Kathryn, a typical prairie town, sprang
from the landscape with railroad
construction. Although the area was
settled by pioneers in the late 1870s, the
arrival of a Northern Pacific Railroad line
in 1900 and the establishment of a
cooperative . . . — — Map (db m176712) HM
This oak log home built in 1878
by Carl Jensen and his nephew John
Bjerkie was used as a community
center by the single men of the time.
A short distance to the north was
the Walker flour mill, one of the
earliest on the Sheyenne river.
. . . — — Map (db m175433) HM
Walker’s Best
The Walker family, Minnesota emigrants,
had milling in their blood. In 1879, Hiram
Walker established a mill in Valley City.
A few years later, his son Myron took over
and built a new mill at Oakville—he later
bought . . . — — Map (db m177164) HM
The men who organized the Midland Continental had dreams that this line would be a successful transcontinental railroad carrying heavy trains loaded with the abundant grains of the north to the shipping lines of the Texas gulf. However, the . . . — — Map (db m242708) HM
The original bridge in this location was a wooden structure built in 1898. The citizens requested this bridge to access new development in the "Normal Park" addition being developed at that time. The wooden structure was replaced by a concrete . . . — — Map (db m242397) HM
The Valley City Street & Interurban Railroad was incorporated in June, 1905, by O.A. Beeman to transport passengers, goods, and rail cars between two larger lines. The Soo Line passed north of the city without a spur line to serve local . . . — — Map (db m242769) HM
In the era of the open range cattle industry of the late 1800’s, ranchers would work together to round up their free-ranging cattle in the spring and fall. During roundups the cattle would be driven to a wide river bottom like this one, where they . . . — — Map (db m88612) HM
One of the goals of early exploring parties in this area was to find local fuel, coal that fit the bill needed for railroad construction. One of the first area coal mines was located just west of Medora. The Northern Pacific Coal Company operated . . . — — Map (db m88007) HM
The American cowboy has become a mythical figure in the national consciousness. This would, no doubt, have surprised most of the common laborers who earned meager pay as cowboys. A number of them were indeed colorful characters. Some became outlaws . . . — — Map (db m88061) HM
was built on this site by the Marquis De Mores in 1883 to furnish dressed beef directly from the western ranges. It was successfully operated for several years, destroyed by fire 1907.Exhibits on other side < Reverse Side : > Site of the . . . — — Map (db m87790) HM
Antoine Amédé Marie Vincent Amat Manca de Vallombrosa, more commonly known as the Marquis de Mores, was a French aristocrat with an entrepreneurial spirit typical of the late 1800s. The Marquis was one of many who sought to profit from the cattle . . . — — Map (db m87796) HM
The Marquis de Mores, a charismatic French nobleman, founded Medora in 1883. The Northern Pacific Railroad had reached the badlands only three years prior, opening the region to entrepreneurs and adventurers from the East.
For a few years the . . . — — Map (db m154951) HM
Behind the visitor center is an old, rustic cabin. Architecturally insignificant, a person might wonder why it is here. To understand, step over the threshold and walk inside the building that housed a future president at a pivotal moment in . . . — — Map (db m87230) HM
Joe Ferris wore many hats in Medora. He was a hunting guide, a Medora postmaster and a successful merchant. Ferris opened his first general store in Little Missouri. In 1885 he began work in Medora on the current two-story, 25-foot by 75-foot . . . — — Map (db m88062) HM
A spur track connected the slaughterhouse with the main line of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Ice from the icehouses to your right were used to cool the refrigerator cars when the meat was loaded into them. The Marquis owned cold storage . . . — — Map (db m87799) HM
Medora’s business district originated north of 3rd Avenue. After Medora’s founding in 1883, carpenters, masons and other laborers filled the community, benefiting from a construction boom. Medora also became a supply hub for area ranchers and . . . — — Map (db m88066) HM
Stables were important in early Medora, serving the primary means of local transportation: horseback and horse-drawn vehicles. Livery stables offered horses, teams and wagons for hire. These stables were built in conjunction with hotels so guests’ . . . — — Map (db m88063) HM
Ralph “Doc” Hubbard was one of the most accomplished people to call Medora home. He was born on June 22, 1885, in New York to Elbert Hubbard, a prominent author and publisher, and Bertha Crawford Hubbard. Doc first visited Medora . . . — — Map (db m88047) HM
In late 1908, Christ Pederson of Dickinson purchased the General Store from Joe Ferris and moved to Medora. On August 6, 1909, Pederson, Harve Robinson, and George Burgess filed a Certificate of Organization. The Stockmens State Bank was . . . — — Map (db m88040) HM
