Cavalier County Timeline

Cavalier County Timeline. Pioneers on the Prairie. , 1738 . The first known white, non-native men to have set foot in Cavalier County were those in the Verendrye expedition. Through researching journals, it is believed that the expedition passed through Cavalier County in November of 1738 and camped northwest of Olga. , Early 1830s . Fur trading post established in Beaulieu. , 1848 . West of Olga, near the O'Brien coulee, the battle between Chippewa (Turtle Mountain) and Sioux took place., January 1, 1863 . Surveyed land was opened to Homestead entry. , 1873 . Cavalier County was created from the western part of Pembina County and named by the Territorial Legislature for Charles Cavileer, a well-known saddle maker, fur trader, customs agent, and postmaster. Cavileer, originally from St. Paul, brought settlers to Pembina County in 1851. The spelling of Cavalier County has always been Cavalier. Why the spelling was changed is unknown., 1883 . A wave of immigration brought many people to the area., 1883 . The first school in Cavalier County opened in Olga in the spring of 1883 in the log house where Father Cyrille St. Pierre lived on his squatter's claim. The building was about 16 square feet. The school began with 20 pupils, but enrollment steadily increased. A tent was eventually added to the building. The first classes were taught in French, as few area children spoke English. , Winter 1884 . Langdon was named after a railroad official, Mr. Robert Bruce Langdon, who was here in the interest of the Great Northern Railroad. Mr. Langdon left and did not return, but he left his name and the promise of a fire bell for the city school when it was built. , July 8, 1884 . Residents petitioned Territorial Governor for permission to organize the county, resulting in the establishment of Cavalier County. , October 20, 1884 . The first court house was built., 1886 . A one-room school was opened in Langdon., October 29, 1887 . Battle for County Seat , The Courier, an early Langdon newspaper, reported that Rosa Lake, Lemon, Olga, and Langdon were all vying for the position of county seat. Anecdotal stories tell of several settlers who succeeded in voting several times by simply changing their hats and coats. When all votes were tallied, it was found that Langdon had polled 301 votes, Olga 246, Rosa Lake 55, and Lemon 11. It was alleged that the Langdon precinct had cast 150 votes with a total of only 50 qualified voters. However, the county seat remained in Langdon., January 12, 1888 . A blizzard claimed the lives of over 200 people from the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Iowa. , April 17, 1888 . Langdon Police Department was established. , 1889 . First Langdon City Hall, fire department, and jail were built. , December 2, 1889 . North Dakota was admitted to the Union. , February 1890 . A blizzard claimed the lives of three people in Langdon. , April 7, 1890 . Langdon Volunteer Fire Department was organized, 1890s . Electric lights were installed in Langdon. , October 8, 1897 . First telegraph was received in Hannah at 9:30 PM. , November 5, 1897 . First passenger train arrived in Hannah at 3:25 PM. , 1897 . Langdon City Library was opened. , 1899 . Telephone service arrived in Langdon. , 1903 . First automobile owned in Langdon. , 1906 . Current boundaries and township names were established. , 1907 . Langdon Experiment Station established by 10th Legislative Assembly of North Dakota. , May 29, 1909 . A cyclone hit Langdon at 6:00 PM on a Saturday, killing five, injuring 15, and causing $150,000 worth of property damage. In 2020 that amount would be $4.27 million. , August 3-5, 1909 . The First Cavalier County Fair was held. , 1910 . The first hospital opened in Langdon. , August 11, 1911 . Kenworthy-McGoey aero plane from Grand Forks entertained the crowds at the Cavalier County Fair. His machine caught on the livestock stalls on the north side of the grounds and came down so suddenly his machine was demolished. No one was hurt, not even McGoey