the most prominent settlers of the State, in the 1860's while making a
trip with a party from Pembina to Devils Lake, saw a herd of buffalo
like a black cloud on the horizon. The party immediately arranged their
carts in a semicircle and prepared for an onslaught. The bison came on
with a rumble like thunder, the rumble became a roar, and the earth
trembled; but when they reached the carts the herd parted and swerved
on either side, upsetting only the outside row of the improvised
stockade. Not until the second day could the journey be resumed, and
even then there were buffalo in sight for another day. The herd was
believed to number two or three million, and in its wake was an area,
several miles in width, entirely devoid of vegetation.
At =9 m.= (L) are the SAND SLIDES, where steep sand and gravel slopes
form a precipitous funnel-shaped valley down to the PEMBINA RIVER. This
stream once drained prehistoric Lake Souris into Lake Agassiz, and its
rushing waters cut into the Pembina Mountains, creating the present
canyon 350 to 450 ft. deep.
At =12 m.= (R) is WALHALLA (966 alt., 700 pop.), attractively situated
in the wooded river valley on the slope of Second Pembina Mountain. In
1848 Father G. A. Belcourt established St. Joseph's Mission here for
the Chippewa Indians. By 1860 the settlement had become an important
fur trading post, with a population of 1,800; but good furs became
scarce, the bison virtually disappeared, and by 1871 "St. Joe" was
inhabited only by a priest, the U. S. customs inspector, and some 50
metis or half-breeds, who remained only as long as the hunting was
good. The town revived, and was platted in 1877 and renamed Walhalla,
for the palace of immortality in Norse mythology.
The old bell in the Catholic church belfry, known as the ANGELUS BELL,
was brought to Father Belcourt's mission when it was opened, and was
the first church bell erected on the plains of North Dakota. It was
cast in 1845, and a wreath of raised figures around the top represents
science, art, music, mechanics, and astronomy. The bell is believed
to have been brought down the Red River by boat, thence to St. Joseph
by oxcart. Its tone is similar to that of the old mission bells of
California.
Right from Walhalla crossing the railroad tracks on a graveled road;
L. on a graveled road to a METIS SETTLEMENT, =4 m.= Here, in the
foothills of the Pembina Mountains, live descendants of half-breed
French Canadians and Indians of earlier days. The metis are found
throughout the northeastern corner of North Dakota (_see below_). In
this particular settlement they operate small farms, gaining their
livelihood by selling garden produce, berries, and cordwood. The
graveled road turns L. at =5 m.=, to Leroy (_see below_), =7 m.=
Also at =12 m.= is WALHALLA STATE PARK (L), on the eastern slope of
the Pembina Mountains. The wooded 5-acre tract contains the SITE OF
ALEXANDER HENRY, JR.'S TRADING POST, a temporary depot established in
1801, one of the first posts in present North Dakota; also the KITTSON
HOUSE, erected in 1851-52 as a trading post and warehouse under the
supervision of Norman Kittson, who became the first postmaster in North
Dakota. This building was originally built nearby and was moved to the
park in 1915. Often locally designated as Old Settlers' Park, the area
is the scene of the annual meeting and picnic of the Pembina County Old
Settlers' Association (_July_).
Left from the park on a winding graveled road to the PROTESTANT
CEMETERY, =0.4 m.=, where are buried two missionaries killed by Indians
in the early 1850's and hence known as the Martyrs of St. Joe. At =1.4
m.=, at the summit of the mountain, LOOKOUT POINT affords a fine view
of the deep Pembina River valley below and the Red River Valley farming
area, dotted with villages and farmhouses, which stretches away in the
distance. The point is the property of several Masonic lodges in this
area, and they hold an annual picnic here.
At =15 m.= on ND 32 is the junction with ND 55, on which the route
continues. At =22 m.= is the junction with a graveled road. After
crossing the Pembina River, the highway at =25 m.= enters LEROY (890
alt., 100 pop.). The inhabitants of the town are chiefly metis and
their log cabins are scattered in the timber along the river. From the
time the Hudson's Bay Co. began operations in 1670, French Canadians
migrated westward, intermarrying with Chippewa women. Their children
were known as metis or mixed-bloods. Inheriting the characteristics
of both the Indian and the French-Canadian woodsman, the metis
became adept voyageurs, and their part in the early fur trade of the
Middlewest was very important. They were excellent hunters, trappers,
and couriers, and it is said they loved the "musical" sound of the Red
River oxcarts which, with their unlubricated wooden axles and hubs
screeching across the plains, brought furs E. from the trading posts.
