went into camp 
 to »w«it the arrival of a supply train of about eighty 
 wagons from Alexandria, Minn., by way of Fort Aber- 
 crombie. This came on the evening of the 10th. After 
 beiug driven out of Minnesota, some bands of the Sioux 
 with the chief, Little Crow, had gathered about l>eviU 
 lake. Little Cruf? tent word to Geo. Sibley to come up 
 
44 KAKLY HISTOBT OW THl DETIL8 LACB OOUMTBr 
 
 there aud fight him. The march was resumed on the* 
 11th toward the lake. At that season the summer heat 
 WAS struoj;, druuth had parched the prairies and the 
 Rocky MouDtain locusts swarmed oyer the country, all 
 of which impressed the men with the idea that Dakota 
 would iierer make a desirable location for white people 
 to dwell in. 
 
 A second crossing of Sheyenne river was made on 
 July ir>Ht a point about filleen miles above Valley City. 
 Here the trail of Capt. Fisk was struck, which in part 
 had been the route of (^eu.atereiis in 1853. The march 
 was continued to Lake Jessie which was reached on tb« 
 19th. A caravan of Had Kiver halfbreeds was found iD 
 the neighborhood. At Lake Jessie a camp was formed 
 and named Gamp Atchison, it whs ascertained that the 
 Indians had left Devih lake and gone toward the south- 
 west to hunt buffalo in order to avoid famine. Little 
 i^row, with some twenty of his warriorn, went back into 
 Minnesota to steal horses, where he was killed by two 
 •ettlers iu Wright County. 
 
 Camp Atchison was made a hospital and supply sta- 
 tion for ^^ibley's army and several companien were left 
 gs a guard, while the niHin force continued the cam- 
 paign alter the hostile i^^iouz, resulting in killing 51 of 
 them. In the fall the army returned to Minnesota. 
 
 Captain Pick's company escorted another emigrant 
 train throuch to Idaho in 1868. The route followed 
 was the same aH before and in the track of Sibley's 
 army. In 1864 Uen. Bully, who had been campaigning 
 along the Missouri river, in marching eastward, came 
 tp Devils lake. Hullys hill, eaat of Foft Totteo, is « 
 memento of this Tisit. 
 
rsOM TH£ FORTIES TO eRTTLEMIN TIM18 45 
 
 Id the summer of 1865 a strong scouting force visited 
 Ueyiis lake. The object of the ezpedidon apparently 
 was to continue to impress the Indians with a show of 
 military power until the goyernment could establish 
 military posts in the Dakotas. The expedition set oat 
 trom Fort Snelling with Major Cunningham in com^ 
 mand, and consisted of a regiment of cavalry and up> 
 ward of two hundred civilians employed in various ea* 
 pacities, such as teamsters of an accompanying wagon 
 train, cooks, etc. The march whh across Minnesota by 
 one of the military routes, and in Dakota by way of 
 Sbeyenne river, following ^ibley*8 trail in part at least. 
 In August the expedition reached the lake and scouted 
 around there for a while. If there were any Indian* 
 there at that time they would likely have taken alarm 
 and withdrawn, tor they hati good reason to fear an 
 well-armed military force. On leaving Devils lake the 
 expedition proceeded eHHtward and southeast acrosH an 
 uninhabited stretch of country, their objective point at 
 first being Georgetown on Red river before returning to 
 Fort Snelling. There were men in Cunningham's com* 
 mand, also in Sibley's army, who, in subsequent years 
 •ettled in North Dakota, 
 
 Beginning with the year 1867, thence down to the 
 time when pt-rmanent settlements began to be made 
 along the north side of Devils lake, and around Stomp 
 lake, the history of that region is mainly that of Fort 
 Totten and the ('ut-Head Sioux Indian Reservation. 
 Settlements have occasionally been attempted in ad- 
 TRnce of what han been the regular march of westward 
 civilication and development, but if not abandoned they 
 have usually continued in a fitful ttAtoof eziatenco until 
 
4% «4KLT HIHTOUY UF JTMS l>mLtl LAKB OODITTBT 
 
 the Bgricultaral development of the country began im 
 ta^e place, which, in eastern North Dakota, was hardly 
 before the middle and late seventies. 
 
 The construction of Fort Totten was begun in (h« 
 summer of 1867, a considerable force of troops under 
 command of Qen. A. H.Terry having arrived at the 
 lake in July. The first buildings were constructed of 
 logs, the site chosen being about 900 feet back irom lb« 
 «hure of lake. The site is 14^0 feet above sea level and 
 about forty feet above the lake. The surrounding 
 tiountry is somewhat billy and otherwise of a rolling 
 nature. Near the lake the high ground is cut by deep 
 timbtred ravines and at the time the fort was bqiU, 
 dim, oak and ash timber lined the shore in its vicinity, 
 A portable sawmill was teamed from Fort StevensoO) 
 on the Missouri river, to lurnii<h sawn materials to aid 
 in the construction of the fort. The fort was named for 
 Col. Joseph Gilbert Totten, a distinguit«hed army officer, 
 who was born in New Haven, Conn., August 28, 178d» 
 #od died April 22, 1864. 
 
 By the close of the year fairly copifortable quarters 
 had been eKtabliHhed and a log stpckade built with 
 palisMdfs (ipbtefn feet high. 1 he buildings enclosed a 
 space about 400 ffet (•quare »khich served for a parade 
 ground. The po^t wac gnriifitred by three companieS| 
 Capt. i:). A. Wainwright being the first post commander* 
 succeeded near the end of the year by Major Whistler. 
 
 An attempt was made to eHtabliRh a mail route froin 
 Fort Abercrombie by way of Fort Hansom and theShey* 
 enne river tu Fort Totten tnd thence to the posts on 
 the upper Missouri river, but two mail carriers havin|| 
 been killed by the Indiana, that pa^i of the route mB§t 
 
yaoM THK fdrriit to numMutafj tiiibs 47 
 
 to Fort Stevenson bid to be abMiidoned. ▲ military 
 force ^oaigbt hare gone out and puoinbed tbe iDdiaoa,, 
 bnt it WAS thought to be a better policy to try toiodae* 
 the m to settle on m ref^erTatioo to be eittabliabed n9mr 
 Furt^Totten. A band of them wsa located at tbe beod 
 of Myu»e riTer.aod toward winter measesgera were tent 
 to them with tbe asKUraDce that they would be treated 
 Well Aud be provided for if they would locale od a reser* 
 TatioD. The JndiauR partly distrusted the whites, but 
 •«nt a sfnall baud to find out whether the promisee had 
 been made in good faith. Gradually tbe whole basd 
 i!ame in and settled nesr the post. 
 
 Ereo as late as 1S68 there were Indian troubles fro* 
 omali roving bands ^ho teiused to go on reserTatioBf. 
 On one f»cca<iioo a small band mounted on pooler rod* 
 in upon the reservation and endearored to stampede aod 
 drive away a herd of mules, but the auimals persisted 
 in running toward the fort. ]n trying to head them of 
 the Indians came near the fort and weie fired upon by 
 •ome of the troops, when they abandoned the object 
 of their raid and fled. The route to Fort Abercrombit 
 was safe to travel and tbe tnail for Fort Tottea vat 
 carried by fhimkas CrHVon. 
 
 The Indian reservation, i^hich isrlt)d«d tbe Fort 
 Totten Military reservation, was provided tor io 18G7 
 and was estsbli^hed by an order of the President of tbe 
 United States, January 11. 1870. There were chaogm 
 of boQodartea made later, and the military reserTatioa 
 waa made to include the islands in tbe lake. 1b 1870 
 tbe number of Indians gathered at the Agency footed 
 up to 152 tpen, 143 women and 246 childrefi— total 640. 
 3oBe of then bad begun to cultivate plots of laad. 
 
48 BAtcLY HIMPOKY OF TH« DEriLB LAKK COUNTRY 
 
 "Oil Septembr 6, 1872, Major Forbes Again reported 
 lo the Indian department. The largest number of 
 Indians on the Agency dnring the year was 725. The 
 wheat and oats crop that summer had been destroyed 
 by grasshoppers. However, the Indians had harresttd 
 2,000 bushels of corn, 1,500 bushels of potatoes, and 
 bad put up 300 ton^ of bay. A saw and grist mill ruo 
 by a twenty-five borne power engine had been built. 
 This together with other ageucy machinery to the falutt 
 of $5,000 had been purchaj'ed. More than fifty men 
 had adopted citizens' dreBS. The Indian agent and hie 
 employeeH still occupied the buildings of the old fort." 
 —State Historical Soc. Col., Vol. IH. p. 183. 
 
 In 1874, through effortH made by Major Forbes, the 
 beginnings of a Catholic Mission School was established 
 on the reservation. The first buildings were located 
 on the south shore of the lake about seven miles east of 
 the fort. Four Sisters of the Gray Nuns and a priest 
 came from Montreal by way of Jamestown to set about 
 establishing the mission. It was late in October and aa 
 a snow storm came on when ibey reached Jamestown 
 with M'^jor Forbes and others en route to the fort, they 
 encountered home hHrds-hipp, the la«t i^tretcb of their 
 journey from the rnilroad bfing 81 miles. They were 
 comfortably provided for in ii log house and they were 
 welcomed by the Indians. The mission building waa 
 not finished inside, but little by little things were got- 
 ten into better shape and hospital work undertaken for 
 the sick. The first year fifty children were provided 
 for at the school and while the sisters learned 8iou« 
 •he children learned Irglish. As time passed aceom* 
 modation9 and mission facilities grew apact. 
 
FBOV rif« VOKTIEtS to 0l>TirLl£MB1fT T1UW9 49 
 
 The tite of the post baildiogs of Fort Tott«D wm 
 oacfed 800 ytrds south and the daw ones that Wf 
 bailt were eooipleted during the earlj Beventiea. Th* 
 officers la command at the fort were changed from tint 
 lo tifoe^ »o also wore the bouDdnries of the miHtar|t 
 reseriraiion. \ Burvej made in 1875 defined thet« 
 boundaries as follows: "On the east by the line dif id* 
 log r<4nge8 64 and 65 west; on the south bj the 8hey* 
 enne river; on the west by the line diriding ranges €$ 
 and 6«); and on the north by Devils Luke." The Uat 
 Head 84oax itidian He«er?atioD lying ut>xt east was of 
 somewhat larger area comprising the tract between ih% 
 Uke and the Sheyenne river. 
 
 "In the lacter part of November, 187A, the garrisoft 
 at Fort rutceii coMsisted of but a aiiij^le company, an 
 entire force of but three officers^ 40 men and one lodiaa 
 scout. Thifi {.trot*ably marks the lowest point io thd 
 strength of the g^irrison at Fort Totten, during the 
 history of the post. This is nut Hiiigular. The Indian 
 wars in Montana cauied a dratn upon the frontier 
 garrisons at this time." In 1877 the garrison had been 
 increxited to fifteen officers and Jl70 men. The censui 
 of 1880 gave the population at Fort Totten as beioy 
 252 persons which includfd eirpltiyces and others. 
 
 Supplies for Port Totteu and th<> Indian reserratio^ 
 were teamed from Jamestown, but in 1877 a survey 
 was made lor a trail across the country with the view 
 of establishing a route to ('i rand Forks. However, b« 
 such route wss utilited until two years later. Th« 
 teaming was done by Itidian earsvaofl in summer aB<| 
 autumn. Good strong wsgore were used, each drawi| 
 ^y ayukeof oxeo witli ftQ ludiVo dmer and eaovM 
 
60 tASLT nwtQUt uy lui^ dbtil* lack codhybt 
 
 Ispees i?ere Ukeo along for their encatnpmenU at night.-' 
 The CAravans comprised forty or fifty teams io charg*, 
 at a white man hm agent or >V(»goo-uia8ier. 
 
 In the fall of 1879 a mail route was establinhtd 
 between Grand Forks and Kort Totten. Grand Forkt, 
 and Crookston were then about to become connected bj 
 railroad. Vietn & McKelTey of Grand Forks had r*- 
 ceivad a contract to (urai<tb supplies to the fort. Aa; 
 organisation called the Overland Mail A Tranaporl«*f 
 lion Company, with headquarters at Washington, w«r«^ 
 then the origiutil contract.iri with the government foe 
 a iarf^e nutuber ot mail routes in the west. As a wagOA. 
 trAil would consequently be opened or struck out fruii^ 
 -iirnod Forked to Fort lotteu, it seemed desirable thaV 
 it «ht>ul<i also be made at least a temporary mail ro«t«» 
 or until such time as the railroad would be extended to^ 
 i'eTils Uke. Bei^idea, the ctiurse of Turtle river wetl^ 
 af Grand Forks so far as there was any tittiber aloDg 
 the stream, was already occupied by settlers dweliint 1% 
 )oir cabins, and they had no mail facililies nearer tba^ 
 Grand Forks, to some of them twenty to th)rty-t?a< 
 miles distant. Grand Forks, it may be added, was tktn 
 Biereiy a villrigo ot four or five hundred inhabitant*. 
 
 After^some contest the sub-contract for carrying th« 
 nail on the route once a week was let to W. 19. Roach 
 who had moved to (^rand Forks from Washington, P.O., 
 in September of that jear. He started out on his first 
 trip, accompanied by James H. Mathews, in the early 
 part of < ^toher. As far west as Bachelors Grove, 9r 
 the foot of the nplands, they drove on the wagon traiU 
 of thp Turtle river settlers, but in what is now Nelson 
 County they bad to pick their way usiog a pocket eo«^ 
 
9W>« THI F0il¥2Mi tU tfrrt^KlfKNT TIMES bl 
 
 ■ I > I.I. — ' ' ' ' ■' 
 
 ptM. Near (h« west border of Grand Forki Coauty, 
 •■ now bounded, they met the first lodiao carayan ttiat 
 went to Qraod Forks for gorernment supplies and 
 fdiich tbuB far had traveled a more southern route tha» 
 the mail party took iu crossing Nelson County. 
 
 After the route was opened three itttenuediate post* 
 offices were establiahed in the iog cabins of settlers, 
 two on Turtle ri7er and the other at Stump lake. Tb« 
 latter was kept by Warren Smith. Uoach also pot up 
 a storm ciibin in what is now Adler township, Nelson 
 CoQOty, for possible winter use. He drove a light 
 W|igon with two good roadsters attached. He did ool 
 ftlwayii go on the road himself but made use of the ser- 
 7:ee>4 of others. Soiuetimes in winter a dog sleigh ba4 
 4o be owed. 
 
 ' fn comias? from Grand Forks the Kort Totteu trail 
 cro»f«ed Turtle river at wh*t wi»i then Kobert BUkely'a 
 )^lace in Mekinock t»>%uHhip <tnd keeping on the north 
 tide of the stream for severnl miles it again crossed U 
 at H. K. Hanson's plac* in HegtoH township. Th« 
 two Turtle river postofficcM were kept by the twosettlert 
 ■leutioneri nbove. pHHsiug on throujr h Elm Grove and 
 the south part ot Niaenra townships the route passed 
 out ot Grand Forks County in the northwest corner of 
 Moraine towr«hip. Cro«nioir the north half «f Nelson 
 County the route next pasted aron nd the north end of 
 Htump lake and turning the eaMt end of Devils lake it 
 crossed the Reservation to Fort Totten. For the notl 
 part, when firot struck out, the route lay across an opeo^ 
 stretch of country that had neither been surveyed oe 
 settled, though a few 8eitler« had located where therf 
 w«s timber, particularly along Turtle riyer. 
 
