Jamestown alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1882, 1880-02-17
JAMESTOWN
a Retrospective Glance sst Its Early
History, together with . Brief
sketch Of lite Present and future

sketch Of its Present and future
prospects.
Continued from No. 2SI
CHAPTER ~.
On the 10th Of April %, 8 hundred red.
skins arrived from the Missouri, prospect
ing for the best hunting grounds. This
fertile valley striking their fancy, thsy
had the biggest Indian dance on record
under the r>nparts of Fort seward, and
rsmsined here until tho second day o,
June rsvelling in oil the wealth aid
beauties ofths James.
o. Nay 3rd, J. ]. Nichols. stutsmaa
oounty's assessor. came with bic family
from Douglas county, Minnesota He kept
: dsiry the nnt summer, supplying the
town and fort with milk and butter and
frst eamPed near where Mr. Vennun
afterwsrd started to build Lrevesy. In
the fall Of 1877. when the farmiag excite.
ment first began to nge in Northern
Dskota, he went to Fargo intending to
locate there, but few month e experience
proved to him that We had = bette, farm.
ing country here than there and 50 hs re-
turned in the spring Of 1878, took up 4
clsim on the 9Th day Of May, one and
half miles north Of town. and has ever
since been one Of onr most successful
farmers. MINIS mother, VINO came inMay
1878, also took up homestead claim and
is now one Of our most earnest workers IN
religious matters. AT the same time and
from the same place as Mr.. Nichols, came
Antoine Pelissier and family. Pellissicr
did frcighting most of the time after bis
arrival, until his death which occurred
November 2nd, 1874. His widow has
since located claim seven miles north of
town and is, with her family, showing
what women can do even IN Z frontier
country.
In orderthat our readers may know We
do not live entirely outside the boundaries
Of civilization it may be we'll to mention
that many who are now here are only be.
hind the following personages who visited
this valley in the years 1878 and 1874, viz:
Schuyler Colfax, Senator Window, Col.
Fred. Grart and Gen. George A. Custer,
all who were struck with the marvellous
beauties Of nature surrounding Jamestowa
and only lacked the energy Of their fore
fathers in not taking up claims near the
banks of the raging Jim
Stutsman county was organized In June
1872, and in August 1873 the first county
convention was held for the nomination Of
officers to be elected that year.
In January 1874 very noted character
known as Jimmy from Cork" established
himself here in trade; he carried mail
between Pemblns and Fort Benton in
1860; was quite we'll known at Fort Tot.
ten and died in the summer OF 1873 at
Fort Buford. The frst train over this
division for the year 1874 arrived on the
18th day Of March. In this same month,
also, good templars lodge was organized.
Kept in operation three months. and then
shut down for reasons best known to
those who held the lines.
On May %. Abner Scidmore, William
Bowman and Martin and Edward Decker
arrived. The Decker brothers commenced
farming about two miles south Of town:
they have since taken up most desirable
claims in the valley of the Pipestem; aud
besides farming, they worked ct their
trade of painting. Mr.. Scidmore at frs.
rnn milk rancho, but now has one Of the
best worked farms in the vicinity OF
jamestown aud only about mile and =
half north. Mr.. Bowman, one of oar
Justices of Peace, also has claim three
miles north from town, and may be justly
proud of his land, his location and his
own skill in farming.
In the winter of 1915 the traius were
again taken of the road. Towsrd the
latter part or January 1875, James
McKinzie who was in the employ Of the
n. p. IN the Minnesota division Was sent
to this point to take charge Of the CEN
pany's tank. Mac has remained good
faithful and hsrdwerking servant to his
employers ever since: he took up
splendid claim one mile north Of town
in the wooded portion Of the valley; has
cropped it every year since his arrival;
has nut ever one tho1sand dollars worsk
of Improvements on it asd haa had arst
class success in gardening.