The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1891-04-02
w A H P ET E o! N.
The Capital Of and the Gateway City to
Richland Count ...A Leader
in the State.
N. T. Rich Locating this Gateway City
in 1869, IT Took the Name
Of Chahinkapa,
But was Changed to wahpetsn in 1873
and the Great Indian Reservation
Lands Thrown Open.
First Store in "a, Second in '70 and 'se
Brought Men and CAPITAL.

! ! 8: !:
,.Ah ~. the capital Of
| Z WINS. e. and Gateway
.CAW B City to Rich
land cou mt y.
, 6f mi The point of
lidas] W. conf uencc of
the. Ottertail
and Bois des Sioux rivers. forming
the Red River of the North, has
always been one of marked interest.
But it was not till along in the
sixties that men turned particular
attention to this point, where origi-
nal Breckenridge was built on the
east or north side of the Ottertail
river and east side of the Red River,
a mile or such a matter directly
north of the present Breckenridge
townsite,-the former, by the way,
consisting of a large brick hotel, big
saw mill and various houses, was
burned down. and destroyed by the
Indians IN '62.
1t was ut the confluence of these
streams that the first fiat boats were
built. and from which point they
carried supplies to the pioneers and
pioneer villages and U. s. forts,
settling along the Red River, even
extending to Fort Gearry into the
Canadian northwest, as these needs
outgrew' the capacity of the stage
lines and carts in vogue at that time.
Thus it is seen that Chahinkapa, the
native appelation meaning the end of
the Big Woods. has long borne a
marked distinction; was the pride of
and lettering grounds Of the Abor-
iginee, prior to the advent of civili-
zation.
Through the latter sixties people
settled along the streams of tile
country and portions of what is now
Richland county, and in the spring
Of '69 NJ. T. Rich located a claim
right at the confluence of the rivers
above mentioned. and taking his bear
ings from surveyors stakes on the
Minnesota side, found that natural
advantages admitted of chance to
locate the'Gateway City at the con-
fluence of these streams, rendering
such quarter section very valuable
in case it were possible to carry out
the opportunities nature had so
admirably provided. it being known
that the st. Pau! g. Pacific, (now the
Great Northern) railway was headed
for this point, at once erected sod
shanty in which he made his home
to III, putting in his time from '69
to III working for a milling COM
pany, Messrs. Burbank. Wilder &
McCauley. located at McCauleyville,
opposite Fort Abercrombie. And
lit was while passing Chahinkapa or
Richville with a drive of saw logs
that he ran enough timber up the
Bois des Sioux to build him a house,
1T being apparent that the cunning
white man was headed this way,
and that unless his claim was held
down it would be jumped, erected
log house, 14x18, and the st. Paul
& Pacific having reached the Rabbit
River, near Campbell, sent for Mrs.
Rich, who had not venture6 into
this country from Red Wing. Mime
sofa. and meeting her at Morris came
on, and takingnp their home where
now stands Mr.. Rich's handsome
residence, commenced the erection of
a city.
wAHPEToN AND RICHLAND COUNTY
| ESTABLISHED.
1t WINS the first year of Mr.. Rich's
location that ho and that pioneer
statesman Enos Stutsman, then a
member of the territorial legislature
representing an immense section of
northeastern Dakota, which they had
mapped out into counties, decided to
call this county Riolland in honor of
its pioneer settler. In f'7l came the
influx of settlers, Messrs. NJ. p.
Proper. Folsom Dow, VIM. Root,
D. Wilmot Smith, Ransom Phelps.
Simon Woodsum, Matt Lawrence,
Albert Chezick, Joseph and Frank
Formanack and others. each Of whom
secured a claim surrounding Mr.,
/ Rich. J. W. Blanding. and Albert
a Formaneek. ST. we believe, moi
] coming on TIL '722. Mr.. Dow wal
4 made poatmastey and NJ. Rich esta,