Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-10-19
REV. 5. 4. DANfORO
A PIONEER PREACHER
WAS REGULARLY APPOINTED TO
FORMAN CIRCUIT IN
YEAR 1885.
Since that time He has Devoted Prac-
ticaIIy All Of His Time to the Ad-
vancement Of Methodism in State.

In writing up the pioneers at the
Grand Forks Methodist conference
now in session, our correspondent
CLEANS the following about the Bis
marck District superintendent:
DR.. S. A. Danford came to North
Dakota Twenty-Five years ago from
Ohio. He was licensed to preach by
the Lisbon quarterly conference un.
der Rev. G. r. Hairs supervision,
shortly after arriving in the terri
tory, and at once began to preach
among the new settlers round about
under the direction of the pastor, Rev.
Wilcox, and the presiding elder, DR..
Hair.
At the annual conference held in
Wahpeton in 1885 Rev. Danford was
regularly appointed to the Forman cir
cult, which included all of Sargent
county and parts of Richland and Ran
som. The record shows that he built
the church at Minor that year, and
held several revivals and organized
what is now considerable part of
Fargo district.
During the next year he was elect
ed superintendent of Sargent county,
by over a thousand majority, although
not then of legal age. They allowed
him to hold the office. however, and
he was elected the second time, hold
ing the Office four years and super
vising the early work of establishing
schools in that new country and or
ganizing the territorial normal school.
Here break occurred in Rev. Dan
ford's active ministry for few years
when he was doing educational work,
but he soon comes up again at Minot
as a local preacher, while superin-
tendent of schools there, and joins
the North Dakota conference and
takes appointment as the first pastor
at Kenmare. While the pastor at Ken
mare he rode circuit from Kenmare
to Washburn, with Velva, Pendroy.
and Turtle Lake as intermediate
points-over a hundred miles. The
minutes show some very small sal
aries for these pioneer men, Mr.. Dan
ford's being among the lowest. The
territory he covered in that period
of his ministry is now a very consld'
able portion of the Minot district.
After that he served as pastor at
LaMoure, Dickey, Mandan and James
town. Then as presiding elder of
the Fargo district. and for the past
two years as superintendent of Bis
marck District.
Rev. Danford has never lost a day
from sickness or any neglect on his
part, and had great part in laying
the foundations of Methodism in
North Dakota. If he ever decided toI
write history the days of Peter
Cartwright" and other pioneers will
be rewritten with other names and
locations only.
Dr.. Danford has been honored by
his native state with the degree OF
Doctor of Divinity. from Northern
Ohio University. He also received
the degree of Phi. D.. from Taylor
and the D. D. degree from
the same school, From years of &C.
tive continuous service he is probably
the oldest public servant in North
Dakota today. He says that every
lay of his nearly thirty years in North !
Dakota, has been spent in the service
If the public as teacher and preacher.
Mrs. Danford has shared the toll and
Tags and sorrows of pioneer life, and
IS still the faithful help meet and COM
misunderstanding shoulder to should
sr with the doctor in all good work.
TO them has been born eight children
one in heaven now, one daughter
married and living in Montana, son
married and practicing dentistry IN
Arkansas, another son in the rail-
Dad service on the 500 line, and 9TH
,rs at home in school.
DR.. Danford has come into great DE-
nand of recent years as platform
speaker at the large camp meetings
# the country, and has gone back sew
raj times to some of the biggest gath
.rings in the east. He is yet a young
nan and he feels that his work is
ust begun. He has repeatedly said
hat he expects to spend the rest of
lis life in North Dakota-considering
hat he is worth more to Gods cause
lere than anywhere else because OF
lis long experience here. Long live
he pioneers.