In December, IS7\), a son of Wnrreo Smith was taking 
 the mail through to Kort TotteD by dog sledge and he 
 had with him a while a&u and a halthreed. When 
 crossiug Nei80o County they were ovettaken by a blii* 
 lard. 'i'hey had three dogs in the train, but thef 
 ioKt the beaten track in the storm. Turning over th« 
 ttledge for oheher they Uy out two days or more antil 
 the storm abated, and ha?iDg killed one of the dogi 
 for food, while another perished, they finally succeeded 
 in reaching the cabin of Francis de Molin, a huuter 
 i|nd trapper located at Stump lake, and they arrifed 
 there in an ezhauHted condition. Here they were cared 
 for until they cuuld reach Fort Totten. At Urand 
 Forkii, not being heard from for a long ti.ne, it wav sup* 
 pOHed that they had perished in the storm until a letter 
 that bad been Eieot around by way of Jamestown and 
 Fargo arrived there stating that the men were eafe %% 
 the tort and that the route was, for the time heiogy 
 iu.psb8able. 
 
OHAPTRR VI. 
 
 SACKCROUND TO THE LAKE SETTLEMENTS 
 
 IN the present chapter a brief survey will be mside 
 relative to the tmmeiiiate historic background Ihat 
 preceded the •citlementi that began to be made in iht 
 •pring of 1882 at 8tuoip lake and the north Bhore of 
 Oeviii lake. There was hut little agricultural derelop« 
 neot ID the Red Riyer Valley prior to 1878 largely 
 Awing to a Uck of railroads asd immigratioo. Whta 
 the valley was being Siled with settlers and a railroad 
 «raH being constructed from Ked river toward the lakes, 
 ithe later tide of inimigration into the valley would 
 then begin to think of pushing farther westward, but 
 hardly at any earlier period. 
 
 Owing to varions causes the settlement of tbe eaaters 
 part of North liakota was quite generally retarded 
 during the decade of the seventies. As much as any- 
 thing this retardation of immigration to this state wat 
 d|ue to adverse reports respecting the nature of the 
 country, locust ravHges in the western portion of 
 Minnesota and lack of knowledge in regard to the ac« 
 tual capHbilities of this northwestern region. Toward 
 the close oi ihe decade the newspHper reports concern* 
 |ng the yields of wheHt 4>ii the large fHrnis that bad 
 been opened in Cass County adjacent to the Northern 
 I'acific Railroad, began attraciine attention in tho 
 middle western states siace these were in coutradiction 
 to what had been published and generally believed 
 previimsly. Times were somewhat hard during tb« 
 piddle seventies and people were lesa inclined to omi* 
 
4i MAAtrnt BK81«aT (MP T#«Ji OSVILS L4K8 OOONTftT 
 
 grate ihaa when times were normitl. Meanwhile « few 
 hundred people at Urand Forkn waited tor immigratioa 
 and for some nhow ot an Hgriculiural development of 
 Ihe couDtrj nest of Ked river which seemed long is 
 coming, althu two li»e» of railroad had now reached 
 the Ked Hirer Valley. 
 
 Oommencing ioiib78, a larger imraigration into lh« 
 lied Kiver Valley began setting iu than had eamt io 
 any previouii y^amr since a begiriuiog was mada \m 1870 
 and 1871 and the tide increancd annually until the year 
 1882 inauguraied its fijod tide; but bo late as th« fall 
 of 1881 the i;iud wtJMt of (iraod Porki was occapiad 
 generally only to the westeru verge of the valley or 
 loot of the uplands that stretched thence to Stamp 
 and Doviis UVea and beyond. In connection with thia 
 aoiigration muvfrneDt » ct^rtnin tuct may be stated. 
 The raising of wheat on tbi? numerous small farms in 
 southern Minuesuia and imrtheru Iowa ended in th* 
 late N«v«atiea a» had \n)«iu the cane before in somo of 
 ^he older states. Thr sn)t>ll larmers were not able 
 to cope with the chnu^ed condiiioos about to ensue aNil 
 either turned their pUce^ over to mortgagors or sold 
 Them to mors (>rot<peruUA neighbors au'l etnijrr-.ited io, 
 hundred- oi CA»en to we^t^rQ >JiaDet«ota and Ualrota 
 Territory, the locupt scwr*- Shvhsjr abftt^^d. 
 
 When the railroad gradr:»« had fiiniHbed their work 
 OB the oast side of the river at Grand Forks in the fall 
 of 187f, they moved their casnpn to the west side aBd 
 proceeded Co grade a ten mile stretch of roadhed da# 
 west acroHB the valley plain. The building of a bridge 
 delayed getting trainn across the river until early io 
 ^a&uary, ].88U, and then for a few da/i only wb«a (ki» 
 
tie«r line from Crook«ton was blocked by sbow and •• 
 remaiBed UDlil after tbe middle of March. DarioK tli« 
 •Hcainer of 1880 the roadbed west from tows wae ireii«4 
 And a filUge at fir«t called Sticknej and next year, 
 Ojata, was started at the end of the track. In the fall 
 9f 1881 the railroad was extended to i.arimore, reaclH 
 Ing that point NoTember 22, and on e^nndaj, Dec. lil^ 
 7/sgular trains began running. 
 
 In the spring of 1882 Larin>ore experienced a k«ai» 
 ]^or«rj building and business boom. It remained kk« 
 Tailrosd terminus until Ute ibe next fall and in tk« 
 meantime became the outfitting point for a wide sc«p« 
 <if country to the wcniward extending to Stump mm4 
 i)evilH Inkes. The ▼anguarOl of the great emigraiioB 
 aooveajewi ol 1882 be«an arriving in tbe early pari •! 
 March. Wisconsin and Michigan, Illinois and low* 
 burnished large contingent*, and others came froai aft 
 ^ar east as New York Rtate and as tar south as Ken- 
 tucky and northern Missouri. In a large measure thid 
 tinflax of settlers wa» the oaujomo of extensive adver* 
 Using of tbe country, carried on by towusiie booroert 
 xad real estate men. But il should be noted thai th# 
 Umes were more fnyorabl** for eucb movements ol po^ 
 Alatiou tiian hsd now been the case for several yeara. 
 
 A moTementoi the iucominjp immigaaots began i» 
 the sprinor into what if nov Nelson and Kamsey eovn* 
 ties and this increased as the summer moatha eamft 
 on. Long trains, though one mixed train daily, wer» 
 then coming into Larimore, a good proportion of th« 
 box cars being loaded with the incoming imniigmnt*! 
 •utfite— household goods, farming implemenla, tenltj 
 cows, wagons and hyr§mc In geoeral ftiw »#w h9t4» 
 
dS ■4MJkt d(8tt>ft8 iv 12U. Mtviu Lack cevvTSY 
 
 »i^— — '^— »» I I I 1 1 I ■■ I III I ■ I .1 1 1 I , , 
 
 of I0itlert came well prorided to begin » brief piooe«r 
 tife oD tb«ir claino. New roadi or wagon trails wer« 
 •cruek out, though in NeUoo Uounty the Fori Tottev 
 irall waa aiso in part u»*ed. In aettied weather nuBier^ 
 ott<} teana wer« dail^ moving w«'atwarrd loaded with lk« 
 •etiler'a outftu, pro?iiion«, lumber and merehandUe for 
 atoret. 
 
 The •ame spring the railroad aurfey waa extended 
 weft at LariMiore. Ah fir«t stakrd out itcrosaed ihrougli 
 What i8 now Adier towu«hip in Melton County. SnK*" 
 Grand Forks parties erected a large three-story hotel 
 With a tat roof near the 8ur?ey line with l^e intentloa 
 of laying out a railrohd village there. The Fort Tolte» 
 CCttlV fiassed jast south ot the building and a little faff« 
 ther west it crof>sed a shalluw coolie or drainage run etf 
 a branch of Uoone river. Probably the hotel did a fair 
 business during the teaming period mentioned. Bui 
 when the railroad mauMgement came to consider tbo 
 levels ot the Rur>ey it wms found that where the linOj" 
 would mount to the general height of the oplaBda II 
 would rf^quire |;rades stteper than were desirable. S# 
 another purvey wa« ordered »hich toi^k ike lice diag^^ 
 nally up the f*lope of the hill ccuntry or ncrthwesi fef 
 about Aix miles to where ir again turned weat«af4«'; 
 This left the Adler hotel that n^uch to tbo aostli ol 
 where the railroad now runs and so the bnilAing weal id 
 d<ray. It was rreof tho^e hotels said in Aitor 
 to have been built in the wrong plae«. 
 
CHAPTKE VIL 
 
 AROUND STUMP LAKf 
 
 STUMP Uke is an irregular shaped body of waUf 
 located wholly within the limits of Nelson County 
 And about a doien miles CHSt by south from the eastera 
 dud of l>eril8 lake. The length of the lake ffons uotik 
 to south is about nine ncile^, though this does not in- 
 clude itP western part in Lake township nor an eaitern 
 Ihree-ciile indentntiun into VVamduska township from 
 near its aio«t southern extennioD. The diflerent parte 
 of the lake vary from three-quarters of a mile to on* 
 sod ivto miles in breadth. In places high bluff shores 
 riue above the lake, crowned with timber, with a wide 
 beach below left by the lowered waters, for the aurfac* 
 hftP fallen several feet sir <:e the Rettlenrert of the inr- 
 rounding country took place. Between Stump and 
 Devils lakes there are aome high hills rising from l^ 
 to SOO (eet above the firxt onentioned body of water. 
 
 As the last glaciftl epoch wa^ closing the plains wer« 
 flooded with water from the melting icoF-heet that had 
 covered the iaofi wnd filled river villeys &ud the laka 
 basins. iJtump and Devils Itikew were probably inter* 
 *)onnected for some time. An »»!'i ^itur? lino is traceable 
 ijalf WRV up the blutf of tl e cast »ide of tttump lake 
 at the Biimmer report twelve ti»ile« south of Lakot* 
 which marks the former height of the glacial aood 
 waters in the basin of the lake Itself. At that tinoe 
 both Stump and Devils lakep drained Into the Sheyenne 
 r^ver and that in turn into the glacial lake Agassii 
 which then filled the Eed Kifcr Valley— held tbew bf 
 
fl nijidY niwfMiv ^f Tim u«f i(j Mu oodsrav 
 
 ill* froBi •( lb* fato4tag ieeAl)09(. From tooie caast 
 or other a ioaf (l^aMoatiun (»«trio4 entned *t toBO lima 
 after the Ice Age b«€| p^iued %«ejr, duriAf which Boch 
 •f |be Ule ^o(tom fr«9 laid bare l|l>4 e (ureel hftd tioit 
 io grow upoii i^, Theo (he drj period endedi the \§!k9 
 %^aln rose ead tiAhoierged end destroyed the (ureit. Th« 
 aVUBpt eod trunks of trees efe visible otf shore ift lh« 
 cleAr water a^d wood washed eahar« Id etorne wm 
 (lathered ia large <]Baotities h; tbe settlere. 
 
 in ISdl there were but few settlere at Stawif Uk« 
 aad of a class who preferred to boTer oa the hordera o# 
 ctTilixation. Early conier« into North Dakota oftes 
 located in the timber aloDg the lakes and stream* 
 geDcraily as squatters Id advence of the goveroAWBl 
 survey of the public laods. These locations were aad^ 
 to the aeglect of the more vaiueAble opeu prairie law^i^ 
 the timber settlers nndAuwbile dwelling io log etbiw* 
 which cost but little to couMtruct, one team load of piaa 
 lumber sufficing for the ground and loft floors and rpof* 
 With the ohink»> between the logs filled with pUele» 
 and whitewashed ieside, sucb cabins Bade fairly oom* 
 tortabie dw^ittngs. 
 
 We bttve spoken of the stream of prospeetive Mttlerii 
 thnt begun teaming went from t.nrimore when thai 
 pUce was the terminus of the rntlroad. In the sprin|^ 
 two stage lines also began running west from Larimor* 
 one of which went to Fort Totteo. One or both earned 
 piail so the Fort Totten trail, as a mail route, wae dii- 
 Con tinned. In Qrand Forks County east of the uplands^ 
 ^he settlers in breaking were already obliterating i^ 
 where it eruaetd thfir Unde. relecAiiog the VMri^at 
 
ikiiO^WD tfXPMF LAKH 6I| 
 
 «ragoQ (.rails Co Che •eccioo iioes. Certain correspood- 
 eoce with the Larimore Pioneer horn Hiump lake will 
 give a good idea ol what was in progress there, ii«>tat>l7 
 &i the attempted towDoites and of parties couceroed. 
 
 As early as March 7, IS82, meotioD is made in the 
 Larimore Piufieer that M. I. Meodelson ot tirand Votk% 
 intended to lay out a tuwD at btump lake and alto 
 intended tu establish a big farm around it. The laud 
 there was nut yet in market, and all ol the quarters h« 
 bad selected except one were a|>propriated by squatters 
 iince no one could bold laud uult»fi they bad eatablisb* 
 ed a re»idence upon it. Ibe loilowing batch of Stump 
 take correspondence dated March 10th appeared in the 
 I'ioceer ot March it>, lbb2, which was the fourth issue 
 9( the paper. The correBpondecce was from a loculilj 
 kt atump Ittke then called the t^arkhurst farm. 
 
 Stump lake is not at present to t>e called Lake Parkbmrtt 
 as bai been given out. The petitioo gotten up aaoag tht 
 settlers has to be preKCDiea to a bigber power than the Gc»* 
 eral Land Office at Wasbington for approval. 
 
 Mr David Olmstead is still here, and is arrangiag mattcm 
 ^or the tewnsite. 
 
 Mr. Wiliiais Cailvert and UxnWy are all np fro» the Ferki 
 and will stay the year. 
 
 Mr. Joseph Hay is teaming between here aad I«riB«rt 
 with a new span at good roadsters. 
 
 Col. Maxwell is away on basinets relating tw kis peusiM 
 
 which gives him sobc anxiety. 
 
 Every oDe is 61ing oa bit land which cane into «arkct tkf 
 6iti inst. There is great rc)wiciBg alt arwuad. 
 
40 mkAi,t iii(re»»T op frih^i i>uf ills laks coovtbt 
 
 Mr. MiUi Church [of Larttnore] passed throagli kcrt 
 Th»rtda7 ■Q^ Frtday oa a crip to Ue tottth soaae tvtatj 
 ailics airaf. 
 
 Mr. Warrea Smith and wife bare retaraed t» their b^ae mi 
 the Elk Vallej, after & pleasant stay of soaae tea dayi. 
 
 The new hotel is in shape and carpemter C. F. Ssitli It 
 yuttiog in some good work. He has bis hands fall of c«a- 
 :4cti. 
 
 The MendelsoQ Farming Compaay are still in earnest witb 
 ^heir efiortx, aad hare land in the unsarveyed townships ■•«. 
 
 Mr. Charles Haliiner, the "chef de cnisine" of Mr. C. T. 
 Hsirria' hotel, has taken a rich claim acaoss the lake near Mr. 
 
 Hebe. Raprager. 
 
 Mr. firmer C. Smith's cosy stepping point for land kaatcrt 
 seeking claims Ia the south township is ioctssantly fall of 
 teamsters direct from Lariniore, 
 
 The mail service arrircs frora Larimore instead of Ojata 
 dow. Postmaster Fox is seeking a more satisfactory delivery 
 Rill the tri- weekly is put en the road. 
 
 Mr. Charles Malorey, of Grand Forks, is op to see hit 
 homestead, t^i izcdon 22, which has a frontage on the lake of 
 half a mile and ha? some tweniy acief> of fair timber. 
 
 Bauj^brnan's lumber yard can supply yoo with loHibeff 
 enough to corer your i6o acre jewel. Lumber it arrivisf 
 every day, consisting of the same grade of stock that is ob" 
 tained at Larimore. 
 
 Mr Walter G. Foz, brother to H. Ashton Fox, ie 
 Parkhurst. He is a civil engineer by profefsior, and i« 
 rrcently f om Krntocky, where he held a position on ika 
 E. I. k B. S. R. R. .V. ,. ^ 
 
i^MOOhiU tH9HT LiiXB ^1 
 
 Tht Parkktrit Advaacc leel&s ApplicaaU tmt iti tprisf as4 
 yvmiaer iiitts, irhich it mailed gratii asd pMt free. It kai 
 3h« advaaUKCt aad resources of this fertile ref iaa mhlj Vfittea 
 •p ttttder cepiotts k«»diog», aad ineitts a fall perasal. 
 