At the age of 22, Arthur T. Packard started Medora’s first newspaper, The Bad Lands Cow Boy. The first issue came off the press on February 7, 1884. Marquis de Mores was the major advertiser in the paper. Editor Packard produced a paper . . . — — Map (db m88045) HM
Theodore Roosevelt first came to the badlands in September 1883 to hunt buffalo. “Old Four Eyes” loved the life of the badlands’ cowboys and participated in roundups, brandings and social events, earning the respect of those he so . . . — — Map (db m88009) HM
Pierre Bottineau, son of Charles Joseph Bottineau, a French-Huggenot and Marguerite Adhik Songab (Clear Sky Woman) a Lake of the Woods Chippewa, was born near the mouth of the Turtle River (twelve miles north of Grand Forks, North Dakota). . . . — — Map (db m231815) HM
This coal-fired steam locomotive was built by the Baldwin Locomotive works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1909. Numbered 2164 by the Northern Pacific, the locomotive and coal tender weigh 298,600 pounds, are 78 . . . — — Map (db m154970) HM
George M. Black was an early merchant in Fargo, opening The Black Store on Broadway in 1912. In 1929, after witnessing the stock market collapse, he bet big on Fargo and sold his store to Sears Roebuck and Company. He used the proceeds to finance . . . — — Map (db m239934) HM
In 1864, the Northern Pacific Railroad was charted to build a line from the Great Lakes to Puget Sound. The initial funding for construction would come from the sale of Northern Pacific bonds. However, in 1873 lack of funding halted construction, . . . — — Map (db m239986) HM
Eddie and Hildegarde Kraus began their careers in the entertainment industry as teenagers (he as a waiter in an Opera House, and she as a pianist and organist). Eventually, Eddie's career led to managing several Fargo-Moorhead theatres. As . . . — — Map (db m240096) HM
On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1904, the Fargo Streetcar Railway accepted its first passenger. Fare was 5¢ per person and service was available from 6 AM to midnight every day, except Sunday, when hours were shorter. Seven cars were available . . . — — Map (db m239997) HM
Just like the name hints, the Ford Building was built in 1915 as a Ford automobile plant and showroom to service the Dakotas. Built in a Chicago style along the Great Northern Railroad tracks, this building boasted the perfect location to . . . — — Map (db m240297) HM
When autos appeared in the 1890s, only the wealthy could afford to buy them. But by the 1920s assembly lines made cars affordable for the middle class, and sales soared. At the end of the decade there were 25 million cars on the road and U.S. . . . — — Map (db m100837) HM
This caboose was built by the Great Northern in August 1942 and is one of 50 wood sided, cupola cabooses. It was constructed in the St. Cloud shops. The original number was X227 (the X stands for non-revenue) and it was acquired by Burlington . . . — — Map (db m239898) HM
The Great Northern Railway started out in 1857 as the Minnesota & Pacific. It was not until 1890 that it became known as the Great Northern, and this name was given in honor of rails that crossed the great territory. The Great Northern entered . . . — — Map (db m240291) HM
In the late 1800's, the Red River Valley was a boom in agricultural development. The introduction of the Bonanza Farms and the overall increase in farming of wheat created a preference for larger threshers and powerful engines grew. Machinery Row, . . . — — Map (db m239996) HM
On July 2, 1864 President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress creating the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. Following closely the route taken by a government expedition in 1854, the northern railroad route to the west coast would . . . — — Map (db m239998) HM
Osco Drug painted this advertisement after opening in 1942. This spot was originally filled by a window before Osco Drug moved in, so when the advertisement was revealed during this building's renovation in 2017, this portion of the advertisement . . . — — Map (db m239970) HM
Roberts Commons, or as the locals call it, RoCo, is the first mixed-use parking garage in Downtown Fargo. The Carnegie Public Library once stood at the site and during excavation for Roberts Commons, the brick foundation of the library was . . . — — Map (db m240298) HM
At one time the Red River was home to over a dozen steamboats including the Anson Northup (later renamed the Pioneer), the International, the Selkirk, the Dakota, the Alpha, the Cheyenne, the . . . — — Map (db m239995) HM
The Ford Building, designed in the Chicago School style of architecture by John Graham, was one of several similarly-designed Ford Branch Plants that were built throughout the United States in the early 1900s. Fargo was the 25th such branch. The . . . — — Map (db m240100) HM
Moorhead and Fargo were platted when the Northern Pacific railroad arrived at the Red River in 1871 less than one block north of here.The towns grew up at this intersection of river and rail. Steamboats traveling the shallow Red River stopped . . . — — Map (db m100836) HM
