The Dickinson press., 1912-02-17

INCIDENTS

Historian of Stark Co. and
Member Of Gladstone
Colony of 1882.
When the strongest movement was
made by the railway companies to set
tie the country through which the roads
we're to run. there was formed at var
ious places in the East, colonies {;
among these may be mentioned one that
wal formed at Ripon, Wisconsin. in
the fall and winter Of 1881 and 1882.
In fact, there was two formed one
came to Green River. D. T.. (now Glad
stone. \ the other went to Rim-Rock (now
Park City,. Montana. The first wal
styled THE Christian Colony" the lat
ter. THE Northwestern Colony"
Both of these colonies were incorpora-
ted under, the laws of the state of Wis
consin ; both had a board of directors.
presidents. secretaries and a treasurer;
and the former appointed a man by the
name of A. E. Bovay as counsel. Bovay
was a skilled promoter of colonization,
schemes, and had promoted the build
ing of a number of villages in the East
and South. q
The Christian Colony was the especial
ward of the Northern Pacific Railway
Company and as such got many things
that were of infinite value to the colon
lists in the formative days of their en-
deavors.
In the month of March, 1882, a COM
mittee of the ~colonists anne west of
St. Paul to find a suitable site for their
colony to locate On. e
A pause of a day at St. Paul and Bis
marck and the committee turned their
faces to the then much Wanted country
west of the Missouri river, sen route
looking over a portion of the country
north from Fargo as far as Pembina.
But the Northern Pacific people had
in view the thought that they now
had within their direction a company
of men that probably would be suited
with a site beyond the waters of the
Missouri river in the untried region
where there was at least a doubt wheth-
Ell. there was a sufficient rainfall every
season to warrant the pursuit of hus-
bandry.
However. it transpired that the com.
mittee came as far west as the state line
between Montana and Dakota territories
and at last stopped their special train
at the side-track at Green River, D. T.,
and from here they looked over the con
J tiguous lands and at last they will
one consent decided that-of all that the!
had seer in their travels, Green Rive
offered the. nearest an ideal country o.
any. ,S $50
After returning to their homes thi'
> committee. caused to. be printed circular
setting forth the. facts as above. ane
appointed a day of departure for thos'
of the holders of certificates of member
ship that would 60 in person to view tn
promised land.
On the oath of April. 1882, the secre
tary of the colony, w. W. Robinson
o. B. Judd. treasurer, o. T. Williams
q prominent attorney of the city4of Fol-
du Lac. Wis.,, and G. S. Cryne, VIII
I was a partner of Williams in severa
financial ventures, departed for tn
scene of the settlement of a colon!
of people that has won a good deal o
notoriety first and last. at least local.!
in this part of the country.
When the four men named abov,
4 reached Lake City they were met by E.
L. Scofield, one time editor and pro
prietor of the Ripon Commonwealth
this gentleman allied himself with tn,
party that were on their way to 18th,
West Missouri Country as it was thel
universally termed, and after three day,
of travelling on the N. P. railway the!
arrived at their destination. A stol
over night was made at St. Paul an,
another at Bismarck. 70 the party O
five did not get to their destination un
til the afternoon Of the 9th of April
1882.
Here they found on disembarking TIL
first evidences of the bad faith that til,
officers OF the colony had shown. i'm the
person of the v~ice-president of the as
ISOLATION and their counsel, Majo
B0vay.
The bylaws of, the colony recitet
that there was to. be held for selection
all and every piece of land that la,
within a certain boundary, until a Ger
tain day in May when there would be
meeting called when a drawing Of selec
ton according to priority OF number O
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