 The paper referred to in the last item apptara to 
 tiskve been a (tpecimea of the boom literalur« of tkal 
 period gotten up by interested parties to advertise th* 
 IJtamp iake region aod prospective tovnsitea, boiag 
 priDt«>d elsewhere rban Ht Stuoip lake. It appears thai 
 A lusuber yard wan already in evidecce on the Harria- 
 barg townsite. At thf»t period pine lumber wat btisf 
 abipperl to eafttern North Dakota from Minneapolii hj 
 !bo carload. To reduce bulk in oome measure for tk« 
 loo^r haul required, boards were machine^plaoed Ml 
 .; oe Ride »o that they cmroe seven eighths inch thick. 
 
 The next biitch of corrt^xpondeuce from the lake VM 
 pxinieU in the Litriatore Pioneer of March 28, 1S8S. 
 
 Stump Lakk Locals. 
 The sartreyed land in this Tictnity is abont all taken,an4l tht 
 Aaly chance to obtain claims is to tqaat, whick the crowds el 
 Smiaigraetii are (ioio(( at a lively rate. 
 
 Morth of ittt lake is oce of the fifieat coBiuvrieBitn Dakol^^ 
 « tract many miles in extent.* 
 
 The Mendclson Farmiog CoHipany kd soaking preperatle** 
 for pnttiDg; up one tacKlred tcte of ice at the propceed tov^ 
 site of Stuns p Lake. 
 
 C. T. Harris ta pashing hi» hotel, haflng five carpealeie at 
 work He was delayed some by the oen-arrival •f himber» 
 bat will have it ready for occopancy abont Ike itst of April. 
 
 Mr. M. A. Walsh has christened a beaatifnl take tktef 
 pailei east of Stamp lake. It it one milt Umg wU half • mMi 
 
(yi tsiKtit tii«TOBT ot run rynmA u4kii oooMTftr 
 
 vide, and it one of the fiaeit dack lakes la the coautrj. The 
 oaiae is Murdoch lake — after the original Geos{;e Murdoch, 
 Ukte of Larimore, bat aoir of dtump iake. 
 
 Mr. W. A. Baaghtnaa hag done an eacelleat thing for thia 
 region bj opectog a lumber yard here. He brings his stock 
 from Larimore and sells it at the same price charged there, 
 pUs the actual cost of haulinc. The benehis conferred ar« 
 appreciated when it is remembered that the nearest point of 
 supply is over thirty miles away, and that it is icupossible lor 
 e^ery settler to go to Larimore for a load of lamoer whenever 
 he needsit, He will soon hare his store in running order 
 and will have a good business. Mr. Baughmaa is a live active 
 man, full of enterprise, and is pushing things here in a way 
 we like lo see. Mare such caeo are needed to develop okt 
 country. 
 
 Mr. M. A. Walsh has erected a gfood blacksmith shop ott 
 his land, which will be vccupied in about a week bf W. 
 Husttns, of MinoeapoUs, « bo is a tirst class workmaD in iroi| 
 <Hnd wood. It Is located witbiu forty rods of Harris* hotel» 
 where it will be convenient to the public. 
 
 Messrs. Hair and Christie, two enterprising young bch 
 ito'Xi MiDneapol(&, have recently located near the lake. Thef 
 will do tbetr pnrt in the the boomiof* business, as well as im 
 the more substantial vrrk of developing aod improving ihm 
 «i:ouatry. 
 
 The Meudetson Farming CocDpauy had six teams anrivo 
 tn Larimore Saturday ficm Miiwaokec, which were tsken tm 
 their farm at Stump lake Sunday by Mr. M. A. WaUkg tka 
 company's superintendent. - ■ 
 
 Tbft MendelnoQ Fafiniaf; Cooip»ny of»«» nUrrt^ t« 
 
■r ^ ^ \ " • ' ' ' ' ' ' 
 
 W>dj of Uad i>etore t% Wita iu oiArket and Ua<l Iwo aA4 
 ft li&it ffiilea of ikk« frouiagd. itie cooapaD^ Goa«i»(c4 
 <jf M. L. MeodoUoa, b*muel Ttiai, and o(hiir» uf Grand 
 i>'orki»« Milwaukee aod Cniutigu. Tht cvmpaaj w«ra 
 particularly ititer«fiied io (h« Waoidttska tuwti«u«n«ar 
 Ihe north end ot tLe lake, and thej planued lor Ut 
 ^Uc« a hotel wiiich waa buiU, and a bank, cblircii ani 
 DMsbool house aiiich ware utver built. 
 
 Thus far iu tne e^iutnp lake correspoudaoc^ fthera la 
 ao allusion lo weuthtr cooditiotis in March, but wa 
 ^n gather «oiae concepliou of the uatier from an itCB 
 fn the hione«r ot tht> 28d of that Oionlh which U •• 
 fotlowD: *'Ihe Fort loiien stage which should have 
 ,^rriv«d Ust i^ridny ni^ht [the 17tb} can^e last uighi. 
 Mr. Murchie reporib the ivnCh vtry heavy, the snow 
 aadiy drilled, and in the timber about biump laka, it 
 aeema to be luily three l««et deep on a level— -consiCtf- 
 able ojore ttoow there than here. Ihe stage betwftBi 
 Jaiuestowo and Fort lott«u has seen still harder timeti 
 having aliased two trips and the driver spent two oight* 
 9u the prairie. We hear that they sufiercd but littk.** 
 
 The publisher's own uieciory of the ending ol tba( 
 irinter is to the following etkct: The snow remaiMd 
 hi general intact until the last days of March and tben 
 under the ii>du(nce ot & wntxi\ south wind and sunhsiB<l 
 it n^elted nQ tho ground suduenly, Qcodiog that part of 
 (iie Kik Valley near the upiande. Oa the 81st tbe«M 
 changed »o as to come strong frcoB the iBorib*ett» %h% 
 temperature falling to lero by the morning of April Ul» 
 Ire* King over tbe waters, bnt mild weather sooa tBtu«4 
 ■gMin. Along io tbe niiddie part of Msj tbrM ioehet 
 pi know fell which was saveral days ia aiaUiMf tvty. 
 
di akWL^ AiWtQmt U9 1StiM DB>riL8 L4KB COOVTET 
 
 Pahkhurst, Marck aS^Mstrlf *n of i^s pioneers aro«a4 
 tbs lake hare heea to t9wu [Grand Forks] aad filcfl •• thtir 
 9lM»ic8 laod boldiags. 
 
 Tk# lake takes up levea aad a half sectiont of tkia tova* 
 •ktp (T. 151 K. 60) aod it found to be Iriogcd with abovt 
 hrt hundred acre* at timber, consi&ting of oak, ask« da am4 
 dox elder, tbe oak peedomioating in many parts. 
 
 T%ccc gentlemen of means from the aeigbborhood «f Cov* 
 tegtoQ, Kj., passed through here recently, and will CTeaUallf 
 drap a few thousand dollars between here and Devils lake. 
 
 Messrs. Baugbmaaaad Moure, of Larimore fame, weua^er^ 
 «taad Will have their hardware store at Mr. C. T. Harris' tkkl 
 «acimer, where we may expect to And our town for this year. 
 
 Mr. H Ashton Fox has the s&ic of aa enviable timbtr 
 claim ot 166 acres fronting on Stamp lake t% 0Bile» eotaia* 
 lag 66 acres of rich prairie, and 100 acres of excellent ti»ktr« 
 which is oak, a&h and elm. It is offered for $950, spot catll» 
 and the purchasing party must use a right oa it; $$-75 pcff 
 acre buys it. 
 
 Sergeant John9oa and Mr. John Myers, tbe govermBtal 
 
 blacksmith at Fort Totten, passed through hers Sunday far ^ 
 spell at Larimore and the Forks. 
 
 Two of the Catholic sisters at Fort Toiteo were cspett4 f 
 the elements one night recently or the prairie. Having Utt 
 the road they camped out through the blast in tbe ileigb vitb 
 buffalo robes. The exposure was iatenfc and nearly CMf 
 them their lives. 
 
 Considerable activity is being sbawa in creettng farap 
 dwellings of ample accommodations lar nat M mnra f aaiilicab 
 This boom sbottld be e&coaiaged. 
 
4SOiyin> btout lasm 65 
 
 The correspondent at Parkhurss Farm was of that 
 kind who wrote letters which please editors of weekly 
 Socal papers and which printers are apt tc» characterise 
 AS being '-good stuff"; but uotortuuately we hear no 
 more from this writer until August when a last batch 
 of hems was sent tu the Larimore paper. This breaks 
 &he routine of nfiairs at Stump lake, especially after 
 warm weather had set in, only partially filled in with 
 uemsconceiuiug Harrisburg and Wamduska, and m 
 communication from the latter point. 
 
 The hotel that C. T. Harris had been building w»i 
 .jompleted in April antJ whs reported as beiug full «f 
 $iew comers Jn the latter part of that month. 
 
 Early iu Mny the Larimore Pioneer had this to say 
 ijoncerning the Harrisburg townsite: "Harrisburg it 
 booming. A $10,000 hotel is to go up immediately, 
 and a number oi businesn mea have already purchased 
 iumber lor buildings. Among the establishments to be 
 there at once are a blacksmith shop, hardware, grocery 
 and general stores, and a temporary hotel tor use till 
 $he large one is completed. A gentleman from Mont- 
 real to whom bad been .»ent one of the papers advertia- 
 Ing Harrisburg at once sent a draft for fib.OOO to Geo. 
 H. VVHlsh to be iuvtsted in lots in that new city. 8uch 
 men as Capt. Griggs and McCormack, Hun. Geo. H. 
 Walsh and T. Hams, are taking hold of it in earn- 
 «fit and it will be pushed vigorously. The site is a 
 beauiittti one, with a fine view of the lake and easily 
 accesaihle (rom all directions. Two railroads are cob- 
 sidered certain by the proprietors, the Grand Fork| 
 and Mouse Kiver branch of the Manitoba, which now 
 luns to Larimore and the rShejenne Valley road fro* 
 
66 »4ELT HietOK^ or TUB DC^TUiB LAKB CODIITBT 
 
 Vuiley City." (The editor does not oeem to hftfe had 
 it if) miud that Hnrrie had already completed • bote) 
 either oa the toiroaite or in the vicinUy.) 
 
 "Morris A Jewett, the well koown lirery men of 
 HilUboro, have efttabli»hed a stable here, and opened 
 the Htump Lake stage line, making three regular tripe 
 per week and as many extra as the public demands." 
 
 June 15->'*Harri8burg is booming. Already eleftB 
 husinefia houses are about completed, fi?e of which ar« 
 tunning. Lumber, goods and all kinds of Muppliei ar^ 
 goini: there at an aatoniahing rate. The men that havo 
 ihold of the town^ite are use.d u* making things. go, aad 
 ^A? U will." 
 
 On Sunday, Jni!© 18. 1882, Ec'^ard W. Day, actinf 
 
 (iudf r ihe Treubyterian Board cf Missions, preached 
 
 At Harrisburg. This wws tbe first religious serTiee io 
 
 *^hat section of country thut tbe Stocop lake settlcre thoa 
 
 far had the opportunity of attondibg. 
 
 j>uriug the mouth of June work was in proirress on a 
 Urge hotel nt Wacndu»>kB, called at first the Lakeside 
 Home. It was a three story building measuring 54 by 
 60 feet of which Joseph Hijy and wife were said to be 
 ft he proprteiciH. Ms pes & [versoo opened a geaeral 
 ttore on tbe townpito with a good etock of supplies, but 
 itbeir store was a canvas tent. A hardware store 80 by 
 
 24 feet waf^ being built Kiid a blHck^mitb shop was do> 
 ir^ VufiresiB. hit. L'cdds rpered a brick yard, the 
 
 brick ntac'o teirg uped to vetxer tbe hotel. 
 
 June was the bresking season when the virgin prai* 
 tie fx0 ^t<t> turned over and backset in the fall. No 
 wtit;(i( crtf ctuld-r ibtt€tiftt, be growQ tbe first ycAr* 
 
»" i ■ ' ■ 
 
 £l VOttU W i»f Utof Mi CO kaov U kov Ur (&.• StttM^ 
 lAk« MitlMf dl^Ttlopf 4 tkeir cUiiiat Ikti first 7*ar k*> 
 eMet i»«ildiBf dwUiog^ %ud thelMrt for atoek, kst v# 
 &ar« acftrMl/ ASf rtcord io regard io ike m«ii«r. II 
 v«« pottikU io grov gardeB uuek ike irti /Mr. 
 
 Uariag ike tunmer e goTernneai ielegrepk liii»«M 
 ooBitrucied betveea Fort Toitea aod Leriaiore. Tk* 
 ^olea were c«i is ike tinber erouad diump aad i)etil« 
 lelcet the previout winter. A parij of eoidiere wf 
 detailed from tbe fori lo lei ibe poles aad eiriag ike 
 "rtre. When thej reuched Lerinore tkey eoMideted 
 abeniselvet witkia %ht coofiaee of oiTiliteiWs and r»* 
 ^eried thai ibej had i>ae nan at Kori Toliea wke kad 
 m^% eiperieaeed life of ikab sori for five yeare. Alief 
 \be railroad and its telegraph reaehed Devile lake ik# 
 g^fcrumeat line wa« takes down, ike polee keiag eeld 
 Ke tettlera for fuel. 
 
 ^AilDUSKA, Jaiy (7.— A postoffieo hat bceo establiihed ei 
 IVaadaika, with ah caterpristog towetieaBt R. Mepee ee 
 pMtmaiter. 
 
 The fiac threa-stary hotel iia btivg fi«iih«4 «p mmi will be 
 faaaiag id a week or two. Mr. Prceaaa aad hU help ie 
 Kiere deaatag ap nad patriag it iate chape« ft will ha eaa of. 
 (the fiaest holcli oatiide of i»Mr large cttie« aad wotld be • 
 orcdit ta aay,afi«bc». 
 
 Saaaders ft Dodds, two able aatf traatworthy lawper% 
 have permaaeatly located hare. Mr. T. C. Saaadare ia tbw 
 eld partaer of Streog, the (atcty appoiated U. S. Marshal el 
 Dakota and caae here earl^ ta the scatoa badlf broken it 
 health. Mr. Dodds is Croat Grand Forks where he has hei^ 
 oae ef the most preSsiaeet aad kightf esteeoMd eitiseaa. 
 
^ aiL&LT aCROBT Of TUB DMTILS LA KB COUIITBT 
 
 Tbe governmeot telegraph from F«rt Totten to Larimore 
 it being pushed right through. The poles are distributed 
 •early to Larimore, while setting them in the groand Hid 
 putting OQ tbe wire is coming this way from the Fort. 
 
 We ha?e the beat road from Larimore to DeviU lakt. 
 The stage stopet here and this is the main traveled roate. 
 [For the most part this road had been the Fort Totten trail J 
 
 The railroad seems to irave left us to one side and is appar* 
 eatly going six miles north of us, bnt we have a splendid 
 coaniry and one of th« best sites for a town in the Territory* 
 and we have uo fears but what we will always have a fo«d 
 bnsiness point as well as one of the principal sttrnmeT rcMiM 
 in the whole country, Then, again, this is too good a coanlry 
 to be long without a railroad, and we ihope to bav« ob« 
 built 13 here before long. 
 
 tn May, 1882, a surveying catnp came to T^rimor* 
 ((I locate the railroad lioe as far toward Devih lake «• 
 the eDgineer of tbe party had in^tructiona to loeat* 
 and stake it out, which appHreaily was no farther weal 
 IhaD tbe company expected to bo able tu grade and 
 iron it that year. The local paper remarked at th« 
 time that the party verc v< r> teticfrt in regard to 
 tenderitig any inforHiation (<8 to where the proposed 
 route w(»uld ruti. That would only become manifest tm 
 all after the atakes weie driven, and even then the Hue 
 might bubr-fqueotly be chrrpfd, us in fact It was. (p. 
 66 ). The first survey evidently did not extend »b fnt 
 weat as Btump lake when the party receired orders to 
 re- locate the lite which left the lake totbeiootb of it. 
 jreanwhile the development of the two towoeites went 
 on without any certain knowledge whether the railroad 
 would touch either end ol the lake or But. 
 