On February 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born to Nelle and John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois. He attended high school in nearby Dixon and then worked his way through Eureka College. There, he studied economics and sociology, played on the . . . — — Map (db m238200) HM
1887 Patrick McHugh 1888 Joseph B. Boyd • Established retail store at this site 1925 John J. & Richard Boyd • Golden Rule Store 1936 Kathren Boyd 1974 Richard S. Johnson • JC Penny Store 1992 Jon Brosseau 2000 Wm. Bodelson, Hans & Diane . . . — — Map (db m206400) HM
When Cavalier County was being settled in the 1880s, spring wheat and durum were the primary crops. Other crops produced were barley, flax, and oats. Major changes in farming operations took place in the 1910s. On-farm grain storage became . . . — — Map (db m214097) HM
Alsen/Storlie (est. 1905) This Soo Line Railroad townsite was named for local settlers who came from Alsen Island off the coast of Denmark. Alsen reached a peak population of 358 in 1930. Ambro (1891-1901) This small Bohemian settlement . . . — — Map (db m214096) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m214094) HM
Not much is known of the very early history of Cavalier County. The Sioux are believed to have been the earliest residents. The first known white men to have set foot in Cavalier County were those in the Verendrye expedition, which camped in the . . . — — Map (db m214095) HM
In a 1974 North Dakota State University interview-poll of long-time residents, newcomers, and local officials, four out of five respondents indicated that the overall effect of the Safeguard project had been beneficial in terms of the . . . — — Map (db m214104) HM
Located along the northeastern edge of North Dakota, just south of the US-Canadian border, Cavalier County is a vibrant, thriving place to live, work, and visit. As of 2020, population was estimated at 3,800. Agriculture drives the local economy . . . — — Map (db m214098) HM
Darwin Reed Streeter, left, founded the Emmons County Record on June 10, 1884, at Williamsport, Dakota Territory, and the Emmons County Republican/Braddock News in 1899. His son, Frank, right, was the first editor in Braddock and, in 1912, . . . — — Map (db m231458) HM
Considered the Founder of Grand Forks, Alexander Griggs filed the first land plat in the Original Townsite in 1875. Steamboat captain and builder, Griggs was an integral part of the steamboat era. He learned his navigational skills on the . . . — — Map (db m162628) HM
The Clifford Annex was constructed by Dinnie Brothers Construction Company during the last surge of 19th century commercial building, which replaced most of the original wood frame buildings in downtown Grand Forks. The architecture has been . . . — — Map (db m213947) HM
This building was considered one of the best examples of pre-World War I commercial architecture in Grand Forks. The two story structure was built of dark red Hebron brick accented by stone. It remained largely unchanged throughout its life. . . . — — Map (db m213966) HM
Between 1874 and 1893, millions of head of cattle and horses went up the Great Western Trail from Texas through nine U.S. states into Canada. This famous trail lasted more years, carried more cattle, and was longer than any other cattle trail in . . . — — Map (db m202898) HM
Abundant grass in North Dakota resulted in cattle being driven in the 1880’s along this trail to the Long X Ranch three miles north of this point. In North Dakota the trail passed through the place that is now the town of New England, then . . . — — Map (db m88651) HM
Good grass and shelter attracted ranching interests to the badlands. Taking advantage of the void left by the killing of the bison, a Texas trail drive pushed 4,000 head of longhorn cattle into this region in the fall of 1884. Other trail drives . . . — — Map (db m88641) HM
Throughout history livestock growing has depended upon abundant grasslands. An unused sea of grass in this region attracted cattlemen who brought large herds here in the early 1880’s. Damage from overstocking and overgrazing brought a quick . . . — — Map (db m88637) HM
Custer Mine, owned and operated by the Truax Traer Coal Company, was a
working surface mine from 1947-1964. The surface or strip mining method of coal
mining is used when the coal seam is near the surface of the ground. The
lignite coal was mined . . . — — Map (db m164410) HM
The transition from a working coal mine to today's
Custer Mine Wildlife Management Area took place over
many years. While the coal mine was still in operation,
local residents started planting trees on the mine spoil
banks. The trees were . . . — — Map (db m164412) HM
To attract shoppers to Washburn from west of the Missouri River, the Washburn Road installed a cable ferry in May 1902, known unofficially as the General Washburn. Cable ferries were small, unpowered boats attached to steel cables stretched between . . . — — Map (db m235089) HM
Privates John Shields, William Bratton and Alexander Willard manned the blacksmith shop at Fort Mandan. These men provided repair work to native tools, such as sharpening iron hoes and knives and fixing trade kettles.
