Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-12-06
Story Of Early Settlers West Of River
M. L. Ayers i'm Dickinson Press

1T may seem to the average reader
that the history of North Dakota, or
any part Of it, has become a hack
neyed theme. However that may be,
there are those in various parts o!
the country to whom the greater
part of the earlier years, especially
since the country west of the Mis-
souri, river has been settled, the re-
counting of the manner in which the
country was first settled, and what
was done and how, will prove inter-
esting reading; to those the following
items of history and the doings of
persons that came early and stayed,
may seem like a story of romance,
nevertheless, the people whose names
are mentioned are most Of them still
living among us, and their stories are
OF be a part of the history of the
West Missouri Country" for all time.
This article was written by G. S.
Cryne. of Gladstone, who is, himself,
one of the old timers and a man we'll
acquainted with the Slope and its his
tory.
Morton county was the first cOun-
Sty west of the Missouri river to be
detached from Burleigh and organic
ed The village of Mandan was plat
ted by the Northern Pacific Ry. com
pany in 1879 and was made the icoun-
ty seat Of Morton county. This city
was named for a tribe of Indians that
formerly lived near the site of the
city; the remnants of whose civiliza-
ton were found in numerous mounds
that have been excavated from time
to time in the interest of science;
many of the contents of these mounds
al preserved in the museum of the
State Historical society at Bismarck,
and consist of implements of the
chase and agriculture, rude specimens
of pottery, ornaments, etc.
Major VIM. N Mitchell bears the
distinction of being the first settler at
Mai1dan, who came and erected a
house there before the town was plat
ted. After the town was plated Mi
chael Long and Harry Bratney erect
cd buildings and these were rapidly
followed by. Others At the end of
March, 1879, there were Is buildings,
and the town had population of
fully 800 inhabitants. Charles Cush-
man was Mandan's first postmaster.
Mandan stands on a flat some dist
ance west of the Missouri river and
near the Heart river, and is surround
ed by high hills on three sides. AS
soon as the Northern Pacific Ry. had
crossed the Missouri river Mandan
was made division point which gave
the place Importance.
The settlement of the sWest Mis-
souri, Country" however, did not COM
mence in good earnest until the first
part of 1882, then simultaneously
from various parts of the middle and
western states, and from Canada,
there came people who took home
steads and entered various lines of
trade, in the little hamlets that sprung
up around the points that the rail
way company made their stations.
Colonization schemes settled some
of the first places; viz, Green River,
(renamed Gladstone), Glen Ullin, New
Salem and Hebron.
Dickinson (named for cousin of Fl
=. Dickinson) was among the first
villages and was made the freight
division of the Missouri division be-
fore there was dwelling OF store
building erected in the town. n. L.
Dickinson occupied his homestead
(the Sc IA of sec. 4, twp. 139, range
$50 in the fall of 1881 and erected a
comfortable dwelling thereon and
raised some crops on sod the follow.
ing season.