UbOCmB ettHKP &AK1 'od 
 
 Stump Lakb Notks. 
 
 fAKKHtftsT FAaM, Aug. 3i.~Mr. WiUiaoi CaWert if 
 (mttioiS hit eats, aud finds thqr caoaet help g9tag sevcatf 
 hiuhels to the acre. 
 
 The *'Wamdaska House" siga is ia potitioo on the roof of 
 
 ih« big bote! and shows to advaatage. 
 
 Hajing vrlll be carried waf iato September. Late eoatf* 
 '^t stackiag for their owa use and to sell. 
 
 Mr. S. R. MeQdelson is bnildine a large SMbetaatial ao#' 
 watm stable for his immense herd of itock, of oak logs ihi* 
 ireek. 
 
 dnthicg in the lake seems to be exhilaratiag sport at prea* 
 «ut. The medicinal properties of the lake are already knows 
 to have worked cures. 
 
 Wood sells for Sa 50 per wagcn load and buyers are aeear- 
 lag better wood because of the **down" wood baing scare*. 
 Live and sound oak fills the bill to-d&y. 
 
 Thai mineralized vegetable matter, coal, has got on th« 
 boom again in these parts. Specimens have beea shown «i» 
 but a solid vnn of the clear stuEE will demonstrate better the 
 ?r«th of a bec» of iigait* that will take the place of wood ia 
 ear stoves. 
 
 Ex-postns«ster Fox breatbea freely ooce more, he aaya. 
 The office after tediods de\»y», hai been taken care of by Mr* 
 Cicero T. Harris and transferred to Karrisburg. The ardaoaa 
 duties attending it are somewhat lessened now and the Waas* 
 dnska mail is not cared for as heretofore. 
 
 Through recent soundings made by Mr. Ashtoa Foa off hia 
 Oakland farm the depth of Stump lake was fonod to show % 
 uniform depth of 5a feet ever » c«>«widertblc tret pf the l«k# 
 
bott«a. Skeftiet m\\ plcM« ••!€ ft frcatcr ieplh vbei| 
 fatto^. The malftlkomable id«a faftt exploded ktre iMig ag», 
 ^•d Derili lake kftt it —m, !>tmaip lakt ^tlMi ftppcwi ^ 
 V« devoid of ftoae. 
 
 Mr. H. Aehtoft Fox eelli kit tinber for ftvaiUkU pmrpoH* 
 1« ft Bovel vajr vhich bids fair to secure kia Urge orders. 
 Qak tioaber for butldiag or otker pftrpotec ii figared ftpoft ft| 
 Ike price of lio to I15 per 1000 feet board oaeftsare, wkick ift 
 loaad to aiaouat to freighting charges 00 a vagon loftd of 
 lauber or goods from Larimore to ^^aBad«ska. Parckrscrf 
 nest therefore see ecoaomj in bajiag at tke lake. 
 
 Thft ftiience of (he ftbovo correspondence relativt to 
 ftny further building on the Hftrrlsburg townsite U as 
 eridence thftt the boom there had collapsed, it vae 
 later stated in the Larimore paper that nutbing OMirf 
 was being done there. The aurve) and location of th« 
 railroad line at leftst fts far as the site of Bartletl Ikat 
 year demonstrated to those intimfttelj concerned thai it 
 WHS futile to expect fto> town of the Icait importanct 
 to arise anywhere around dtamp lake. Uairisburg 
 and W aaiduska were other examples of an OHtUj •{[ 
 money tjrpeoded in wrci g locations atd thai eirtBt I9 
 adfertibiug nione amounted to no small eiim. 
 
CHAPTER VIU. 
 tHS MORTH SHORE AND OTHER POINTS 
 
 DBVILd Uk« it a body of MltiBh m%tmt with a f •».> 
 eml east aod weft ezteasioa of about ftweaty miltt 
 and f aries in width from narrow stretcbca where bridget 
 span the water to seyen or more aiiles. The laka baa 
 joaoj bay-like indeotatiooe and iocludiof theae it haa 
 a shore lioe of about three baodred miles. Qeneralljr 
 the water is from 25 to 30 feet in depth but at the lima 
 that the settlemeuts were bein^ made the sartaca stood 
 aome fifteen feet higher th»n now. The lake has an arta 
 of about one hundred square miles and has aa altitoda 
 ot about 1424 feet above sea level, not taking accoaotof 
 email fluctuations in level. This is over 800 feet higher 
 than Lak« 8nperior and 456 feet hisher than Ked rivtr 
 at Urand Forks. 
 
 The sonth shore of the take which in plaees is ttrevB 
 with large bowlders, rises abruptly into a rolling eona. 
 try with hiiU ri^inr from 200 to 275 feet above th« 
 lake. The altitude of Fort Totten is 1566 feet. The nurtll 
 shore rises Kradually, the country back (ram it beia§ 
 moderately level. 
 
 The lowering of the lake iit nttributed to the caltWa^ 
 ftion of the country around it, the breaking of the prairta 
 •od causing a more rapid evaporation of moistare than 
 previously, resulting in the drying up of the drataaga 
 coulies. Some steamboats placed on the laka in \$8$ 
 could land at Drvils Lake city from that >aar anti! 
 |8fll. In 188S the water stood at 1489 feel. In aftap 
 years the laka fell ta •aoh^exlent aa (e lay |bart tte 
 
79 fiUi^r Hu»ro«i (v vus t>«vrL8 vakj& ooavTS^ 
 
 ^bHow par.s o( b^tlov Qeiirect to eboire coDTeriisg 
 (heci Co mendovs fisd ike iilAi>(jlf Detir the north ahoro 
 be£nc\9 parttt of the oiftlciaocl. There were fish of the 
 (»ickeral vnriety in the lake previous to 16M>, but they 
 were fished out vinters by the car-load throuffh holet 
 <;itt ic the iC€ until they were ell gooe. 
 
 The btsin u( the lake 8eeif>ii to have been the inter" 
 ^[j&cial valley o( the Sbeyeooe river, plowed out by a 
 vrojectinfr prong ol ihe last iceiheet that covered thii 
 ^gioQ ano farther dammed np by glacial drift. Our* 
 ?Qg the fl<>4»d stage following the misUiogof the icesheel 
 DeviU Ittlfit rose forty feet aiiove its present level, flood" 
 1p(? much of the surroundiug country. The flood wateri 
 from ihiM region ezoivated that part of the Sheyeau^ 
 valley i^bove the big bend of thftt river. 
 
 About thi 5ih of Msrch, 1882. J. W. Oswald, wh* 
 «ud ftboiit to open a fnrm un the north side of Devilft. 
 iKkpi, came to l.Hrimorc tritb ten tenmi for supplea. 
 Wiib hin3 came K. Cavuiitiu^h wbo had lived in the 
 lake region lor tbirtecu ,vt*ur8 and from 1878 to IfllO 
 had beec governcneiit intorpreier for the Hioux wagon 
 uains, but wai uow vettled ou a farm near Uswald'r. 
 Another old roajdeut vwaft John Ctanie who had beea 
 connfctrr^ with rh^ iriMiary post ticro*98 the lake eiaoe 
 1867, but was nom- located on the 8he>tnne. This e^ 
 ^edition of Oswald may bf> connidered as the opening of 
 the large frelgbtioc busiDCf^H done during the lollowiaf 
 sumirer and fall to the north shore of^ the lake, lo 
 iihe spring of 1882 the land north of the lake had ■oi 
 been ceded or f^urveyed, but as it was understood thai 
 it would become pwrtof the public (loKAin, it ktd aW 
 ready begao to b© eqjttatted upon- 
 
iulf 1662. Liettl. (Veel of Fori Tottea got ont m 
 «r<fip of £>«TiU Uke ccd Kftineey Couaty oa wktch waa 
 iocate<l/ fav«rat pru«pacti?« tovnsitat on tba aorkli 
 ahoro. Wliao kii««e begau tu ba oceupiad aach of Ihaa 
 bopod to baooist tbe capiui of North Dakota* kha aortk 
 talf of tha tarrrltorj baiof already to called ia prist. 
 ^ corih and a Houtk aiata wai a? en than aatiaipaiad. 
 
 P. Morris whs tbeo runoiog tbe etege line fron 
 t,Krtniore to tba take witb reltt>« of burtei at Adler't, 
 Wamdunka, the Narrown aad MioaawaukoB, the Uttaf 
 !« tempoiHr^ toarosite funr udUu eaet of Devils Lake 
 City. Morria uacd «i^hteeo head ot hornea. Hia staga 
 loft Larimore daily at five o'clock io the moraiag aa4 
 ;«:iicli«d WitirtduRkA at uouB. The same Bboath Jobfli 
 "ijoiefTtaot aaa carrying the mai\ from Lariaoore to Fort 
 rotten, taikiujc «<i mi- sfoekly trip^. Hia hack left at 
 i»:0(> (!4. iQ. Monday a aod Tkiircday^ arriviog at Fori 
 Tuttfco TueedftjH aod Friilaym. 
 
 During tha aummer mo&thii the cimatry adjaoeat to 
 the north »bota ot the luke waa receiTing a coaaidar^ 
 able acceeaica vi t^HWrv^ v.i^cvt i)fa»e«t point foi 
 <rbtAtniuR «upplie» wr« *! Lariaiora over aiity nalUt 
 diatant. A.% that tiajfe cata pa b»d been edtabliahed 
 4loQg the liJi© oi the railrckd aurvey and ganga of maa 
 •ere at work grading the ioadbcd. Ihe (cllowiag ia- 
 *foraiatir.n in regard to aflaira at the lake wa« publtahed 
 in the Larimore pnper of Auguat S, 1882: 
 
 **On Toeaday aome gentlewen were In from Darilt 
 take !Tcn» f^hrap The Ptrae^r leatopd tb« particnlara 
 «»f the new town of IVvila Lake CHty. w the north aida, 
 aome tbiee or four irilee wntbeaat of the aita of Grael»^ 
 burg, at giyen by 7iet£(. Oree|> exeetleot map. 
 
/i iilUkfcT antUBT or XUM UIsTILS lUAXB OOOSTBT 
 
 **Tbe town ii »Urted by seferal ieadioK Chicago sad 
 dt. Louie cttpiUlUto, who Are making permaaeat lai^ 
 provemenU and putting up good buildings. Alraadf 
 IfroitorM are tbere—Makee A, Ferkiaa of Fargo, gaa- 
 aral cwra^ and Campbell & Leach, hardware. 
 
 *^A good hotel ia nearly cuatpletcd. William Storm 
 toft Larimore Monday with lumber aad material for 
 \i^9 third ature. 
 
 *'The company compriaefl Mutjor T. 8. Bcabam, of 
 Chicago, manager, 1). W. Kniign, W. A. Haatiagtoa, 
 O. M. Wtils, J. B. Seacbritt and others. They havo 
 about three sections of land* with a nagaificeat soil, 
 ;he depth of which is three feet at Devils Lake City. 
 «nd A large tract of splendid country. The site i» od a 
 high beach, where clear water of the lake washea Ike 
 grnveliy fthore. FiUy feet trom the shore u a spleadi^ 
 ttnchora^ce in deep water and a good harbor, and ftttj 
 feet back from the lake of ^alt water is a lake of Ireah 
 Water, fed by springs, and coiziprisiRg about an acre. 
 'The location h in the center ol U»insey County, aD<9 
 it is the most accessible fpr both railroads and'Veasela 
 from any other point on the lake. Morris' daily stago 
 line frort; Lafimore will rue to tbift point regularly, 
 beginning in three or four days. 
 
 "The view of the lake if: mB^rifircot, extending from 
 the Narrows nearly to Fort Totten. 
 
 ••Mr. Kosign keeps ten or twelve horses to carry poo» 
 pie about and show them the country. Settlers aro 
 iloeking in by scores. Families are beginning toarriw 
 and Mpjor Benbam's will be there soon. 
 
 * 'As sn evidence that the people have faith io tha 
 place, a Norwegian sold bit claim thort the otkar 4%f 
 
till ttoaim cMOtttt kVio ofaas poivrt 7A 
 
 Cor $1.00U to L, P. tlftBiaaood. of Quthrie Ceuttr, Iowa. 
 Mr. HaiDBioad hu Urg^e fftrcuiog and abtUftct inleretif 
 ia Iowa, but purpocea to stand by DeviU Lako Cily* 
 ao matt«r what tacrificei are needed. D. W. Saeiga 
 will aooB open a lumber yard there." 
 
 Oreel City or CreeUburf four milea northwest froa 
 De?ila Lake City and acroaii a bay, waa another of (ha 
 pruipective towns on the north ahore, started by Ueul. 
 Creel that auoioer. Lieut. H. M. Oreel, who had boea 
 Wcated at Fort Totteo, reaigoed a good position in (ha 
 regalar army to eofrage io the deveiopnaeot of the north 
 ftbore region which had begun to attract cooaiderabit 
 atienttoo. Here be opened a large farm stocked wi(k 
 flooded animals, a soore iR)p(;rtaot eoterpriae thaa (ha 
 |owasU« earned out to be.) 
 
 Correspoiideoce. Urimore Pioneer. Aag. 17, IMS. 
 
 The Devils Lake country is beginning to be realised as • 
 fcry attractive region. People are getlins their band ia al 
 the bmtiness of starting to«vn« and are going at it systenaatic* 
 ally out that way. On the north side «e now have strnggtteg 
 lor ssprenacy Narrows, Micnewaokon, Devils Lake City, 
 Creelsbarg, Gtand Hatbor and we do not know bow many 
 more. 
 
 The Narrows is taking a little different course from sone 
 othera, and are trying to keep oct booms and are reported to 
 be ready to kill ofi boooaers — prefamabiy waiting for the 
 )aad to come into nsarket or till some good railroad project 
 shall loom np like a meteor. 
 
 Here at the Narrows are oar friends, F. A. and L. C. 
 Dessert, who have five claims on the lake. Here are also 
 interestrd the irdcf?<ip>He CoJcrel Tcweer, Capt. Griggs. 
 Jad LaMoare, Geo. H, W aUb, J. S. Cshelmaa, W«. Ud^ 
 
' 1 " ■ ' ■ ' — — — — ^ — -— -" 
 
 And i( «troag St. Pnal cocnpany. The proposed citf it f te 
 cftUfsii Park B^j. A forrf boat ij taildim (• gift a iIimI 
 L'Cttto to Fort Tottea. 
 
 Amoos tht CKcetteat things doing there avv li the W«il4i«f 
 ai several large, oabstanttal dwclUagt. F- A. Dessert %a4 
 Jake Eshelisaii ftre both building good ones, while the St. 
 ?aal company is building several large ones. They are bo« 
 haulicg lumber from Larimore and by fall vill have a &•• 
 allowing beride the beauiifal lake. Forty or fifty mca ar« 
 aow oa \ht land, and some $10,000 will be spent in improv*^ 
 sneots this lull. The country cronnd the Narrows is vtrf 
 '\as, with a good supply of good timber. 
 
 Aujuiit 17. "Jobo QordoQ, of Kreahwater lake, b is 
 lon^n. He Hud his brother WlMiam have about 1,500 
 tcr<*« elf \tir\d aad bkve broken 100 acres tbin Mummer. 
 H« reports siity families Hviug around the )ake, which 
 has twenty-eight mileii of ahore Hoe. In bia vieinitf 
 from 1,200 to 2 000 acrte are brokeo." 
 