When this region began to be settled the metis were the first mail
carriers, since their stamina and knowledge of the frontier made them
"brave and bold, and the most reliable men to be had."
The early metis of North Dakota, ancestors of the present metis,
enjoyed life with true appreciation. They were fond of good dress, and
their clothes were made of the finest imported merinos, cashmeres, and
broadcloths, bought at the trading posts. The men wore black broadcloth
redingotes, long and double-breasted and trimmed with large brass
buttons. At the collar was a _capuchon_ or hood, which was never worn
but served merely as an adornment. A bright sash about the waist,
beaded moccasins, and a beaded tobacco pouch, used much as a French
courtier used his snuff box, completed the costume. The women wore the
tight basque and flowing skirt, and, in summer as well as winter, a
half dozen gaily colored petticoats, which created quite a dazzling
array when the wearer stooped to tie the lace of a beaded moccasin. A
black silk kerchief was tied about the head, and over this went a large
square of black broadcloth which wrapped about the entire body and
served as a cloak.
The metis were, and still are, fond of music and dancing. Their songs
came down from their French ancestors or were learned from the mission
priests. One favorite was _Au clair de la lune_ (_By Moonlight_) and
another was _Marlbrouck s'en va-t-en guerre_ (_Marlborough Goes to
War_). Square dances, the Red River Jig, Pair O' Fours, and Reel O'
Cats were favorite dances, and some of them are still performed.
The most important event in the year for the metis, in the first half
of the last century, was the Pembina buffalo hunt. For this, white and
metis hunters would meet at Pembina on an expedition which sometimes
took them as far as Fort Union on the Missouri (_see Side Tour 6B_).
Not only men, but also women and children, went on the hunt, and even
the priest went along to counsel and advise. Equipment was carried in
stridently creaking oxcarts. It was like a good-sized town on a tour.
On the hunt of 1840, probably the largest ever held, there were 1,630
people and 1,210 oxcarts, and the cost of the expedition has been
estimated at $120,000. The camp was organized under a chief, with 10
captains under him, and 10 soldiers under each captain to enforce the
camp regulations. For a first violation the saddle and bridle of the
offender were cut up; for a second, his coat was destroyed; and for
a third, he was flogged. A thief, even if he stole something of no
greater value than a buffalo sinew--a common article of barter in the
Red River country--was publicly cried "thief." Hunting was not always
good; hot weather or storms delayed parties, and sometimes prairie
fires were encountered. Eventually encroaching civilization put an end
to the buffalo hunts, but while they were held, and when they were
successful, the hunters lived in plenty. The 1840 expedition took home
more than a million pounds of meat in their oxcarts.
The main food of the early metis was pemmican, or dried buffalo meat,
but wild game was also plentiful. _Galette_, an unleavened bread made
by mixing flour with water, salt, and shortening, was preferred to
white man's bread.
Great respect for old age, and deep affection for relatives
characterize metis family relationships. Concerning birds and animals,
they have many unusual beliefs: a hungry beast coming to the door is
regarded as a sign of poverty, a woodpecker pecking at a window is said
to be a sign of death in the family, and snakes are believed to be
symbols of quarrels and enemies.
TOUR 6
(Duluth, Minn.)--Grand Forks--Devils
Lake--Minot--Williston--(Glasgow, Mont.). US 2.
Minnesota Line to Montana Line, 390.5 m.
G. N. Ry. roughly parallels entire route, Farmers' Line between
Devils Lake and Webster.
Graveled roadbed except for about 110 m. of short stretches
hard-surfaced.
Accommodations in principal towns.
This route reveals a cross section of the agricultural life of the
State. In the east the flat, fertile lands of the narrow Red River
Valley, which formed the bottom of glacial Lake Agassiz, blend into
the uneven, farm-dotted surface of the broad Drift Prairie, bordered
on the west by the rougher, more sparsely settled grazing areas of the
Missouri Plateau. The route touches on Devils Lake and crosses the
level loop of the wooded Mouse River, a region at one time covered by
Lake Souris, another extinct creation of the glacial epoch. Midway
across the State is the geographic center of North America. The western
half of the route is through a rich, though largely undeveloped,
lignite coal area, formed ages ago by the inundation of prehistoric
forests.
GRAND FORKS, =0.0 m.= (834 alt., 17,112 pop.) (_see_ GRAND FORKS).
_Points of Interest:_ University of North Dakota, Wesley College.
At Demers Ave. and 5th St. is a junction with US 81 (_see Tour 1_),
which unites with US 2 to the intersection of Skidmore Ave. N. and N.
