Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-01-22
Editor Tribune:

"W-a-ll stranger; thinking of To-
eating among u.s." was the quaint
way in which that good old soul Den
mis- Hannafn had of interrogating the
stranger as he stepped from the
eastern Northern Pacific train in the
early days Of Bismarck, and on being
assured that such was the intentions
of the one addressed, and who invari-
ably would insist in unfolding fam
lily tree that would reach from the
Gulf to the Atlantic, to all of which
Dennis would listen with that calm
patience peculiar to his nature and
long residence in the territory and
then break in with: well, that's all
right as far as it goes and sounds
we'll the way you tell it, but out here,
stranger it's different We don't
care what you was nor what they
called you back east; it's what we
are to call you and whether you mean
to be on the 'squar with us. Never
imnd your past home or connections;
if YOU mean to do right remain
among us and do your share toward
developing our glorious country, 9TH
erwise you had better get aboard and
hike it further west"
In this respect Dennis voiced the
sentiment Of all those old time pio-
neers who, after the passing of the
steamboat and old Captain Dan Mar
alta and the completion of the rail
road bridge that connected Bismarck
and Mandan. were using their best
efforts to populate your city and, in
measure, change it's destiny. In
the early days of Captain Dan and
the steamboat. Bismarck, or more
correctly speaking, Burleigh, was the
common ground of the cospomolite-1
the political refugee from the east,
the soldier, the cowboy, the roust-
about. gambler, goody-good man. rust
Ter and blackleg making it common
ground. Bismarck was no exception
to the rule as all frontier towns in
their earlier settlement are blessed !;
or cursed with just such horde of i
horrent humanity. But to the old
time Bismarck gambler too much cred
it cannot be given for making the
city what she is today for, as I per-
sonally knew them, as majority,
they were on the 'squar', ever ready
with kind word and open-handed hos
pitality to aid any and all who came
among them and desired to improve
their condition in life, and it was
this spirit of good fellowship and
Eismarck's future that caused Dennis
Hannafin and others to interrogate
the strangers who came among them
as quoted above.
The original site of your city, as I
recall it. was more toward the pres
ent bridge. and was called Burleigh,
but dispute between the railroad
officials and citizens arose, not only
as regards location but also as to
name, and finally ended with aban-
doning the original plans of the ear !,
lier settlers and the adoption of the
present site. In order to put one
over the railroad officials the old
timers for a long time insisted in
leaving the &c" out in spelling, claim
ing that they were good, American
and did not cater to outland-
ish names.
Your "Curbstone" reporter, in
speaking of the old time 'possum'
dinners, has carried me back to pol
tiles in the good, old territorial days.
as many slate was fixed at these
meets, and I have wondered why
some one in reminiscent mood, Judge
uasselman, Mike Slattery, Dennis
Hannafin, Billy Coleman, John Stoy'
ell, (if alive), DR.. Bently, Alex Mac
kenzie, Peter Wilcox, for instance,
have not, ere this, enlightened your
readers of how things were done in
earlier days. As look back wonder
if the slogan, "Vote early and often,'
did not have it's origin in or about
Bismarck, as in the earlier days that
was the general practice, and it was
no uncommon thing for one to vote
for first one candidate and then the
other until one became tired of going
the rounds. This practice was not
confined to any particular political
party and brought forth no challenge
from either side as all seemed to en-.