 About the middle of September there wa» raited a 
 fonsidert^ble excifemeD^ araottg the Devite lakeeeitlere 
 owinsr to act order i^sufd by Uan. Terry to ^ar^ey a atri^ 
 !•*( country ten eniiffi wide ftdjaeeDt to the north shore of 
 ^he lake t-^ bo li.fded to the I'ort Totten Military re^er* 
 fatioD. The object peema to hsve beoa to prevent the 
 pettiorft, now ftmoiintirtti: to fievera! iiundred, appropriaC 
 in^ tbe timber alopjr the lake. The order was insued os 
 (ihe reconrerdaticp of Got. Ordway. Proteeta were aeol 
 ftp Waehinpton and early lev C^jtober the order waa re« 
 i^irded aa It was aacertaloed that moeh of the laad had 
 alreedy IrefD ccfuf iec* ly pettier*. Tte ee^e vootb 
 4 he purveyor grereral ordered the iurvey of several 
 tcf^nfebifBon Ue aorth «hor9 9^ UoviU lake. Eigbl 
 
iM» moMfiR NVOAii AWD ormsft roivtii 77 
 
 4ft«r T«rrjU order wai resciDded a Urge number of 
 acw settlers begao arriTing io that region. Tve iewB* 
 •hips had beeo scripted at UeTils lake. 
 
 September 21. *'R. M. Cttlderwood from Ae«ir the 
 :M arrows, has come in to Larimore where h« wii^ spend 
 ^te fall season threshing, etc, Ue has a good claim 
 9ttt there, with leTenty tons of ha; made thie jear,a»4 
 he proposes to winter there/* 
 
 DtTiLs LAKt Notes. 
 [AhUko the correspondence comprised in the three letters te 
 iht Lanxnorc Pioneer that follow are dated at Minacwanken^ 
 9^A attesapied towntite near Devils Lake Cit j, thej ciridcatlf 
 9oaeet& the latt named tettlemeet more tkan any etksr. The 
 \\9va» certainly do net concern the Minnewankon settlcaeai.] 
 
 MmNSWAUXON, Oct. 3.«>Mr. Wehc, the Chicago man, 
 had bis house oo his claim burned on Snnday in his ahsencCt 
 consuming many things valuable to him. He has f^one casi 
 fur a short time, bat will rebuild before winter sets in. 
 
 The teams of Campbell ft Leach are coming in with heat* 
 lag stoves and other material for our winter comfort. 
 
 Mr. Simrall, of Kentncky, has finished his &n< honse [neat 
 Devils Lakr Citv] and ts read} for winter. 
 
 The two houses of Dtaa and son, from Illinois, are beth 
 enclosed and will be finished in a short time. 
 
 Mr. Massacre, of Illinois, stopped the farther progress ef 
 his house on account of the military survey and will coatiame 
 to live ia his small but comfortable log shack for the viatCf. 
 He broke 50 acres this season. 
 
 John ChrisTOpbersoe, from Mincescta, also has sespeaded 
 the hu tiding ef hit ether heuf« 00 accomat of tbe military 
 survey. 
 
ft AAiUiW siMt«ft7 otf, 'gvm CHi^^noLs lakh ooobtst 
 
 Mr. Volgt, of KilvraukM, renaios «ad tuM Itt the c«atrMt 
 for bnildiQ]; A clothiag aod dry i^^ods store ia tevn, aad feui« 
 MAt for bis soa to come and take a data •«( from !•«■. 
 
 S^f" Bcah&ia bas fiaisbed tl% bouse and got bis tmmilj fta4 
 4oae»tic belp ber* nad opeocd a botel aad sta£c bo«se, aa^ 
 aoir i(7&Teietc aad explorers batre sweet rest alter stagiag tk 
 diAj from LancQorc. Tbe Beobaia boase is tbc tbiag far tti. 
 Since tbe axrivai of Mrs. Beobam and tbeir little daagbttr 
 Minnie tb« town U ret oiatieoiscd-- old babits broken mp 9mi. 
 oew ones fornacd. 
 
 Makec ^ Perkia*' teams are cuiaing in with wiattr in^flivk 
 ^f groceries, dr j goods and clotbiog for tbu regiaa. 
 
 Mr, ?r&ak ^ilskie* a geatienan from Gcrasanj, gaaa ahaft4 
 
 iR tus ciAizn also 
 
 J. 3 P&ckard on bie ««Cl^ilboiib Place** is readj forwkilc?. 
 
 Tbc ferry a< GrahaniR island, between bere and Fori Totlaa^ 
 i» now run witb a cable, which wat pat on tbia week* 9m4 va 
 can now croM ia spite of wind and wave. 
 
 MiMNKWAUKON, Oct. 30.>-Edward Smiib's boMC aad 
 9heds, between bere and the Narrows, were all swept ai by 
 % prairis fire on (be a4tb inst. — a very hard sta?! lor tbe caa^ 
 iag winter. 
 
 Sqnads of sirang«rii are becccxing h fansiaur tigbl •• tb« 
 aortb shore. 
 
 Mr9. Makee with her little b<.7a arrived from Fargo lb« 
 l^st week to enliven tbe town aad assist Mr. Makec ia bia 
 eaterprise. 
 
 Mrs. Dana, tbe vife of F. L. Daaa, alto arrived last veek 
 aad it is nadentood oaakes tbia ber peraaaeal boBt. 
 
 Otberr-^wbote f«A>ilie«r-are ce tbe way here to wiateraa4 
 itaj. Wbea tbe ladiiee break tbro«^^ aAd ^wm <nte a eomatff 
 
Tfiii a&«eifs baoea 4Up orrtiSa. i^iSM 79 
 
 ^o taake it their boi»c that couotry has pasted the KsMcM 
 Mid U tfecfi a part of the civitiiecl »orld. 
 
 Tb« first birth of white parents on this shore ocenrred itt 
 '4ae family of Mr. Poole, of Reck island, during this mootb. 
 
 Aajong the arriTals to b* ootcd is the return of Mr. Eoslgft, 
 ?awn proprietor, from the Kad bnrial of his wife at Geneva, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Lftiaber arvi^ed yesterday for a real estate oflBce t© b« 
 >p€oed by Council & Eaton, which will be built imntediatcly* 
 
 MiNfWWAUKON, Nov. 12.— The name of this lake by tbf 
 ladians is Minnc Wakao, the strict interpretation of which is 
 Water :»ptrit, or Spirit lake, bat tb« Yankee or some one tU»» 
 ^Bs tbcnipht that this was an impircvc»eoi or gain in callivf 
 BiisRsming it Devils Uke. 5 cats' t see the point, ualtsi it 
 is to £ee«re huge roocj for thec^teives by a forbidding save, 
 which «70ttld perer.it the apprcjich of bk Satanic M9)«aty*s 
 people. 
 
 The Fas39tt brothem opeiied their ase&t market this week. 
 
 Ice began fofrotng along the eboio of the lake yesterday 
 •nd to-day. 
 
 Capt. Hecrwf »♦ after hia vkit here for the eaamfoation of 
 Che lake, left tor the ea*t this week, to perfect his plans for 
 building a sleamtont Ihia winter for the lake. The eater* 
 prise is io Rood bands and the prospect is that eacursion and 
 picnic parties will e^it»te the cool waters of this long biddea 
 lake daring the cect Bucrner tnoolbs. 
 
 On ftaturdiiy, Kovw.ber 11. 166^2, Odewa tow«aH» M 
 ibe Nwrrowa wan incorporated and caplt»IiB«! at Tw© 
 if ilHon dollars. The Ircorporator* were Ale«, Ori%pi 
 of Grand ForM, pr«ide«t oC Oi© towosite oompaoj; 
 
40 BAMLX BtttOST Of TflU DITXU LaKI COUVTBT 
 
 Ueo. H. WalthofUraod Forks, vic«preiideDt; F. T. 
 Walker, of Dubaque, (owa, secretarj and ireMurvr. 
 iHoArd of dlrecfors: Alex. Gricprs, Wm. Badge, Oeear 
 M. Towoar. Jud LaMoure. J. M. Waldroo, and F. T. 
 Walker. An esecutive coniEoittee wat Included con* 
 lilting of Jud I aMoure, Ueo. H. Walsh and O. M. 
 Tuwner. The last named person, knowing aomethiBg 
 ^ a Eusdian whent port on the Black Sea in that coun* 
 try, sU((K«Bt«d Odessa for the name of the protpcctW* 
 «U7.* It appears that there was some building dost 
 on the townsite, and much «a« promised for the placB 
 that aaw no realication. In Noveiaber, M. £>. Flint ol 
 itarimore opened a hotel there. 
 
 .^n(.>tber settlement called Orand Harbor wae nadt 
 ;hat (all neven miles westfrsrd from Detils Lake City. 
 ^K the hoAd of dix Mile or Tellers bay, which at thai 
 :ime indented the north shore of the take. The towB 
 at firs: cuuftisted (»f two saloons and a poMtoifiee. Th« 
 townsiie was reported t<» be located on rising ground 
 that commanded s good view of the bay and that good 
 water could be obtained by di|arging wells tweWe to 
 twenty fe««t deep. The adjticooi country that iall eoo- 
 ti|ined about W) inhsbitantu within a radius of three 
 miles and these settlern. coming in the spring and tarly 
 summer, had broken tea Ut ^ixty acrtis each on their 
 claims, sftgregalmg between 1,500 and 2.CKX> acres. 
 The land not being in nmrket, that containing tb« 
 townsite had been scripted. 
 
 • As loDfc SKO as ItM Prof. Williaa H. Keatlnc. the historia« 
 •f Major Look's expedition to Pembina and Lake Wlnnipef , made 
 (dUuaraatng remarks In regard to the foil? of the Aaaarican habit 
 •fadoptlTiKroreifrnaanieftror new places and repeatlnc oihecf 
 from «ute to state as the setttesaeaU adraaeeii wsctward. 
 
v^ areata m^ tm mto oram roxvM B| 
 
 9ov«inber SS. **Wai. F. SiaraU and Major U. W. 
 Snaigo of UeriU lL«ak« Otty, wera ia towa and rt pari 
 ^Udias ffoiag oo ac a rapid rate, tkough aa yel Aoat 
 »( tha butldiugA ar« amail owiog to tba difficallj and 
 vapaaaa of haul lag lunibtr frooa Larinota." 
 
 Dariog the spriog and Bumaier of 1862 the eadof Iha 
 ;raUroad had reomincd at Larinore, hut gradiag aa far 
 aa Baxtlett had btcxi ao well advaoctd that the layiag 
 df tha track bt>gaa early ia i5eptenber aad waa carried 
 about nine oiilet northweat ol Lari»ore to a coalie 6S 
 feet deep Id the middle, over which a large Ireetle had 
 \o b« built, also a siDaUar oae not far beyond that. At 
 a oonvtraction train carrying bridge timbere coaldadv 
 tea«h the larger coulie the track laying force with their 
 trains drew t ff for abont a aidiith and went to iniah a 
 part of the iiraud Forks A. Winnipeg line to the aarth 
 of Qrafton. The trestles having been completed, the 
 lorce returned iu October and laid the track aa far at 
 the aite of Bartlett. 
 
 The track ended for that year within 21 aiilee el 
 Defile Lake City not haTiot been graded farther weel 
 that the point to which the track was carried that fall, 
 A Tillage called Bartlett began to bnild op there, eo 
 named for Frank Bnrtlett on whose land the place vat 
 located. In December trains began running there etch 
 alternate day, bat about the middle of Janaary a ttarM 
 blockaded the roed to the west rA Larimore owing to a 
 lack of onrw fercce tc protect cuta and waa oat ag ai» 
 opened until abcut thsendof March. 
 
 Lat« in tbo fall of 1882 Capt. Heermaa rUiitd Devilt 
 lake to infe«tlgafe tbip bcdy of wtter for ettatBhottiaf 
 purpoeas. Early jo Ne?ea&her he itfl Uf€ Uklmwkm 
 
3% ■ikBLT Ilib-rOKT OW tnU DliriUI LhKH COUKTET 
 
 \o ftrraoge for briiigiog to t«3« l&ke a small tteamer. 
 This boat, called tbe Arrofr, wa* partially taken to 
 jpiecet and when the railroad had reached Bartlett iraa 
 brought there od fiat Cars aod later vraa hauUd acroaa 
 <bo prairie to Kock island^ or peDiDsula, for rebuildiag. 
 h took eight days to get the boat (ram the end of the 
 track t<» the lake. 
 
 fORT ToffTIN AND THK RSSSBTATION IN |8ta. 
 
 lu 1862 FortTotten was ^rarrieoned by twocompanlM 
 jt cavalry and oneoi iufantry under comtBaod of Major 
 ). 8. Courad. Major J. W. Cramsie was the Indian 
 4gent and accompanied the eaiHTaus going for suppliet. 
 i^ron Heart was the Indian chief nt that time aod claim* 
 ^d tp hare eighty familit* ucidor his charge. He had 
 a Qeld of twenty acras in crop that y«ar. \t the In- 
 dian agency there wai a good school conducted by th« 
 Uray liun listers who had 60 to IK) Indian children in 
 charge. Connected with the ichool a good farm iraa 
 operated, much of the work ou it being done by pupilt 
 9t the schoo). 
 
 The fort WRi not a fortifteation but a group of brick 
 (WO'Story buildings, quarters for the garrison, hospital, 
 inedical dispensary . quarierfnaster'e storehoufte, officeni 
 residences, Riid poet cuuimander'tf oflice, all arranged 
 around a square which served for a parade aod drill 
 ground. Under tbe hill iieitr ike Ute waa the poel 
 trader's store then kspt by W. >4. Peek and Mr. Sharp*. 
 The Indidos dwelt iti log houses, but had tepeea for 
 aummer use. There esisted there at that tian thn 
 OfiginaljiuRrters 6rst used by the Cruopt but ihtm 
 butidinfre were now «(«e4 f97 tVore houiee. 
 
can sosric t-wyAt khu othii^ tonm S& 
 
 Heplembftr IStb Mnjor J. W. Cramaie wm in L«ri« 
 CQore vitb thirty ee&ros ioe UdiuD iuppliea and aU« 
 took oat ao ffBgioe ftitd fio^riog mill mtichiDerjr fur (b« 
 reaer^MCiun. The IndtAQ ctraTaas now weak to L»ri« 
 4»ore, tbe supplies for iUe miUtar/ and iadiaa reterva* 
 MoKiB then aucuLtiLg lo 4Ct tcLS f er jtar. 
 
 From a report made by Mrjor J. >V . Cramaie we eaa 
 ^leac oome particulare coDceruioK tbe IndiaB reaerfa' 
 •Aon for th« year under oouBvderatioo. He stated tbal 
 aboQt l,5iK)acrea were tbeo uuder cultivation, tbecropa 
 feeicg upproxiniately id tltkd piojpoiinti: Wbeai 
 600 bcr^s; o&t£ 81^; corn ULi): potatoes 200, and abool 
 70 acres ic vegetables. The products approxiwated at 
 toilowe: Uhtat 10,000 bufsbele; omU 12,000; cofo 
 lO.OtH) »nd potatoee *Jfi,(Ji:0 buftfeels. Tbat year tbe 
 indianfl brcfce about 447 liCfta of uew land. The land 
 0>9t apart ioc the agency conQpriaed 20 aerea and that 
 tor tbe Indian acbool 200 ttcrea for the prodaciioo ol 
 grain for government atcck and veKet&bles tor tbe 
 school. 1 he rtuaipder wft^< divided into five fMrmiug 
 districts etch under the charge of an iudiao bota fat* 
 eaer. 
 