16th St.
West of Grand Forks US 2 passes through the western half of the Red
River Valley, part of the bed of ancient Lake Agassiz.
At =9 m.= is the junction with a county dirt road.
Left on this road to tiny OJATA, =1 m.=, the remains of a once
thriving boom town known as Stickney. In its heyday it was a railroad
terminus, and for a time rivaled Grand Forks in trade. Since the site
is swampland, each heavy rain makes it a quagmire, and residents,
considering the first name too literal, soon changed it to Ojata. The
place declined when the railroad was extended W. At one time a farmer
acquired the entire village in exchange for a stallion.
At =20 m.= is the junction with a county graveled road.
Right on this road to TURTLE RIVER STATE PARK (_swimming_,
_picnicking_, _camping_), =3 m.=, where a picturesque ravine, cut by
the once swift-flowing waters of the TURTLE RIVER, offers a pleasing
variation to the level surrounding country. The river is named for the
many small terrapin found on its banks. Just W. of the entrance are 15
tumuli (mounds) built by prehistoric Indians. Excavations by Dr. A. E.
Jenks of the University of Minnesota have yielded copper instruments,
an ivory pipe, and other artifacts. Unlike the mounds in other parts
of the State (_see Side Tours 8A and 8B_), these have been plowed over
and cultivated until they are only small humps on the prairie. The few
tumuli opened have been easily excavated because they lie in a gravel
deposit.
ARVILLA, =21.5 m.= (1,019 alt., 150 pop.), was named for the wife of a
bonanza farmer. The GRAND FORKS COUNTY FARM AND HOSPITAL, a large brick
structure, is situated just across the railroad track on a 136-acre
tract adjoining the town on the S. The Arvilla Academy and North Dakota
Conservatory of Music, the first private college in the State to
maintain a music department, was founded in 1886 by Rev. John Allen
Brown, Presbyterian pastor at Arvilla. Miss Sadie P. Brown, daughter of
the founder, and a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, headed
the music department. The existence of the academy was brief, for the
building was destroyed by fire in 1893 and was never rebuilt.
The CRYSTAL SPRINGS STOCK FARM, =23.5 m.=, consisting of 2,480 acres
along the Turtle River, was a bonanza farm and then a stock farm,
but now is known for the spring water bottled here for commercial
purposes. In its early days the 20-room house, now standing empty with
its venetian shutters flapping in the wind, was the scene of a social
life that rivaled the surrounding bonanza acres in expansiveness and
amplitude. H. T. Hersey, a Minnesota millionaire, became interested in
wheat farming and built the house. His wife installed a full staff of
servants, and many parties were held for eastern friends. On several
occasions James J. Hill stopped his special train here to visit the
Herseys, and once a special train carrying members of the State
legislature stopped while its passengers were entertained at this
prairie palace. Eventually Hersey tired of his role of gentleman farmer
and sold his farm to James Streeter, prominent Larimore real estate
dealer and farmer.
LARIMORE, =28 m.= (1,135 alt., 979 pop.), was named for N. D. Larimore,
stockholder and business head of the Elk River Valley Farm, which
was once the world's largest farm under single management. Most of
the bonanza farms were divided into a number of tracts, each under a
foreman, but the Elk River Valley Farm had all operations centralized.
Its huge proportions attracted the St. Louis World's Fair Foreign
Commission, which visited the farm in 1904, at which time there were
11,000 acres under cultivation. From this visit a great influx of
northern Europeans resulted, leading to the breaking up of the bonanza
farms and the sale of small farms to the new settlers.
The CITY PARK (_wading pool_, _tennis courts_, _tourist camp_) is in
the same block as the city hall.
At =32.5 m.= the highway crosses the Turtle River, near a dam built by
the Civilian Conservation Corps (_swimming_, _picnic grounds_).
McCANNA, =38 m.= (1,142 alt., 100 pop.), was named for S. A. McCanna,
owner of the MCCANNA FARM (R), now the largest in the western part of
Grand Forks County. Large modern buildings adjacent to the town on the
NW., and the use of modern farm methods make it one of the show places
in the area.
NIAGARA, =44.5 m.= (1,443 alt., 207 pop.), was named for Niagara
County, N. Y. Because of uncertainty as to where the railroad would
pass, the town was first built on skids 1 m. E. of the present site,
and was moved when the railroad came in 1882.
