The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-03-30
A FORMER DAKOTAN
MARRIED HALF
CENTURY
One Time Trustee of Agricul-
tural College Celebrate
Notable Event.

Notable Event.
The following article from the Pho
neer Press of a former North Dako-
tan will be read with considerable
interest by his many old time friends.
Col. and Mrs. j. B. Power will cele-
brate their golden wedding today at
the home Of their son. George c. Pow
err. 541 Summit avenue. 1t will be a
family gathering, and about thirty
five relatives of Col. and Mrs. Power
will be at the dinner. including all
their children except their daughter,
who is in the Philippines. Their chill
dren are: George C. Power, presi-
dent OF the Second National bank, st.
Paul: Charles NJ. Power. president of
the st. Paul Foundry company; James
A. Power. who is interested with his
father in the big Helendale ranch in
North Dakota. and Mrs. Scott. the wife
of Col. Walter S. Scott. colonel of the
Fifteenth United States infantry. sta
toned now in Mindanao. Mrs. Victor
NJ. Watkins and Mrs. Maria T. Arnold
OF st. Paul are. sisters of Mrs. Power.
Col. and Mrs. Power were married
fifty years ago at Newburg, N. Y.
Mrs. Power was daughter of John
Buckhout. prominent officer of the
New York & Erie railroad.
Helped Build Two States.
Col. Power has been a prominent
factor in the development of two
northwestern states. Minnesota and
North Dakota. He has seen the north
west grow from desolation to civili-
cation, and it was his hand that did
much of the hard work in bringing
about this change.
In the fall of 1870 Col. Power made
trip through the Red river valley
as one of party of distinguished
men, including Bayard Taylor and
Charles A. Dana of the New York
Sun. AS far as the eye could reach
there was nothing but vast stretches
OF waving grass. The only sign of
animal life were the bleaching bones
of buffalo. The soil looked like ashes,
and experts put the region in the arid
belt and declared that nothing could
be raised there. And yet the Red
river valley today is feeding the
world; farmhouses. fields, schoolhous-
es, churches. towns. railroads and tel
ephOnes cover what was an arid plain
but a little more than thirty years
ago.
1t was discouraging work convinc-
ing the people of the fertility of the
northwest. 1t did not look inviting,
and those interested in southwestern
land made the most of all the misin-
formation they could collect regard
hyrsn CT D,,%~
who persevered was Col. Power. He
gives the Scandinavians the credit for
breaking the way into this wilderness.
Later they induced some of the big
farmers to locate in this territory, and
from that time the battle was won.
Born in New York.
Col. Power is a native of New York,
born Aug. 20, 1888, at Hudson. He
left school at the age of seventeen,
and went into civil engineering. He
was connected with the preliminary
survey for the Missouri Pacific out
of st. Louis, and later he did similar
work for the st. Louis & Iron Noun
tain road. with which road he was
also constructing engineer for two
years, later having charge of a divi-
sion. He went back east to the New
York & Erie, but came to Minnesota
In 1856 and engaged in civil engineer
ing in Waseca county.
But the panic of 1857 checked rail-
road construction in Minnesota. and
in 1860 Mr.. Power came to st. Paul
and was the first head of the state
land department, under State Auditor
Charles McIlrath. For four years he
was deputy state treasurer, and later
he was chief craftsman in the United
States surveyor generals Office.
Col. Power returned to railroad
work as chief clerk in the land de-
partment of the Northern Pacific and
helped organize the land department
for that road. He was promoted to
land commissioner and held that po-
sition for ten years. Then he was the
head of the land department of the
st. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba for
five years more, when his health COM
PEELED him to give up office work. He
went to North Dakota and established
the Helendale stock farm in Richland
county, forty miles southwest of Far
go, where he still resides.
His Work in Dakota.
Col. Power has taken as active an
iAS0IcSt Ill affairs III NOrLn Dakota
as he did in Minnesota. Gov. Miller
appointed him soliciting agent of pub
lie lands in North Dakota, and Gov.
Burke kept him in the position. He
was one of the first trustees of the
North Dakota agricultural college.
He served for five years, and the last
three he was acting director and pres
ident of the institution. He has serv-
ed in the North Dakota house of re-
personalities.
Col. Power did not get to the front
in the Civil war; the doctors wouldn't
let him. He organized a company for
the Fourth Minnesota. but when 1t
came to the physical examination the
doctors decided that he was not heal
thy enough for soldier and he was
rejected. And yet Col. Power has
lived to celebrate his golden wedding
and today he carries his nearly sew
entyfour years as easily as If they
numbered but fifty.
A woman can kill a good deal of
time before a mirror, but the glasses
a man wastes time on are more dan
gerous.