 From September 4, U8l to August 81, 1£«2, freight 
 to the aw ouct cf 271, 000 pounds for the tort and trad* 
 «r^s atore had Ix-en Leulcd rrcis J»tj'ekt<.vn fcS? Bcilet, 
 and from f^rimore 65 milee dietaot. The Indiana alt* 
 cut aed htuled 1 126 corda o( wood for the tgeoey, griti 
 •pd ttir mild a^.d the school, beeid«»lfeft lor the %%m 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 AtlfMRS IN EIUHTV-TH&BS 
 
 N)!:LBON 0>ouDty haa 8unietiiD«« l>e«A referred !• 
 io « prerions ciiapt«r a« tbough io eziauoce in 
 2h8E. It »tt6 coiiVtLitstt to do to bj wiiy o( enlicipe* 
 tioo to prevent fltoctUKioii ui idcM in reltttioo tu » boV 
 ircU kooivo geograpbical are». Io 1(^82 Btunnp lefce, 
 ftow wboll) io NeUotiCuuntj, waa ibeo wbully witbia 
 tbe iifiLtta of humify CctiLty. Nel»cQ Cuuoty wAe 
 treated by tbe territorial If^inlature February 27, 18^8, 
 aod bsoifi] lor (ion. h. K. N«-lto& of I'eBibioA. Ta 
 toron heitioo County, tbree raogea oi toi«ii8bi|>a wer« 
 tAitco from tbe west tide u( itraod Forks Cou&ty, part 
 of xma rat»g(B from ibe east aid« of hamaey Cou&iy •d4 
 four towfi^hips iroKi l*ctter touDtjr aa Ibea buuftded. 
 The project was eD)(ioecred in tbe IcglBlature by O. H. 
 TowD«r and tbe neaaure «vMasaid at the ilvie to bev« 
 bcco toiwaidcd in tie ittttttftt ot tof^naitt t^eculatore. 
 Id Janoary, 1888, the county coiroQit»ioKi«rs atet «i 
 l)e?ilB Lake City f»r tbe purpore of orga&iziof Hattaey 
 County. Tbe con otiryioocra were U. W. Boiigo ol 
 txvilf) f.Kke ('ity; K. V. Barton uf Freubwater [t^weet' 
 irater] Lake, and T. C i4a»nder» of WamdQaka, tbie 
 piace tbeo being in lUcntey r«oartiy. The c(>«imiaei«o« 
 *Tts finally agreed upon ibe fcllof»lt>g appoiataieste; 
 Hegiater of deeda. J. H. lercivai; Frobate judge, Tbof, 
 Cha&dler; Juatict^ of tbe peace, E. U ftgner, (3lra1ii4 
 Herbor and Tboe. fei^c^tt, t>eTila leke City. Pot 
 0MiKtabl«« r. Wartcof UcHp^ Cif^bor wm} T. ('%«09ll 
 <v«re appointed. 
 
AiP4i«8 till aioxTT>mBSi 85 
 
 Following lti« orf AniiAtioD a wraof le broke out al 
 t>»?ilt Lake City o?er the matter^ some elainiof that 
 the eoHoty had oot be«D legally orgaoited aod othera 
 that it had. Besiden, there were other eomplieatioDt 
 %'here different individuals were eenceroed, and tha 
 «*heTiIs lake troubles" as the conteations were called, 
 ^atiiiu«d into the spriog moDibt. At one stage of 
 Ibis couoty wrangle, Id March, Sheriff Jeoks came fros 
 (J rand Forks and made arrests of certain maleontentt 
 but they were admitted to bail. Here some declared 
 that the sheriff of another county had no legal right to 
 eater Bamsey C(»unty after it had been organised and 
 arrest and admit to bail any of its citizens; that ezi«t* 
 )Dg troubles were an affair ol their own coonty and no% 
 of any other outiide of it. Matters at Devils Lake had 
 2or some time attracted the notice of territorial papers 
 at a distance, and hence eliciied the follewinK editorial 
 la the Larimore Fiunerr of February 18, 188S^: 
 
 ** Jast here we wish to ^ster a protest agaiott the cvtrlastiag 
 witrriag about Devils Lake. The people oat there arc ecr* 
 Uialy aaxiona f^ buiid up ehcir courtrj sad bneg is a geod 
 class of prople. Fat b)' ^bcii wrss^Uog they are 6t)\ng all 
 possible to convioce the world iii lar^e that theirs is actaally 
 the Devils owa couotry. If they persist lu their iafersal 
 8iot>s, shooting scrapes, shanty harr^tigs, etc., people caaoot 
 but be convinced that the De^iU Lake country is inhabited by 
 a band of roogbs and that a deceit Br.ac's life is not safe 
 there. They are fast winning; a reputation to vie witb Dead- 
 wood, Leadville or Vir^iria Cit^. North Dakota has wen a 
 fair aane for the escellence of its inhabitants and all respect- 
 able people regret to see tbe settlers of Devils Lake, one of 
 the best portiQoa of the Territory, the one foal blot •• Di^ 
 iota's nsap. 
 
M SA.KLY UlBVaBY OV YUfl DSTILH LAKS OOUNTBT 
 
 "JaruBalem it a postoSice ni the eait eud of the Uka, 
 Op« 9to<r6 and a log hotel compriiie the towo. 
 
 '^Odessa is a newly laid ouC to^To with great ezpecta- 
 itioas. i>fer $50,000 worth of lots bafe been sold there 
 within two weeks. A powerful Bjndicatw has hold of 
 ihe towo aod i<i boomiui^ it aa bo other town ha« erer 
 beeo boomed. Maoy storen, hotels, oewnpapers, rail- 
 {toads and other iocideotais to a city are projected, and 
 Flint's $15,010 bote) ii now building. The town will 
 certaioly amouDt to soi&ethiDg aod will likely be an 
 luiportaiit city." 
 
 This was early in Jauuary, 1888, when the end of th« 
 railroad had baited for the (tinier at Barllett. Daring 
 ihat aioor.h some of tbo newspapers in the Territory 
 6«$aB to detiauQce thc' a&ie <«f lots in these aborli?t 
 towufihtp, or what afterwards torsed out to be sach, M 
 ]Msiug no better than fraaduleia^. The lavish outlay of 
 aiooej upon uncerti&inties showed faith in the future 
 9f the country and this may require au explao^tion. 
 The wheat crop of 1861 in ilio Ked Kiver tier eouotiea 
 of North Dakota, much of it /aised on Tirgin soil, was 
 a prood one and sold in the valley for $1 iK) per busbei 
 <fMid where kept over till «priog and cleaned in a fanniag 
 mill, it gold f«.r ft«€<J wheat at tl.25 per buobel. Now 
 this yield and prices (rave the boomers of I88;u a tangi- 
 ble basis to woik upon in their circHilars and literature 
 sent brosdcset to the esstetn etatee more or less tine- 
 wred with f a^pfferatioo f.rd rhicb pec pie already ser- 
 «ra4 y«nrB in the country were not permitted to see. 
 There fhould also be taken Into consideration the vea- 
 tiures<»inee|»irit of «*.e tires. It »e« a Iwn^ year for 
 1>uil<<lrfr, for toact^lief' f»Dd ataftin^ big fsrmssnd new 
 coiners v^iib mooe;^ «»d exaggerated ideaa i«i refird lo 
 
<Ui« future of fche ecvusitrj were apt to risk ibtirfaa^i im 
 projectfl where & yeer or two later thej used more cam* 
 tioo. AroBud f>e?il8 lake the boom apirit did ■•! 
 Mirvife the spring of 1S83. 
 
 By the eerlj part of March Defile Lake had mad* 
 Aoore further progress, as macj at twenty bnildinfa 
 oow having b«en erected. At that time the foilowiag 
 ttasioee* plecss were eDCmerated: Hotel, Major T. 8, 
 lienhsm; (rroceries and general merchasdise, Makee A 
 JPerkioA; hardware, Caoipbell & Leach, and W. W. 
 Moore;* drugs and general mfrehandise, K. W. Be»> 
 eett; meat snarket, Tho^. Fawcrtt; real estate and lav 
 cficeji, Judge J. W. Benoett, Coancil A Saton, aad 
 He^ &. <;haad!er: hlacktiinith shop, Mr. 8haDley;taiWf 
 shop. Mr. Vutft; saloons, Wra. Storm, aod Bolster. 
 
 CorroapoUil«^Dce, Larlmore Ploae«rr. Aprils, ItS). 
 
 Freshwater Lake, March 3o.-»The weather is beaatifaW 
 and the land enplcrers are fin'-kinc intoonrcotiatrjaadseeer' 
 SOS homec. Among the ne«v arrivals are Jcha Barleo aikl 
 Joho Wolf, of Streator. Illtfjts, who la the fntore »ill make 
 cbfir>hoise oo thr north shore of the iake. 
 
 Postmaster f A. Lrnrkc h ecoectec* hcnse In a «)«y or twe^. 
 He wat seen \n Bjirtlett oo Werlnesf^av aei^ nafii the offee will 
 tc opened \ctvatdi%i^\j , He « ill <^<9o t^iid a store ea Ike 
 iake this uprtnf;. 
 
 It it motored that there w\\\ be a staf^ ro«t« established 
 from Bairtlett to Sweettrater lake. We hope this will he a 
 saccess, and vndcubtedl; will be a f(eod paylaf baslaesa. 
 
 • W.N. Moore ar<1 W. A. Rserhflnan, the Intter prerloncly 
 mention^, were OMo men who rsire to Larisaore ia tke late fall 
 •f 1861 and opened th« first kiardware store la that town. 
 
^ BAMLJ «i4(fM>icT or rum nvnts lakr country 
 
 J. E. Locke vifl enUri;e his booie to accommodate new arrl' 
 V«li, %s sooB as the «r«atbcr will permit. 
 
 If ref»orts are true, this couDitjr mill be flooded with peoplo 
 this sprisg. A large colony is capected in a itw .days inm 
 IJHnoii. 
 
 [As was asual with these oew settlemeets, a towa was ea« 
 pected to be started at this lake. A iocg iolet to the lakt 
 ctteadtDf northeast needed to be bridged and this ttrnctnrt* 
 when built, would be about 400 feet io length. A &oe conAlff 
 <vas flaiined to extend northward fio&i the take.) 
 
 While the end of the track wav ttli) at Bartlett, M^ 
 grading hHTing beoD done watt of that place, it was 
 •Hoticipated that iom« one town would aria« oa t^ 
 ttortb obore of the iaka that in growth asd SmportanM 
 woisld chifTMtely outstrip all eompetitori. BataUtbla 
 would hare to depend upon direct railroad commuoitao 
 (ion and in tho ftpring of 188^ the preeieo course thai 
 the railroad would take when the next advane* wa« 
 Jbade, was a matter nf doubt. 
 
 l^ewspapere entered that field that fprlofr. The ftret 
 one itarted in any of the north ehore aettlemeiite waa 
 about the 6r»t of April, it waii called the Creel City 
 Inter-Oceao, published by Bickbam W. Lair. At Arat 
 it waft probably printed eWwhere than Creel City and 
 liter wBf» moved to Devile l.ake. About tlvaant tia« 
 ft proper called the Fartlett Tione* conrecebced pttblica* 
 itoD at that plf<ce. Thetif efforts were followed April 
 2<lth by a paper called tbe DetiU LakeOtobeof 14rao4 
 Herbor, a eii coltuno folio, publiebed by A J. Gareer. 
 In May e purer r»fBr;ed the fioneer-Preee wee started 
 at hf vIIp I f Ve City which ^lace eeen^a to have been ^ 
 little late to hew$ acccik oicdste^ vitb • local paper* 
 
£n April Creel City wasstrifing to retain A place od 
 ibe luap. AlleD & Leonard of Dayton, Ohio, were thea 
 ^uiUiiDg a Urge hotel; J. C Kloio from Larimore opeo' 
 id a flour and feed store; the towoiite company built A 
 Sne olBce; a itrocery store wan doing & good buMineas 
 aud Stone ^ Ferris, Grnod Forks nuen, made arrange- 
 saents to open a bank there, titrangera were eoB^ing 
 in by etfcry stage to inye<itigat« proapeetn, probabl/ 
 mred there by boom advertixing. 
 
 "Here Hx- Lieut. Creel has an excellent large log 
 lbou»e, it^tble ai d blhcksoiith's shop, with plenty of 
 blooded h^rsea and riga. Hia location ia aa good at 
 Anyone.*' 
 
 In May the Devils 'ake Pioneer Froaa remarked in 
 leferecce to religiuui obiervrB«€ff: *'8tra»g€r6 ciming 
 to i)ev?|j» Lake gcperally bjiig ^ilb tlinu the im- 
 preiisioa that little attei:iic>n j» paid to leligioD and 
 feligioua dniiei* hsre. ho greater delusion eonM be 
 ♦utertained. Religious Bcrvicea are held eacbBuadaj, 
 at 11 o'clock. Prcfcchirp ie b*ld at the t-ffieepf <:k>«Bei! 
 & Katou. At 8 o'clock Suuday School ia held at th© 
 residence of Mr. Dana. On Tucaday evening the Y. 
 M. O. A. hold the Tveekly praytr aeetii;g; to all of 
 ihfse service* the public ii invited." 
 
 May Ji7th Vtartiett eipetU'riced a div^tetroui fire. It 
 broke «iut hbtut ore o'cUck ii- tbt* naorsiirg but was 
 coi^ fired to one lilork. About twenty five bnildlnga 
 were destroyed, the loae being eatimated at $80,000. 
 Among the buildloge burned were a bank, three hotel*^ 
 Jbardware, dry gcvth end olbf r etorca. The place never 
 emrunfed to n ucb pCter wards, A^^e Jrfiuence oi the rail- 
 rred narr^pf n^rrt rpMler telrj» li» ffvrrrf I AkotA« fouJr 
 lb ilea efMf fitgrad io the toUowiog euffimerc 
 
mi AAiiLLf msatokt og tub Dmnu laxi oouhtbi 
 
 There was a Rmall goverDmeot iieainer on th« Uko 
 ^robabljT brought th«re that, spriug, but it waa littU 
 used, Cnpt. Heermaa put together the ** Arrow of Mil* 
 WAuke«" at bis boat yard ou the so called Kock iilaiNl 
 aud got it afloat ia the lake May 28d, Meaovvhilf he 
 had a larger iiteaoaer under coustructiou, which, when 
 launched, was uaaied the "Mionie H." The boat jAr4 
 Itad been prurided with a portable sawmill. 
 
 At Uraud U«rbor the proprietor« of the tovaail* 
 were £. A. Heudrick»on, nn ntturoey of St* I'aul; A, 
 Holman, oi the Hx. f . M. & M. Kailroad; A. J. Wiirti^ 
 K WagDis and C L. Ureeuoiij^u, operating •• a syB^i* 
 sate, having scripted IHO iicree which contained Dm 
 tvwoHiie. 
 
 dettli^rs had marked out their claimt ae they eo«14, 
 2;ui befurti the end of Mny, Majcir Ueo. U. Beardaief 
 began the survey of sixteen townships in UameeyOown* 
 ty Hui a uew land office district was created. At thai 
 tim« a U. A. Ltndi)dice wim \^ process of erection at 
 OeTiU Lake. 
 
 In Juue the country an both sides of the Masfaite 
 Coulie, a slough that drained from the north to Uevilt 
 Uke, WHS attrKcting attention ai^d numbers of seltlera 
 arere swaroiinu; ittto it Irv'^ng and Mills Church of 
 Larimore were ftttr»ctfcd to this it^glou and started thai 
 «ummer the villaj^e of Churchy Perry some twenty nilet 
 west of OeTils t.akt City. At that time, when the 
 waters of the lake backed into the coulie, a ferry wac 
 eoaiBteined there, but the eouHe is now drj. 
 
 During the lame summer the Northern Pacific Rail* 
 tfoad eumpany were construct tog a branch line north 
 from Jmm^Ufwm whi«h wevld et^tf^ <(he veti ead of Um 
 
-l »l I 1 II — — i— — — — »^»»1 ■■ ——I ■ 
 
 lAke. Mftoife«tly but ooe towo could araouot to mueh 
 to that iocatioQ, but four attempted ttmnsitet wer* 
 located upon v^hich a little buildicg was done. One of 
 these totrneiteK appropriated the name Mintiewaukaa, 
 and DeTiis Lake City anade do effort to secure it whil« 
 \h9 way was open to accumpliab that measure owing to 
 •the failure of the temporary towusite of tkat name 2| 
 oiilfs distant, and btcce has retuinfd a itaace wbicli 
 0)atiy people have thought to be objectionable aimI 
 ;^bich doe8 not even conyey the correct meaning of tb« 
 Iridian name of the Iske. The railroad company favor*>' 
 ad Micnewaukan Hud no thxt iettlement became tb« 
 'T)U8{ijef)e point of that section o1 eountry and the county 
 ^eat of Heiieou Ccuniy. During settlement times »or« 
 importance was attached to the fatnre of any priaeipa) 
 U)ivQ thni might arise at tb(? vest end of the Uke IhaA 
 %'&9t really warranted. 
 
