Jamestown in Stutsman County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Northern Pacific Railroad Park Gazebo Replica
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2024
1. Northern Pacific Railroad Park Gazebo Replica Marker
This gazebo is modeled after the original gazebo located in the Northern Pacific Railroad Park in downtown Jamestown. The original was built in 1883 in preparation for a visit of Ulysses S. Grant who was en route to Gold Creek, Montana, for the ceremonial driving of the golden spike. Grant reportedly vowed to sit in the gazebo until he shook the hand of every Civil War Veteran in Jamestown. The gazebo was used for political rallies, community celebrations, band concerts, and many other events.
In 1914, after serving the community for 30 years, the gazebo was reportedly taken apart for scrap. This gazebo was built in 2013 with the help of grants from the Jamestown Rotary Club, Rotary International, the Jamestown Community Foundation, and the Centennial Gazebo Fund. Materials and services were donated by Dan Poland Machine, Scherbenske & Son, Infinity Building Center, and Kinder-Morgan Pipeline Company. Labor was provided by the Stutsman County Museum board and Rotary members and community volunteers.
2000 All Class Reunion
Rotary International
Stutsman County Memorial Museum
Topics and series.
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Location. 46° 54.34′ N, 98° 42.305′ W. Marker is in Jamestown, North Dakota, in Stutsman County. It is on 3rd Avenue Southeast just north of 4th Street Southeast, on the right when traveling north. The marker and gazebo replica are on the north side of the Stutsman County Memorial Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 321 3rd Avenue Southeast, Jamestown ND 58401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Dakota’s Drift Prairie. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 2024
2. Northern Pacific Railroad Park Gazebo Replica Marker
Looking east from 3rd Avenue Southeast.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 1883 Stutsman County Courthouse (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Alfred Dickey (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dr. Helena K. Wink (approx. 0.2 miles away); Edna LaMoore Waldo (approx. 0.2 miles away); Peggy Lee (approx. 0.2 miles away); Posthouse (approx. 0.2 miles away); Gilbert R. Horton (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elizabeth White (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jamestown.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . Northern Pacific Railroad Completion Site, 1883 (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: The Northern Pacific Railroad, owned in 1883 by a consortium of "blind pool" investors devised by Henry Villard, was originally started by Jay Cooke. Cooke began building a transcontinental railroad route across the northern United States from Minnesota to the Pacific Coast in 1870. Crews built from both the eastern and western ends, progressing towards a yet undetermined meeting point somewhere in between. The two crews finally met near(Submitted on July 14, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Independence Creek in Western Montana on August 22, 1883, which is near Gold Creek, where gold was first discovered in Montana. At this point the track was connected, completing the transcontinental line; however, the golden spike completion ceremony would not occur until September 8.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 28, 20243. Northern Pacific Railroad Park Gazebo ReplicaFour trains carried 300 guests from the east, including the Northern Pacific's president, Henry Villard, Chairman of the NP's Executive Committee Frederick Billings and visiting dignitaries from the United States, England, and Germany. A fifth train arrived from the west coast. The track which had been laid earlier was temporarily torn up to be relaid ceremoniously during the event. The final golden spike driven was not actually made of gold, but was the same spike that was driven to begin the construction of the Northern Pacific in Carlton, Minnesota, thirteen years earlier. The spike was driven by Villard, former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, and Henry C. Davis, who had helped drive the first spike.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 13, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
