Evening journal., 1897-02-05
HE WAS A POOH BAH.
HOW YOUNG FOX RAN A WHOLE
COUNTY IN DAKOTA.


Though 1t Is Presumed That He Was
Sometimes a Little Lonesome.
There is a man in this town who was
the supreme ruler Of the whole county
for almost six months. He was Pooh
Bah with n vengeance. His name is e.
j. Fox, and he is fond of telling how
he ran Cavalier county in the first win
ter of its existence. 1t came about in
this way:
Cavalier county had been named but
unorganized, for several years up to
1884. 1t consisted of large strip of
land, all owned by the government ly
ing west of the western boundary line
of Pembina county About that time
p McHugh of Bathgate was elected as
a representative of Pembina county in
the legislature and it occurred to him
and to Attorney w. J. Mooney of the
same village that it would be well to
organize Cavalier county and add to il
the three ranges in the western part of
Pembina county. This western part of
Pembina county was very much higher
than the rest of the county, and was
situated, the people said, and say yet,
''on the mountain. " So McHugh got
bill through the Legislature defining
Cavalier county as it is today.
That was in the winter of 1S84-5.
A courthouse was built at Langdon,
which was designated as the county
seat, and at the election in November
various county officers were elected.
l Il.,f .f ..tItr 10,
Langdon TO live. Ii was already a bad
winter, and they could see no reason
why they should come if there was
some one there to take charge of the
records. So they united in asking e. J.
Fox, a young man just from Canada
to take charge of the offices until sum-
mer. Fox accepted the position, or posi-
tions, and in December took charge of
the affairs of the county. The court
/ house was then a large building-in
fact, too large for use. Fox decided
that it would be better TO leave it va
cant until spring, and he took up his
abode in a one room "claim shack - the
only other building in town. This was
about 10 by 20 feet in dimensions, and
there he lived and did business that
winter. He was deputy clerk of the
courts, county judge, county treasurer,
county auditor and register of deeds.
The sheriff lived in the country and the
superintendent of schools lived Just
across the Manitoba line. The sheriff
did not serve out his term, for he was
put in Jail for shooting man in a fight.
There was not another living soul with
in two miles.
Fox lived entirely alone, and did his
own cooking except the bread baking,
which was done by neighbor three
miles away. Langdon, though the coun-
ty seat was not yet postoffice. The
postmaster of Olga, in the eastern part
Of the county, used to send over a large
package of letters and papers about
twice week to the people whom he
knew lived near Langdon, and Fox
would give to these people their mail
when they called for it. There was not
one settler 40 miles to the west, but
about 40 and 90 miles northwest, near
the Manitoba line, there were several
settlers, and some of these used 20 drive
that great distance to ''file" on home
that, Fox had to give them their meals
and lodgings and. in fact, he had often
to keep a sort of hotel
The winter of 1Ss4-5 was very cold,
and at night Fox used often to lie
awake and listen to the billiards howl
around his little shack He was kept
busy, however, for there were many
filings, registerings of mortgages and a
few deeds. An average Of two or three
men would come 10 see him daily on
business, but he seldom saw woman.
Nearly all the settlers near him at that
time were bachelors, who afterward
went back TO Canada to get married;
and indeed Fox did the same. Every
body was poor, and yet they all seemed
to enjoy themselves, though they had
to haul their wheat from 90 to 70 miles
to market
; The winter passed very swiftly, and
in the summer Mooney and McHugh
came with their families Then other
settlers began to pour in. Building:
went up, rs if by magic, and in a few
months there were a postoffice and q
dozen dwellings. Talk of a railroad be-
gan TO lc Ecard, and in a few months
it car,c. Then indeed Pooh Bah Foz
had TO surrender his glory. He chose tC
take up the humble position Of superin
tendent of the schools of the county
and he still retains the place He is dis
} posed to think that, in spite Of the com
! forts and conveniences of the present
mode of life here, he enjoyed himsel'
more that winter when he was monarcl
of all the government offices Of Cavalier
county. -Langdon IN. D. Cor. Chicago
Record