 While the ^ettlementii »ilready mentioned were in 
 prcictAs of deveh {ontne, th^Ff <Mii5 ai^o (orooing to the 
 ^outh of ChurchM i<erry ah unique community composed 
 i^f perM)Of< <if n izfd natUnRlity, This was located on 
 the perin^ule ccmnoiily calltd Grshanis Iplacd, at ono 
 tin.e 6tJfjpi>p<'d to have been wh<»lly surrounded by 
 Water. Kiit squBttprw, (>eebirf c'epirhlle locations, found 
 that this tract W8i» joined U) (l( f:r>r(h ^bort' of the lake 
 by a D«^ck of land. The top^grnphy of the peninsula ia 
 somewhat dtfieifrt frcn tbr.t of the adjacent country^ 
 being gently rotiiof; with an eminence higher than the 
 n^i in its central ipert. The tract contains between 
 6f T*n pnr! eipFt fctere c flcf it6 i^e eerly settlers 
 found partprf it t eerily tin t«ered. Th? Fort Totten 
 AiiHtfrr:^ nkcr^miui teteinfcf « tract of ftbou* l,S{Dp 
 
ft nkMLf atavmr dy vm^ v%,ytU9 lakk coujrtmv 
 
 •^ores of timber, At the soutbero end of tb« peoiosnU to 
 foroish wood for the twe of the irarrisoD. Octa?e La* 
 Rose and Johu 0. Hunter settled on the peBioeola im 
 .1880 nod by the year 1883 it hud been quite generally 
 occupitd by eettlere ivitb their familiet. 
 
 iu lochtiaf^ the railroad irota Bartlett to Defile Laks 
 ;he surveyor acd hit* 8F£i8i6nt»,cca.pIeted running the 
 Un« on tbe l(>tb ot h\iiy, A grading force wae put od 
 And in May were in tuii i>»!i>g with this part of the 
 A^ork. in June the track laying force were on hand, 
 i'ullowed up day by .day hy the construction traini tbnt 
 brought from Minoeputa, u6 (ast ae needed, the raila, 
 U^fi ii,ud timbers for culverts. The rails were not etee), 
 but partially worn wrought iron ones which had been 
 taken np on the coaipany's lineA in Minnesota, which 
 in those yearB were being relaid with vteel rails, ltf.i8 
 heavy than those cow used, tcf the days of big locomo* 
 Uvea had not yet corne. in track laying the company 
 ti^ed fievfrel two Ftory bt ardirg CBTb to hrotie the men 
 and tbeie wei«? kebt pust c^d forward »o as to rest at 
 night rear th<> end of the track. On Sunday evening, 
 iuly 1, 1883, the track reached Devils Lake. A train of 
 five cf^achec «»8b run to that point ou the 4th, and after 
 »ide trac kp were laid and scR'e other work done regnlar 
 Uains began arriving Monday. July 16tk. Tbeireaftor 
 tU^ town begap bt^itdiuf! up at c oaoderata paee. 
 
A' 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE WARD BROTHERS TRAGEDY 
 
 B • prctiniD&ry to th« r«Utioo of th* MMtiantioa 
 » of tb« Ward brotherB at the bandt of a nob aaaff 
 DeTiis Lake Uity on Hundtiy tfcoiof , April «, 188», 
 aome retiew of the iioinediate baekgrouod of this dot 
 plorabla, not to aay atrocious sffair, will aot b# onl of 
 place. The land oortb of Devil* lake wat then ^rt of 
 the public doBain, oeither feuiveyed nor In market, but 
 open to appropriation by Hquatters pro?ided that they 
 improved it and establiflhcd a rebideuee upon it. But 
 ao iiquattcr wai entitled to claim any more than tb» 
 qaartor-section he had chosen and occapied by putting 
 wp at lea«t a cUlm shnnty on it to indicate residenee. 
 
 As e^rly as the fall of 1882 rumor* of claim jumping 
 in the Devils Iske ccurtiy ^••fe vieaed i^ith cooeero 
 by ail fair minded re»ld«»ntf«. Then Terry's military 
 order stirred up a feeling of indignation until reteinde4 
 and caused loss of time to some who bad coiA.menced io 
 build good houses be.'.>re wloter set in. Moreover, Ibo 
 tragedy was coiRci'tent with the county tr^iubles of tho 
 same spring, %tn\ with cUim shack huroiogs to render 
 olaims vacant if not iffRedifctpJy r«f)l6c*d (provided 
 auch things were done) together with disputes concern, 
 ing rights to claims; hII coi)join«d gave many of tb* 
 people a sense of insecurity and cooseqnent irritation. 
 Put those iratters did not justify lie iisntcn ocnrder 
 that was perpetrated, which tragedy eeeme to have b«e« 
 the c«»ltt>iratlng episode of the troubles akteadiog (bt 
 settUo»eiftf of the Rorth ebore of the lake. 
 
The ▼ictims of the crag edj war* Fred Ward, age 80,, 
 *q4 Uharles Ward, age 25. Tnej were the 1008 o( Dr. 
 K. i". Ward who na» a well kuowa eitiaea of Cliicag*. 
 The oldest ol the two brothers bad a wife aid child hm- 
 Cbicago. Both were stated to have been graduate! af 
 ;b9 We»t PciL'. Mihtnrjr ecbool, Fred baTifig beea * 
 ^lasDUiat^ Qi Lieut. Creel, who testified that tbey bora a 
 good reputaxioD. Ibej came into the coontry in to»- 
 siectloB i>i!b the iJartlctt tc^tt^ite. Tbe accosBl 9$ 
 ibi» uu)b affair wbicb io«)ow3 is from tbe Larinorei 
 ^iocei^rot April i:6, four dti^s niter tbe tragedy. At 
 that time tbe er.d ol tbe ruUroad was at Bartlett aa^ 
 tb«>Te w»s no telegraphic cotrmunication nearer tk# 
 *v«!Ue oJ '.Ae trageoj tb*r^ Tort Totteu. 
 
 *'\)n Tiundtij aip;ht tbe any of Larimore was tbrowA 
 into 9i>ai« ficiienient b>' the' telegram from Fort Tottaa^ 
 that Fred and dbarle^ Ward bad both been killed be- 
 tween l)«7i!8 Lake CiJj arid Creel City» on tbe aortic 
 tbure o( bevils* Ube. Kuccor^ nere coLflicting, and to 
 tbe dire certainty of tb(; murder of tbe boys was addeik 
 ?he annoying dilficulty ot obtaining any reliable infor^ 
 ri^ation. W b^n luetdtiy'B train arrirtd ^'dings were 
 sagerly "oujcht from pa^p^nger? from tbe west and a 
 large amober of cop5#^5 of tbe Barflett Timsa were toIA 
 arnong tki? eager croTvd, and from iLe published aecoant 
 and froi:n parties in fr< n- ihi- t/c^ri the meager inloras** 
 *AoB is gained. 
 
 "The Ward brothers bfcd bxnlt a chanty ob a elain 
 ^bere one Bell bad a abanty. It is claimed by some 
 ihat tbe Ward brothers aere the original squatters 00 
 ithe land nod bad bfen crc?(ded off by later elaimantt. 
 It is said that the Ward brothers ware B«ti6«d (o Imwv 
 
THB WARD BBCTRKIfK* TRAGRDY 95 
 
 Sunday, but refused. That nigbit. so goes the report 
 earrent, the shinty was surrounl'^i by a large party 
 armed with Wincheater rifl^ra, when they were agaio 
 ordered to leave and on refusal a volley from the Win- 
 cheaters was poured into the abanty, rervilting in the 
 death ol Fred Ward, (/'hrtriea VVard started out, and it 
 is aaid, tried to tret awny, but was shot in the back of 
 the neck. A young man nAtned Klliott wae ataying 
 with them that Di^sbl, ^ho, pays the Bartlett Times, 
 af er the ^huotiIJg fc» d tubhidt-d, darted through the 
 door and srarted to run, but wa^ caught, and after be- 
 ing badly kicked and beaten, was uacerimonioualy told 
 10 'j^ii' which ne did witb-jut Htaudiug on the order of 
 io doing. Klliott »1k) f-a\a that it was undoubtedly 
 ivhil9 trying? i<. escaps, iha'. Charles received the two 
 iho'..s in ihe bhck which U/n inatea hia life. After 
 kiihr.g ihe tw(. brotiityp lb? crf.^^d prcceed«-d to clean 
 out the shinty, lemovinc ih^ contents to the uutside, 
 and also carrying out bied Ward'? body. One inform^ 
 antsays that niore than thirty bullet holes cac b« 
 counted in the board siding oi the shanty. 
 
 'The bodie. were taken to Minnewaukon [the plac^ 
 of that name 2J n)!!e« froni Devils Lake] and their 
 Jiitads in i^hivr^v aiC. ehf^htie tekgrnphed, also 
 PoHtniaster Wocdhae .>f Li* ■imore, who was an old friend 
 of the family. Mr. GoccLue cent out with Deputy 
 Sheriff Bailey on Va^sday'a freight; nnd the former 
 came in Wedi-ebday morning with the bodies and went 
 on to Chicsgo with thfm On Wednesday Deputy 
 \VMl«h went out in obedienca to a telegram, to assist io 
 making arreats. 
 
 •\K wn'< rumoeed that a large number were ilretdy 
 under arre«t, but yesteiday's iateU news denied that 
 
*nythin{( bad been done. A card from Mr. Bailtj o». 
 ArrUiog At btrtlott stid bo did ojt koov the auU 
 ihiDgi were in, but would ^et to the tcene m ioob m 
 ^oMible. 
 
 **Mt. Goodhue on ftrririog here yeiterdaj eaid h« 
 hjad himself learned that Charlei had eame oBt of ih« 
 ehaDty and earreodered, but waa ahot by the erow4 
 aflerwurda. 
 
 "I'ublic sentiment is aumewhat divided, aome thiak* 
 iofr the Ward boya jumped Bell's claim, while a few 
 others say the Wards were there first. Creel aays they 
 jui<«ped the claim, and that he supposes the 'cititea'e 
 protective at>sociatioii' is respossible (or their takiBgefl. 
 
 '' ihe statement most current is that the Warda had 
 i^het before jumped the claim and had been drives off, 
 but hnd never given up the idea of holding it. Ob 
 f^unday they put another shanty on it, and at nlghl 
 »rheo Bell came up to hiK owu shiftoty, which waa near 
 at hand, be was hred oo and driven off by the Warde. 
 Ue then went to Creel City tor reinforcements, and ob 
 the return of the party the battle ensued. 
 
 *'Mr. LaHhelle who found the bodies, ie in Larimor* 
 and says that when the crowd came up and ordered thB 
 boys off, Charles came to the door and fired five ahota 
 when the shootiofi: became general. He says therB le 
 oo question that tbe Ward boys bad no right to thB 
 claim and were doing wrung in going there, but that 
 doea not Justify the murder. 
 
 " Tbe affair is most lamentable, and aside from thB 
 toss of life and anguish caused, will give tbe Devils LakB 
 country a bad oamo It will take years to live dowB. 
 Ihe K)Utder I9 iho fie^itioQate ouU%&« u( IhB daiv 
 
tam VABO BBOTiBSBe TBAOKDT 97 
 
 j«nf iiift &nd WArring and bickering thai hai been go* 
 iog an At OeTils Lake for sisTeral months, aod all the 
 partiei engaged in the recent troubles will be held, by 
 public opinion, at leaat, partly retpoaeible for Iho 
 crime." 
 
 Ac inqueat waii toon held at DeTlls Lake City. Tho 
 jurors drawn in the caae were, tor Fied Ward, T. C* 
 Wolcott, J. B. B^toii and Smith Paesett; for Oharleo 
 Ward, JaoQes E. Reed, E. V. Hartoo and Frank Alei* 
 ander. A telegraphic message from Fort Totten •tate4 
 relative to the testimony of a witness: '*The f«Ctt aro 
 that when the mob came to the shanty, the door waa 
 opened for them lo enter by Fred Ward, when a mao 
 whose name 1 have ft>rgotten, caught him by the collof 
 and draifged him outside into the crowd, when the mob 
 drajEged him around the corner of the building, wheM 
 •ome one shot him in tha b»ck with a shot gun. Eighty 
 •hot were counted in bin back. Then, tox beifig ssti^ 
 fied with this, cootlier party rbot bioi sgaio with a re^oK 
 ▼er while down. Chsrlf s W srd knowing his brothcT wao 
 killed, commenced to fire Mt the mob at the door. They 
 returned the Are with a volley, for the building is liter- 
 ally covered with huHet holes. Charlew, seeing be ttoodf 
 no "(bow, o Bd«- a brrfk cut cf tie <ivvt sr.d rm), Hegol^ 
 about thirty pactf trr.ni the r^rrr »h/n fcne ope kkol 
 him in the back of the neck with a Winchcater rifle, 
 
 "They then took Elliott and made him get dowa tm 
 big knees end beg for mercy or die like the othera. Ho 
 fcepped and while doirg so, the crowd eommoneed to 
 kirk and beat him, bruising bim up pretty badly, 
 ]M>«jnr Uline aaid <don*t kill him.' lliey then told hiiB 
 to run tot h, which he did in food aba^" 
 
Tho meMige further stated thftt one of the mob w«t 
 wounded iu the mrro. This was « persoi of the B«m« 
 9t McWeeney. After getting out the cooteots ot thii 
 building, sooie of the mob were going to set fire to It, 
 but Uline again iuierposed, saying "It was bad enougli, 
 save the building." Then looking at the bodies tbt 
 mob swore and left. 
 
 A p»ri of the ?erdicl of the jury was to the effect tbftl 
 *tfae «uid weapons were fired leloniously by partiea 
 onkoown to this jury, members of an armed mob, woal 
 cf whojB are hired bj the Creel City Townaite Com* 
 j^any." As is usual in the cano ot mob affairs it beeoBiet 
 tiiiTi^uh, if not impoAsibie, to fix indiridua) guilt upoa 
 any special party for the death o/ any particular par* 
 40Q. Collectively tht« men comprising tbo mob niighl 
 ¥e wholly or in pari kaowu. 
 
 At \fiuQi a doten mtu were pluced under arreit and 
 znost of them were taKeu to l*'ort Totten, tut tb« military 
 authorities* declined to receive them as priftouers, to thay 
 were released on buii, .lud^e Benuett^, of i>evil« Lake, 
 fixing the 9uni *i» S2 0(K) tu each cmm\ Tbode implicate 
 *d were C«!?it. h Uline,* Wiliie.rn C. Fftrritstust.. John 
 Bell, Hug^h McL*rkr_T, VViiliam l^edford. George Car* 
 penter, Patrick McVVeency. hernia Mdlloy, Bickham 
 W. Lrir, ThomaB Kurnfi. l^k-t [uvpir. «r«i John Cole, 
 In the long run, none of the ^i»!plicated parties ••re 
 •^ver punished or the CHse farther iave-dtigated. 
 
