Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-05-12
|LOUNSBERRY TALKS
OF THE EARLY DAYS
tribune GRANTED INTERVIEW
WITH THE PIONEER NEWS
PAPER MAN.
Many Interesting Incidents Are Re-
called BY Founder OF the Tribune
Was Wild and Woody Period.

| Col. c.. A. Lounsberry arrived IRON
! Washington Tuesday morning as {
! witness in the U. s. court in go OIL
timber trespass case, investigated b!
him IA a special agent of the Genera
land Office some years ago. The
colonel is now a clerk in the genera
land Office at Washington, but still
holds his residence in this state, ano
states that he intends to resign mex
spring and begin active sw7rk in the
state again.
In an interview with Tribune re-
porter the colonel states that he ar
rived at Bismarck thirty-six years age
today for the purpose of establishing
the Bismarck Tribune. The North
ern Pacific railroad was then under
construction. He came from Fargo
on q construction train to about where
Steele is, and thence on a hand cal
to the end of the track, and by team
from there % Bismarck. He looked
the ground over, made his arrange
ments for building lot and his news
paper outfit and lumber came In on
the first train, about June II. The
old Tribune building, afterwards de.
stroyed by fire, was erected, and the
first number of the paper appeared
JULY 6. 1873. Charles Lombard was
the printer who got out that issue
1t was six column quarto, printed
on a Taylor cvlirder press. And 1t
was lively bunch.
Bismarck consisted then Of a few
buildings scattered along Main St..
mostly log shacks or tents, erected
the summer before, the tents having
been mainly boarded over to make
them habitable for winter. There
was two general merchandise stores.
one on the corner where the First
National bank building stands, where
Shaw & Cathart had general stock
and were doing an exchange bust.
ness, so far as cashing checks and
giving checks On st. Paul was con-
cerned. Raymond & Allen were just
opening up their business in frame
building. Dunn & Macarthur had q
drug store, also in a frame build
ing. E. A. Williams had log office
but was away at Yankton as a men,
Der of the legislature and came home
on the first boat. The poston,ce was
still Edwinton, and the county was
HOt UESAulZcU. nS S0pAIoA uOeSA " 90
run by R. R. Marsh = a log build
ing. There we're fifteen or twenty
saloons and gambling houses. On the
first Sunday after the train came in
the Presbyterian church was organic
ed. ! The service was conducted by
Rev: d. C. Lyon of st. Paul, and Rev.
I. %. Sloan. The persons who were
enrolled as members we're Henry E:
Douglas, J. w. Fisher, I. c. Adams and
C. "A Lounsberry. The colonel states
that he Joined with the others be-
cause he wanted it understood from
the beginning that his influence would
be- thrown with the better forces. In
later years he went with the Episco'
palians, according to the faith of the
family. ,..t<h
Il is Col. Lounsberrx's belief that
this was the first church organization
In North Oak ia, and the Presbyterian
church structure, except that . rival
interest fastened the construction OF
i Congregation church building, q
temporary structure, that was later
used for school house. the Congre.
gationalists having Withdrawn from