himself. , July 4, 1912 . The entire business part of town burned down in Dresden. , 1917 . Langdon's water system installed under direction of Mayor John Power who, due to having contracted Typhoid Fever, was a strong advocate for pure water., 1917 . Sarles School fire. , 1919-1920 . Several American Legion Posts were established throughout Cavalier County. , 1927 . Student testing records indicate there were 52 schools in Cavalier County. , March 15, 1941 . Blizzard; six deaths were reported in Cavalier County. , 1945 . Cavalier Rural Electric Co-op was organized. Due to material shortage following World War II, the first section of power line was not energized until September 23, 1948. The first line served 85 farms south of Clyde. , May 1948 . A tornado struck the two airports, east and west of Langdon. No damage was reported to the city itself. , 1953 . Sarles swimming pool was completed. , April 27-29, 1956 . Blizzard, 29 inches of snowfall. , October 31, 1959 . Daily railroad service ended in Langdon. , May 12, 1980 . The Northern Lights Arts Council was established., 1988 . Rural Water service became available to approx. 200 homes in rural Langdon area. Since then, Rural Water has continued to grow in size. Serving in six counties, 30 cities and approx. 2,400 rural homes., 1995 . Dial-up Internet was first offered in Langdon. , April 4, 1997 . Blizzard Hannah, a category-5 blizzard, occurred. , Fall 2001 . Langdon School's name was changed to Langdon Area Schools., September 2004 . The historic Boyd Block building, built in 1902, burned down and is where the Boyd Block Plaza now stands., 2007 . The first fiber optic cables were plowed to a house in Langdon by United Communications. , December 1, 2017 . Due to the city of Langdon's aging water infrastructure and declining water quality, Rural Water began serving the city of Langdon with treated water from the city of Devils Lake. , January 4, 2018 . The 115-year-old Boyd Square building burned down., Spring 2020 . A global pandemic, COVID-19, caused schools and businesses throughout the county to temporarily close., State Championships Won by Cavalier County Schools. 1912 Langdon High School, Boys' Track and Field (one class) , 1918 Langdon High School, Boys' Track and Field (one class) , 1932 Munich High School, Boys' Basketball (Consolidated League) , 1939 Munich High School, Boys' Basketball (Consolidated League) , 1955 Osnabrock High School, Boys' Basketball (Class C) , 1957 Alsen High School, Boys' Basketball (Class C) , 1958 Alsen High School, Boys' Basketball (Class C) , 1978 Munich High School, Girls' Basketball (Class B) , 1985 Langdon High School, Girls' Track and Field (Class B) , 1986 Langdon High School, Girls' Track and Field (Class B) , 1987 Langdon High School, Boys' Golf (Class B) , 1988 Langdon High School, Boys' Golf (Class B) , 1991 Langdon High School, Girls' Golf (Class B) , 1991 Munich-Border Central, Starkweather High School, Boys' Baseball (Class B) , 1992 Munich High School, Boys' Basketball (Class B) , 1992 Langdon High School, Girls' Golf (Class B) , 1992 Munich-Border Central, Starkweather High School, Boys' Baseball (Class B) , 1999 Langdon High School, Girls' Golf (Class B) , 2005 Langdon Area High School, Girls' Basketball (Class B) , 2008 Langdon Area High School, Girls' Volleyball (Class B) , 2010 Langdon Area High School, Girls' Volleyball (Class B) , 2018 Langdon Area, Edmore, Munich High School, Boys' Football (A Division) , 2019 Langdon Area, Edmore, Munich High School, Girls' Volleyball (Class B) , 2019 Langdon Area, Edmore, Munich High School, Boys' Football (A Division) , 2020 Langdon Area, Edmore, Munich High School, Girls' Basketball (Class B) , 2020 Langdon Area, Edmore, Munich High School Boys' Football (A Division) , 2021 Langdon Area, Edmore, Munich High School Boys' Baseball (Class B) , , Source: NDHSAA Website www.ndhsaanow.com; Compiled by Dennis Throndset, [photo captions] , . Putting up Phone Lines , . McGoey's Wreck , . Boyd Square Fire , . 1956 blizzard, Langdon ND