PETERSBURG, =51.5 m.= (1,524 alt., 310 pop.), named for a pioneer
clergyman in the community, has a population predominantly Norwegian,
as has MICHIGAN CITY, =57.5 m.= (1,520 alt., 433 pop.), platted on land
of the James Lamb family, who were among early arrivals in the vicinity
and have continued to be prominent in local affairs. The town was named
in honor of the native State of many of its first settlers. In the
early 1880's an error in billing sent here an entire trainload of iron
ore intended for Michigan City, Ind. The village officially retains its
original name, but local usage has abridged this to "Michigan."
MAPES, =62.5 m.= (1,530 alt., 56 pop.), once a prosperous grain
shipping center, was named for Emery Mapes, one of the men who worked
out the formula for the nationally known Cream of Wheat.
At =67.5 m.= is the junction with ND 1, a graveled highway (_see Side
Tour 8B_).
LAKOTA, =68.5 m.= (1,518 alt., 860 pop.), is the seat of Nelson County.
Its name is derived from the Teton Sioux word meaning _allies_, which
is the same as the Santee Sioux _dakota_. The many trees lining
Lakota's streets are the result of experiments by a pioneer who
believed trees could be grown on the barren prairies. The TOFTHAGEN
LIBRARY AND MUSEUM (_open_), built in 1927, was a gift to the city from
A. M. Tofthagen, Nelson County pioneer. It contains 5,000 volumes, and
curios gathered by the donor in his travels.
BARTLETT, =72.5 m.= (1,534 alt., 67 pop.), was named for Frank Bartlett
of Larimore, who owned the town site. For a time Bartlett was the end
of the rail line, a typical boom town, and had 21 saloons; one, the
Diamond, employed a Negro piano player and singer who usually ended his
performance in a burst of "Bartlett, dear Bartlett, will be a dandy of
Dakota yet."
DOYON, =78.5 m.= (1,512 alt., 204 pop.), was named for Charles H.
Doyon, a bonanza farmer.
DEVILS LAKE, =96 m.= (1,466 alt., 5,451 pop.), seat of Ramsey County,
was at one time head of steamboat navigation on the then important
inland sea of Devils Lake (_see Side Tour 6A_). The lake has receded 5
m. in the half century since the vicinity was settled, and the town now
overlooks a dry bed and shrunken shore line. Fort Totten, which later
became Fort Totten Indian Agency (_see Side Tour 6A_), was established
on the southern shore of the lake in 1867 to place the Indians of the
region on a permanent reservation. In 1882 the Government held that the
Chippewa Indians had no claim to the lands N. of the lake, settlers
began to come in, and Creelsburgh, or Creel City, 4 m. NW. of the
present site of Devils Lake, became the first white community in the
area. The town of Devils Lake was founded the following year and many
Creel City citizens moved to the new town site.
One of the first settlers in Creel City was Capt. Edward Heerman, who
inaugurated steamboat navigation on Devils Lake. On July 4, 1883, the
first train on regular schedule arrived in Devils Lake, and was met by
Heerman's steamboat, the _Minnie H._ The service was later augmented
by two smaller steamers. Rails were laid on the wharf at Devils Lake
so that all freight and passengers for Fort Totten, Minnewaukan, and
other points across the lake were transferred directly from car to
steamer. By 1909, however, the water of the lake had receded 4 m. from
the city, 6 m. from Minnewaukan, and nearly 2.5 m. from the fort, so
navigation came to an end. The shrinking of Devils Lake has been one of
the arguments for the Missouri River Diversion project, which, it has
been asserted, would raise the water level of the lake.
The STATE SCHOOL FOR DEAF is at 14th St. and 1st Ave., situated in
expertly landscaped grounds. Established in 1890, the school has
gained international recognition for its work in physical education
for the deaf. An elaborate revue, known as a Rhythm Pageant (_public_,
_June_), is presented annually at the school's graduation exercises,
and motion pictures of this pageant have been made for study in similar
institutions elsewhere.
At the eastern end of 2nd St. is the I. O. O. F. HOME, maintained by
the North Dakota Grand Lodge of the Odd Fellows for its aged members
and orphans of former members. It is a three-story brick building
surrounded by landscaped yard and gardens.
The WORLD WAR MEMORIAL BUILDING, 504 4th St., is a community recreation
center. Studios and transmitter of KDLR are in the Grayson Hotel
building at the cor. 5th Ave. and 7th St.
At the W. end of 5th St. is the junction of ND 20, a graveled highway
(_see Side Tour 6A_) and ND 19. Right at this junction is ROOSEVELT
PARK (_swimming pool_, _picnicking_, _camping_), built as a WPA project.