The Mandan and Hidatsa who . . . — — Map (db m162950) HM
The first steamboat to reach the upper Missouri was the American Fur Company's Yellow Stone, which arrived at Fort Union in 1832. Nearly 30 years later, steamers began reaching Fort Benton, Montana, the head of navigation on the Missouri. From then . . . — — Map (db m235097) HM
In 1898, William Drew Washburn, a wealthy Minneapolis flour miller, railroad man, and U.S. Senator from Minnesota, purchased 115,000 acres of land along the line between McLean and Burleigh counties. He formed the Bismarck, Washburn & Great Falls . . . — — Map (db m235098) HM
In 1950 Oscar Anderson, a native of Washburn who had traveled the world since 1917 as an officer in the merchant marine, returned home to spend his retirement years. He found a community that missed its ferryboat connection with the west bank of . . . — — Map (db m235095) HM
In the early 1920s, most North Dakota towns were served by small local power plants producing direct current (DC) electric power. In 1926, Otter Tail Power Company of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, was one of several companies building a series of power . . . — — Map (db m235057) HM
Construction of the dam began in 1947
and was completed in 1954 at a cost of
$300 million dollars. Garrison Dam is
one of the largest earthen dam structures
in the world with a volume of 66.5 million
cubic yards of rolled earth fill. The . . . — — Map (db m178019) HM
Construction of the Intake
Structure took 5 years and
cost $21 million dollars
back in 1954. Enough
concrete to pave a road
115 miles long was used
in construction of the
structure. The Intake Structure is 249 feet
tall, 540 feet long and . . . — — Map (db m177992) HM
Hydroelectric power is produced
through generating units in the
Powerhouse. The generators
produce electricity at 13,800 volts
which is stepped up to 115,000 and
230,000 volts for transmission. The
rotors on units 1, 2, and 3 are 35 feet
in . . . — — Map (db m178018) HM
Fort Clark was a small but important post in the American Fur Co. (AMF) empire but only a minute element within an immense international fur and hide trade. Its cycle of trade incorporated Native Americans of the northern plains, American traders . . . — — Map (db m162379) HM
Fort Clark's citizens were small in number but extremely diverse in cultural origin. This ethnic diversity is reflected in one Company trader's remarks that trading posts were a "Babylonian confusion of languages...Assiniboin, Crow, Herantsa, . . . — — Map (db m162389) HM
James Kipp
In the twilight of his years, a "Canadian of German descent," James Kipp, (1788-1880_ was to be remembered for both his AMF fort-building experiences and his vast knowledge of the Upper Missouri country and its . . . — — Map (db m162456) HM
The first Northern Pacific Railway Co. Train reached this point in September of 1910. The railroad linked the communities of Mandan, Huff, Fort Rice, Cannonball, Solen, Brelen, and Flasher together with Southwestern North Dakota.
It was a means . . . — — Map (db m161850) HM
The laundresses were some of the few females officially recognized by the Army. As such, they were afforded housing and rations in return for tending to the soldiers' laundry. The laundresses' quarters, also known as "Suds Row," was a large log . . . — — Map (db m153213) HM
Forty-seven downtown properties comprise the Devils Lake Commercial District, a. U.S. National Park Service recognized historic district, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this nation's official list of historically significant . . . — — Map (db m162604) HM
Forty-seven downtown properties comprise the Historic Devils Lake Commercial District, a U.S. national Park Service recognized historic district, listed in the national Register of Historic Places. The Commercial District is contained within a . . . — — Map (db m242837) HM
On the site of the parking lot to the west, stood one of the city's landmark buildings. Last known as Keating's Furniture Annex, the building housed several businesses through the years and was razed in 1994 as part of the Ramsey National Bank and . . . — — Map (db m162605) HM
