The Dickinson press., 1911-06-17
RIchARDT0n HISTORY
4 GROWING VILLAGE
The Town Where Receiver A. Mcclure Was Soreeeper
Has Many Yards Stores and FIGURING Mill Also Loca
of St Mays Abbey and Monastery Electric Light Plant
Has Two Banks and Live Commercial Club.

A special representative. c. B.
Winter, has written up Richardton for:
the Bismarck Daily Tribune, Of June Il,
in the following able manner.
Richardton. situated about IS miles
west Of Bismarck, the capital city, on
the main line of the Northern Pacific,
10 one of the oldest settlements In tie
western part of The state. Il 10 located
in the center of one Of the richest aert-
cultural regions Of the slope country and
it's steady growth at the present time
will doubtless, continue until il becomes
one of the leading cities of the Missouri
slope.
ST. MARY'S ABBEY.
To, the traveller who passes through
the village of Richardton there. is one
sight which will linger in his mind. for
all time to come and that is the hand
some large structure in the western part
of the village which raises its stately
towers to heaven. That building is St:
Mary's Abbey and monastery conducted
by the Fathers who belong to the Order
of St. Benedict
The monastery was founded about
eleven years ago and has steadily thrived
and grown until at the present day it is
one of the largest institutions Of its
kind in the state.
The monastery is an offspring of the
monastery conducted by the brothers Of
the same order at Devils Lake. 1t was
started at Richardton because at that
time there was a large Catholic COM
munity at Richardton, and it was good
place for the monastery to be. Also the
Catholic residents of that vicinity were
thus enabled to have Catholic church
to attend and al which to worship.
From small BEGINNING the abbey
and monastery has grown to its present
proportions and it is certainly 8 hand
some sight. The new abbey and house
of worship was dedicated less than a
year ago and is one of the handsomest
religious edifices in the northwest.
. In connection with the abbey there is
conducted by the brotherhood of St.
Benedict college. There have been
as high as 200 to $50 student priests at
the monastery. Richardton is thus
one of the great educational centers Of
the slope.
The st. Mary's abbey and monastery
is complete and modern in every re-
spect. In fact. it is little city in
itself. The Order Of St. Benedic. t
under whose supervision the monastery
and college is conducted. own their own
heating plant. They have their own
electric light plant and the monastery
and the abbey are both illuminated by
electric lights. In addition to furnish
ing light and power to the abbey the
plant at the monastery furnishes light
and power to the village of Richardton
and places this town above its sisters
in this respect. The monastery is also
equipped with its own water works sys-
tenn.
There is printed at the monastery Der
Volksfreund, one of The leading German
weeklies of the northwest.
OTHER CHURCHES.
In addition to the handsome structure
which the Catholics have erected at
Richardton there are also two other
churches in the town. They are both
Protestant churches. One is the Congre-
gational and the other is the German
Evangelical. Both of the church bodies
have erected handsome houses of wor-
ship.
EXTENSIVE BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS
Since the list of January, 1911, there
have been over $48.0 600 worth of new
buildings completed in Richardton.
There is only one Of these which is a
business structure 1.-The Mandan Mercan-
tile Company-and the others include
seventeen new residences. together with
the new barns, additions. etc. And
there have been many other buildings
started. IS
- NOT A BOOM
4. However. this great amount of build
Ing is not q BOOM. kichardton has
passed its boom days and the steady
and rapid growth of the village at the
present time is perfectly natural when
one considers the great natural resources
and advantages Of the surrounding COM
munity.
TOWNsITE PLATED.
q Messrs. c. B. Richard 4 & Company.
agents for the Hamburg American
FSteamship Company, in the year 1882
plated tewnsite In what il now the