 During the fir*t week the detaiit> of this mob affair 
 were somewhat corfiicting < vi ft g to the ieolatito of 
 
 • C 8, tTiine was a native of th« «»ate of New Tork and waf 
 born in ISSS From IK7I to Iff2 be wa* rUI t of w«y afreet for the 
 Pt. P. M & KT (ipeat KoTthenil Railroad Oompany. He teok «p 
 hlM retideoM at DoTlls Lake where he died May II. tM» 
 
7BS W4IIO nmyraw»r6 tB^oKor ^'9 
 
 D«?ila Lake and Creel City »t the lime and lack of 
 direct communication. 'Vh&t the Ward brothers fired 
 apon Bell aeema to rest upcm his own atntement and he 
 Has himself the inciting party that started out the inub. 
 The Pioneer of May 3 published at least two additiooal 
 hems relati?e to the case. •*>¥. N. Moore was in from 
 DeTils Lake City Monday [April 80]. He tays tht 
 general impression out there is that the Ward boys had 
 as good a right to the claim they were murdered on ai 
 anybody; that they thought, and doubtless correctly, 
 that a vacant claim existed there, «nd that while they 
 may have been reckless in going there under threats •! 
 8uch a gang they did nothing dishonorable." 
 
 One raport was that Bell had built his shanty oo the 
 line and was trying to hold t\ffo quarter sections which 
 teBder^a hiM claim to titber ot them void, unless h« 
 declared in favor of one of them to the exclusion of tb« 
 other. 
 
 "As evidence is gathtred the blackness of the crime 
 committed at Devils lake becomes more apparent It 
 was a wilful, diHbolical nuirder that robbed Dakota of 
 the lives of two worthy citirena, and robbed two komea 
 in C;hicago of most valued and cherished meMbers. 
 The roost reliable accounts indicHte that the Ward 
 brothers had as good a right to t^e claim as anybody^ 
 that Bell's shanty was ou the line and he was attempi- 
 ing to hold two quarter sections." 
 
 The funeral of the Ward brothers in Chicago wa» 
 onu<«uaUy larre snd imposing. Under date of Jur» 24, 
 l>*h8. Or K. P. Ward wrote to a friend In North Da- 
 kota! probably L. P. (Goodhue, of which ioltof tht Col- 
 ic wi«g extract was published; 
 
HOO BABLT HIStOS? Of Y^B DEYILfl tAK« XX)UIITBT 
 
 **My dear frieod—Mftoy times in the mids^ oi the 
 laiADy calls upon my tiaoe, have my thoughts been of 
 shttt far away place where cruel, murderous hands 
 deprived our loving and beloved sons of precious lif« 
 »nd fond parents ot the lagt motive for life. My poor 
 wife l8 inconsolable. Her health is very poor and th* 
 is frightfully broken down, about as bad as at firat, 
 WiJl the fiends ever be brought to justice? What eaa 
 ihe people of l>akota think of temporizing with such ft 
 eri^ne under the name ot 'manslaughter' when thetesti- 
 isuony of the mob themselves is convicting o( murder?'* 
 
 The claim ou which the Ward brothers were killed 
 «as long held in contest. Frrm the local land office 
 At Devils I,ake the case was carried up to the General 
 Lawd Office at Washington and was finally referred to 
 the Secretary of the Interior who, in September, 1885, 
 affirmed that it belonged to the heirs o( the Ward boy*. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 it appears that Nicollet's first aamc was jMeph, instead •! 
 
 |,eaa. Chapter IV was prioteti last year at which time the 
 nrror was not known to the puplisher. It appear! that ia 
 •ome way there was confounding of name with the earlier Jea* 
 Nicollet mentioned on page 5. It is n*t knewa who hrat 
 made the errur, but it was subsequently repeated ia vari««t 
 American publications. In 1894 Horace V. Winchell (soa af 
 N. H. Winchell quoted pp. 37, 3S) iBTestigated Freach saarcea 
 relative to Nicollet and aiscovered the common error. Tk<[ 
 full nacue ot the explorer was Joseph Nicholas Nicollet, Mt 
 be usually signed his name J. N. Nicollet. 
 
 Wright County p. 44, should read Meeker County. 
 
 In the fall of 1S82 Fargo papers gave coosideri^ble space tit 
 afiatrs in the DeviU lake countr?. This suggests a source of 
 tntorcQaiion tor any historian, earlier than any papers were 
 piloted ai Devils Lake and other pointy provided the files of 
 l^e Fargo papers escapee the hie in June, 1893, which likely 
 irould haye been the ca&e if kept in fire- proof vaults. 
 
 The Great Northern Railroad nystem has at different time* 
 ^orne four names. It w8& chartered in 1856 under the name 
 Minnesota &JPacific, but no ifils were laid until 1863 whea 
 ten miles of track were laid from St. Paul to St. Anthoay. 
 In 1863 and 1864 this line began to tie extended up the valley 
 toward St. Cloud. Tbe roao oow took the name of St. Paul 
 Sc. Pacific. To equip this andjotber lines that began ia the 
 sixties to radiate from St. Paul and Minneapolis, rails, ears 
 and engines all had to be brought up the Mississippi, proba% 
 bly from LaCrosse, then the nearest down river poiat where 
 any railroad from the east terminated. In 1867 the liae t« 
 Breckenridge was started from Minneapolis and reached Re4 
 river in October, 1871. A cooaectioa with Wiaaipes k»«itf 
 
102 SAJiLl BtnOHV uf tiitA UkYlL« LAKJi OOVVf St 
 
 b)e«a made tht r««d, which was developisf; ittto • >y«te», If 
 iS^9 took thea»<iie St. Pavl, Vf laeapolii & liamt»b* R«il^ 
 AOftd. Tii) irii^.iitijTi hafiuj bscooK; ia»pplicablc •vlsf 
 colbeftlvjiaiie 9f tie i»tin liae :rtst««rd, the a«a« •! Ik* 
 Artte<zt Irat ehacged to Great t^^rthero in 1890. Tke ead •{ 
 f(h<i traek rrmtcioed at DeTtls Lake from 1883 !• 1886 m4 
 4lQri&g the latter year wm p«»bedi trcst to Gaaaaia* C««U«| 
 '.\stn tttlea bajoad Miaot. 
 
 '$«rl7 io Jalf, 1883, the raiiYoitd maaageaeat served AotiM 
 rv^Barilett that when re>(;alar trams begkn rttanisK to Devito 
 Xahe, Bartlett woald ao longer be recbgaited at a atatioa ol 
 ^^e rsilroad; that trains would not atop there aad that tk« 
 ^iRpo: would bs fooTcd and th^: side tracks takea apb Tht 
 ^Ottb of Hartlett utia indi)gtiant atii j»rocar«d from the Di** 
 ViCt Court aa iaJDaction so ihaa the ferma of the raaadatt 
 "•vr^ never earned into eHec^ 
 
 %t the time traio9 began r^bniog to Devila Lake a Maga 
 «a« beinn ran from Larimore to Fort Tottea twice a «ac,^, 
 fltartiog from Larimore Moadnya and Tharsdays. The Hoc 
 {Qok in Adler, Harri»bur(^, Waoida^ika and jcrataleai. It 
 j^rvbabif did not cootione l6Dg after regisUr traiat ^g<^^ 
 Hianing to the lake. 
 
 ^a cxcotf ioci from Griw;^ 1^ork» aail Mher poiats va* teaia 
 10 Devils Laktr bv soecinl trt'iTJ, We^aenday, Aagttit 3, 1883* 
 Ca-pt. Hecimaci's jtetre>bc»l *&« ttt-w tc «8«s en the lake, aa4 
 %hft cccursioQ party were tnltsti to Minnewaakaa at the veil 
 »ad of the lake where aooe ttccs waa epeat pickniekiag «• 
 ahore. Atvoathalf an hour was also spent at Fart Tattea 
 where the eccatsioalsts had an opcrortanity to iaspact tha pas^ 
 buildings. Fro« thai point a ret«.ra was mada ta DaviU 
 Lake, arriving at 7:30 p. m, where the traia was ready fair 
 Kfae homeward part at the trip. T4mtf -Mg^t ticketf fft^^to 
 aacarsioo were said at baitaiarfti 
 
AlfFBHDlX lOS 
 
 Tke foUoiring sketch c*aceraing the F«rt Tottea Indiai 
 j«ravaas was written from Devils Lake in April, 1898, and 
 ^at to the pttblisher for use in the Larinore Pioneer in •••- 
 icctioo with some North Dakota sketches, and was so %u4 
 
 a,t that time. 
 
 •*The folJowiag, which was related to me toy Hon. Frank 
 Palmer, of Fort Totien, may be of interest to yon. 
 
 **Mr. Palmer says the ori(;iaal iatenlion of the railroad 
 pompany was to call what is now known as 0)ata, Stickacj* 
 9Dd the station now called L&rtmore was designated as 0)ata 
 00 the early railroad folders. At the time when Ojata or 
 ^tickoey, was the terminus of the road, the latter was under 
 contract to deliTcr a large quantity of goTernmenl suppliet 
 tor Fort Totien at Ojata. From this point the Indians hanled 
 the supplies to Fort Totten. Complaint was made that they 
 were coinpellsd to haul the goods further than the contract 
 called for, and a delegation ficm Fort Totten, among tk« 
 nt^mbei being Mr. Paln^irr, went to St. Paul to see what the 
 road was willing to do about it. They went to Mr. Hill and 
 explained that the roRd had agreed to deliver the goods at 
 Q)ata [Larimore], instead of which they were being delivered 
 at Stickney. Mr. Hill called up General Manager Manvel 
 and found that the representations of the Fort Totten delega' 
 tion were correct. He expressed hia regrets, told them it waa 
 impossible to pet iron, and p ode the road's contract good ky 
 requesting Mr. Mac?el to ctacge tte Dkice of Stickney to 
 Ojata. Thereafter the supplies for Fort Totten were deliver 
 sd at Ojata, according to agreement. The letter of the con- 
 tract was fulfilled, but the poor Indians had to hanl tkeif 
 goods some twenty miles further than tbey anticipated.** 
 
 [In l88«, when the end of the railroad was at Larinoro, 
 the ^upolies were delivered there aad a temporary kailding 
 ■ras put np to house theas after being unloaded fro* tktcarf.} 
 
404 ftAMLT HmOftT OF THB OKVTL8 LAKE OOUHTET 
 
 lo 1914 15 the Devili Lake Journal pablished ao esteosive 
 lig| of North Dakota stories, eacti of moderate leocth, deal> 
 iag with early times in the Territory and State. The foHowiag 
 va« No. 73 oi the seriei : 
 
 WaMDUSKA TOWNSITB 
 
 "If any present day real estate dealer of North DakoU 
 donbts the ability aiad enterprise of land speculators back m 
 the ttrritottc^l dB>t cf Dskcta let hin go back to the record* 
 •f tbc early '80s to be convioced of tbe *buca' spirit of Dm* 
 kota'a first zeal estate deak^s. In 1882 Saw Thai, after- 
 wards Sk well known mercbant and land owner of Lakota, 
 forsQcd a partnership with M. 1. Mendelson for the eiplo>ta«> 
 iion of the towDcite ot Wsadutka, which was hctalcied far 
 and Tfide as a coming metropolir. on tbe north shore of Stamp 
 lake, the curious body of water, cast of tbe larger De? ils lake 
 which has standing in its bed innumerable trees of consider* 
 able afe. The Milwaukee Republican in the early part ol 
 1883 had the following to say regarding Wsmduska: 'Messrs. 
 S. Thai and M. I. Mendelson, cfficers oi the Wamduska 
 Townsite Company uf Dakota, have just returned from Chi- 
 cago, where an addititnal syndicate was formed, comprising 
 some of Chicago's snd 3ni)«£ukeY'f influrntial ard wealthy 
 business ntr, t»i<ha cepit^l of $50.ccc." Tbe Fcpublica* 
 goes 00 to ?ay that a lire c( plesitiie steatneis will be estab* 
 Hshed on the lake and that contract has been let to D«ddt 
 3c MeChesney of Grard f crka tor thf iranulactore of a half 
 million of brick for use in buildlr^ business blocks in the sew 
 city of V^ smdttska. Also tbe virtuous, confidence- inspiring 
 statement is nade that lots in tbe new tcwnsite will be sold 
 only t« actnal settlers who will build substantia! bnildingi o« 
 them. Of course ^ airdufka went tbe way of many a boo« 
 town of tbe early times, its Isck of railicad facilities sms 
 cauiing It to be denrted. However, the a^v« aod eatkuias* 
 
ikFPKVOIX 105 
 
 »t Harth Dakota't Uod men is eKemplified in the Milwaukee 
 i^epttbUcaa's account of that earif day jomraey •£ Thai and 
 If eadeUoa to intereit capital in the *beatttif«l towaiite of 
 Wamdaska,' which was described in tome of their adveititiac 
 aaterial as being 'unbroken bj ridges or mixed with aad* 
 holes.' " 
 
 fi, B. Heerman had this comoianicatioo in the DevUt 
 Lake Jotirnal, April 9, 1916: 
 
 **For the benefit of the farmers it might be well to saf that 
 my diary shows 33 years. The ilth of this month (1883) the 
 snow was one foot deep all oyer the woods on Rock island 
 and I could not haul a load of boat material from the end of 
 She track at Bartlett. The 13th a light misty rain, the 14th 
 was cold, the i6th Tery cold, the i8th the snow was sefCP 
 feet deep between the place of building the Minuie H and 
 the shore of the lake. The 19th was cold and cloudy and 
 freezing. April 30 the United States surveyors were survey- 
 ing Creels bay and tr»ced their chains over the ways eon* 
 stiucted to launch the Minnie H, while the snow had reached 
 a depth of 3)^ feet io the Rock Island woods. After the 
 above dates spring came rapidly and the most of the lake vaa 
 t>pen May 3d. The nearest station was Bartlett." 
 
 [Caot, Heerman evidently refer* to a given locality infia* 
 enced by wind blown snow. On the prairies, where burnei 
 •ver in the fall, but Uttle snow collected all through a wintet 
 AS it was apt to be kept scoured off by winds. J 
 
 On the neat page, io moch reduced form, is a specimea •! 
 newspaper boom advertisiog of May. 1883. The origiaal wat 
 four coU-nns wide runnitig down the whole length of a page, 
 the columns beirp «i>4 inches in length. One may woode» 
 at the bolHnpss. rot to say f«uHanty, of such efiorts which «■» 
 characteristic of the year t88z io eaatdo North Ctkoti. 
 
HARRISBURGH 
 
 ON STUMP L AKe 
 
 CpMlNG METROPOLIS OF NORTH DAKOTA. 
 
 COUNTY SKAT OF RAMHEY COUNTY 
 
 AND THB PROaPfiCTlVK 
 
 CAPITAL OF NORTH DAKOTA 
 
 Tk^c ?riocipal Watering and Summer Resort in the 
 
 Northwest 
 
 Tli« loun is bfntttifully lucatcd un a fine elevafion dn tll« 
 shore of thin mttgnificerit sb«i«( »f vmter lo well knowo far 
 azi^ «rid9 as Stump Uke. T.h«) Rite in p»rtiy composed of 
 A bf>&uti)ul onk strove nnd tbe bftUoce high »od dry prai* 
 7ie, aiinatvd nboui thr cruter vmy on tbe Murtb side. Tba 
 MiinitobA railrond krtfpirji; on the nnine tide as Lerimorep 
 %ill ccme strsiKbt ta the cc'Qter of tbe (uwsnite, beifig is 
 
 T. 151 R. 60 
 The coantrj around for twelve to Hfteen laile* li settled tut i rely 
 by wealthy Americans and Canadian* tBAkiog one of the besl 
 rarroaading* a cnunir)- could desire. The soil it p^r escelleaec» 
 *nd its rOUinj? surface will tcv<?r aiiwit of maody stTeett. The 
 iftke is i8 miles loDg by i^ Tride, witbi hlgU, bold shores and 
 Mkirted with timber. We are asjurwi by the Maaitoba Rmilread 
 CofTpacy that they will enakr Ha» tisburg their termiaas for the 
 Xtt^mer. 
 
 HARRIS & WALSH, Townsite Proprietors. 
 
 >jrentP: Walsh, Maher &Cox and Capt. Alex.Gri«r«, 
 Crppd Forks; Jud IsVonre. lembins. and Elder & 
 Co., Grand Forks and Fargo. 
 
 l-bFe21 
 
I