The Dickinson press., 1911-05-06

CANNON Ball
Early History Of New England
Found at PRESS Office. Ad-
vance Guard Left Dickinson
April ~, 1887.
Curator H. c. Fish returned Sunday
afternoon from his trip southwest. He
became very much interested in the
early settlers of New England and at
the PRESS office in Dickinson carefully
examined the bound volume of the
Rainy Buttes Sentinel, published from
June II, 1887, to May 80. 1900. It is
the only complete file, so far as known
of the historic colony planted by New
Englanders On the the picturesque banks
of the Cannon Ball river. now the bustl-
ING little city of New England.
The record shows that Capt. H. N.
Bruce, M. Z. Ayers, Fred H. Spaulding
and H. J. Sutton we're piloted by Capt.
j. G. Saunders on the 9th of April,
1887. to the Cannon Ball valley. Capt.
Saunders was county surveyor for Stark
and had been engaged by the New
Enelanders to take them to the promised
land in fiettinger and survey a town
site. The party found considerable
snow on the ground, particularly as
they neared the Cannon Ball late in
the evening after a hard days drive.
The George Muzzy dugout, four miles
west Of the present site of New England,
was where the advance guard secured
q place to roll into their blankets the
first night. !,
Muzzy was an old buffalo hunter and
with one exception. was the only human
being living in all Hettineer county.
He laughed at the new corners and
called them .'tenderfeet."
On April 18th the party proceeded
to survey New England city. Tents
were pitched and company houses
erected. The New England Colony As
ISOLATION had the following directors :
Thomas W. Bickneil of Boston. Col.
John B. Mead of Randolph. VT, Capt.
H. N. Bruce of Pomfret, VT. David l.
Waldron of Rhode Island, Nelson Gay
Of Bethel, VT. and Col. L. A. Dodge 81
Boston. The organization, had option
q, large. tracts of Hettineer county land.
then listed at so cents to ST. 90 per acre,
and planned to help many New Eng
land families to get homes.
The ~colonists, who arrived May 2 and
soon thereafter were: Mr.. and Mrs. E.
3. Partridge. Plymouth. VT. !; John D.
Dix, Plymouth, Vt. :; Charles H. Pond.
Manchester. Vt. , Roscoe Fisher. Brat
tleboro, Vt. S. M. Estey. West Drum
merstown, Vt. Charles A. Sweet, Bridge
port, Conn. ; William Kirby. Lincoln.
VT; E. M. Fisher, Brattleboro. VT.
j. II. Bridges. Charlotte, Maine, (. T.
Chester, Springfield, Mass. I; E. M. Holt.
South Woodstock, Vt. Frank H. and
H. "A. Gibbs, North Billerica,, Mass.
H. G. Philbrick. Plymouth. N. Fl.
Della F. Perry. Sullivan, Maine; C.
r. Pendergast, Lowell. Mass. H. J.
Sutton, Heinsbure. VT, Frank H.
Clark, Felchville, Vt. ; Capt. Bruce, M.
{. Ayers and Fred Spaulding were also
New Enelanders. from Vermont. but
came to Hettinger county from Edmonds
county. D. T.
Among those who came later were
A. Il. Keene. the missionary pastor, E.
.. Cook. George Armstrong, D. T.
Hinckley, c. G. Mead. j. F. Gaunt,
Clarence D. Perry, the sea captain who
erected the original part Of the present
Mckenzie hotel, "A. P. Folsom, L. M.
r. aGriswold, w. F. Griswold, the pres
ent Hettineer county auditor. Edwin
johnson, o. D. Annis, II. l. Cobb.
Charles Speed. who died and was buried
at the halfway butte near Antelope
creek, James E. Sullivan, who lost bis
life in well two miles south Of town.
These came the first season.
ID getting q postofice the ~colonists
petitioned for New England City, but the
government sought to shorten the name
81 giving Mayfower. Such a storm 81
protest went into Washington that the
officials granted the three word name.
I later cutting off the city" Frank H.
CLARK was the first postmaster. Then
camesA. p. Folsom.
on July z, 1887. the colonisls had 8
picnic dinner on the top of Rainy Butte.
The Rainy Blttes Sentinel Office erect.
y IN May. 1857. was in 1900. taken t.
what is now know as the Gardner home.
lead; fhe Herald Office, constructed d
pelriaed rocks, was used as school
hplse. After the Sitting Bull Indian
IN S2S%. A&HA aAsA-. Lg, - 49,