North of Devils Lake US 2 passes SWEETWATER LAKE, =105 m.=, once a
large body of fresh water that attracted pioneers. Today, like that of
Devils Lake, its shore line has greatly receded.
CHURCHS FERRY, =123 m.= (1,460 alt., 295 pop.), developed from a
ferry established by Irvine Church across Mauvaise Coulee (Fr., _bad
streambed_) in 1886, so named by French explorers because it was
difficult to cross, the channel once drained a large territory into
Devils Lake to the S. Although it has been dry for several years, in
the 1870's and 1880's, until Church began his ferry, all goods for the
area NW. and W. of Devils Lake had to be boated across or hauled around
the southern shore of the lake.
At =124 m.= is the junction with US 281, a graveled highway (_see Tour
2_), which unites with US 2 from this point to =131 m.=
LEEDS, =135 m.= (1,514 alt., 725 pop.), with a predominantly
Scandinavian population, was established in 1884. It has paved streets
and a park (_swimming pool_). Because many stockholders in the G. N.
Ry. were Englishmen, several of the towns along the railroad, including
Leeds, were given names of English towns. One of the first newspapers
in this region, the Leeds _News_, founded in 1903, boosting the new
community in the customary manner, lauded it with this characteristic
humor: "A man died and entered heaven. On his first walk about his new
abode he noticed several men fettered in ball and chain. His inquiry of
a passer-by brought the reply, 'They came from Leeds, N. Dak., and if
they weren't chained they'd go back.'"
Left from Leeds on a county dirt road to LAKE IBSEN, =2 m.=, named for
Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian poet and dramatist. It is said that about 1858
a peace agreement between the Sioux and Chippewa Indians was made at
this lake, a treaty well observed by both tribes. Small islands in the
lake were known to explorers of the region as Petites Isles Aux Mortes
(Fr., _small islands of the dead_), owing to the fact that the Indians
had buried many victims of a devastating smallpox epidemic here. They
placed their dead on scaffolds, the wooden frames of which were visible
from the lake shores.
YORK, =142.5 m.= (1,612 alt., 250 pop.), is another town with an
English name and a predominantly Scandinavian population.
KNOX, =150 m.= (1,605 alt., 177 pop.), is named for John Knox, the
Scottish religious reformer.
PLEASANT LAKE (_good camping_, _tourist accommodations_, _spring
water_), =155 m.=, is a small tree-fringed body of water which was
called Broken Bones Lake by the Indians who camped on its shores to
dry their buffalo meats. They broke the buffalo bones to remove the
marrow, which they sewed into sacks of skin and preserved for winter
use. Evidences of an Indian burial ground are found on a hill to the
N. These burials are not in mounds, and the only excavations are those
made accidentally by farmers plowing the land.
At =156 m.= is the railway station of PLEASANT LAKE (1,603 alt., 33
pop.), where tribal dances were performed on the town site by a group
of Indians as recently as 1883. Some of the settlers feared that the
ritual was a war dance, but the Indians did no harm.
At =163.5 m.= is the junction with ND 3, a graveled highway. At this
crossroads is a stone cairn marking the GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF NORTH
AMERICA. In 1931 the U. S, Geological Survey determined that the
geographic center of the continent is in Pierce County, N. Dak., and
the marker at the highway junction is in the approximate center of the
county. The survey states, "The geographic center of an area may be
defined as that point on which the surface of the area would balance
if it were a plane of uniform thickness, or in other words, the center
of gravity of the surface.... It would not be feasible, therefore, to
specify for such a large irregular area as that of North America the
exact section, township and range in which the geographic center lies."
Some years before 1931 Pierre, S. Dak., claimed to be the approximate
center of the continent, based on the fact that two lines drawn from
corner to corner of a map of North America intersected near Pierre.
Right on ND 3 is RUGBY, =1 m.= (1,562 alt., 1,512 pop.), Pierce County
seat, named for Rugby, England. It was platted in July 1885 and the
first train arrived a month later. In the CITY HALL is a museum (_open
weekdays, 9-5_) containing, among other things, Indian artifacts found
in the county and Spanish-American War relics. ELLERY PARK and the
tourist camp are in the western part of town. Rugby was the home of
the late N. P. Lindberg, who is said to have originated the slogan,
_Say It With Flowers_. It is said that in the course of a talk made
at a national florists' convention in Chicago he remarked, "In North
Dakota we say it with flowers." His words caught the fancy of his
fellow delegates, who adopted them as a slogan. His florist shop and
greenhouse, now operated by a son-in-law, are in the eastern part of
town.