Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-06-08
GA = RING II ON s
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THE farmers are the founders of CIV
ilization and prosperity Daniel
Webster.
No place in this great agricultural
empire is this declaration of Amer.
ica's greatest statesman more forci.
bly, proved than in Foster county,
North Dakota. The highest Nmbols
of agricultural success are engraved
and on exhibition in every one Of its
eighteen townships. No other county
in the one of plainly can show evil
dence OF greater prosperity in larger,
more handsome, or better built farm
buildings, and fat bank accounts. No
county can boast of a better class of
pioneers than those who graced the
frontier days of Foster county. Fu-
tNre generations will trace back with
much pride to their ancestors, to those
eventful days of the eighties and point
to their great grandparents Of Car
rihgtOn's romantic days with the same
zeal that II transatlantic brothers
point to their forefathers of the six.
teenth century.
When Organized.
Foster county was organized from
a part Of what was then Pembina
county January 4, 1873. Griggs, Eddy,
and parts Of Nelson, Wells and Walsh
counties have since been taken from
its early boundaries. The county gov
crnmcnt was organized September q,
1885, and E. w. Benner, II. M. Clark,
and l.. r. Casey were appointed com
misiOners. At this date the county
vas twice as large as it is at present.
Eddy county has since been separated
as the result of the strife over the
county seat between Darlington and
New Rockford. This separation took
place in 1884 and the southern part
vas organized in the present county
of Foster that same year.
The only settlers that were to be
found in the county prior to 1882 were
two or three families located on the
old Jamestown-Fort Totten trail. In
1882 the jamestown Northern railway
IA completed as far as Darlington
which existed then only on blue prints.
Late. that fall Darlington and Casey,
the promoters of this future agricul-
tural exchange, placed lots on sale.
Few were sold that fall, but the next
spring those sites of the present build
ings Of Darlington went like hot cakes.
Almost Reverted to a Wilderness.
During the winter OF 1882 Caring
ton almost returned to a wilderness.
Only two shacks broke the sweep Of
the great Wiggens blizzard of that
wellremembered winter. In one of
those frail shacks II. A. Soliday and
family made their home while the
other was occupied by two ambitious
young real estate dealers. The James
town Northern discontinued their
train service early in the winter and
the only means Of transportation be.
tween jamestown and this coming
city was by stage lie.
But the last wintery feather had
not yet vanished before the rush of
1883 started. Darlington became the
center Of the west. Heavy trains puff
fed their way into Foster county un-
loading their human freight from all
parts of the world within its bound.
ulAOo' 1HS lldilo UcCdlllC OIOWutu
with vehicles of the prairie schooner
type, drawn y" almost ". kind of
4, ,fourfootsd least from the Texas
steer to the bucking broncho.
The Boom Was On.
The boom vas On. Shacks, tents,
stores and sod cabins sprung up in a
night. Darlington became a beehive
of thriving men. Churches were erect.
ed, schools were started, and Foster
county began to produce the richest
of golden grain. When the first
flakes of winter came in the fall of
1888 Darlington was quite a city.
There were located within its limits
three general stores, one bank, sever.
al hotels, two lumber yards, one news.
paper, and a goodly number of land
Offices and work shops.
The next few years saw great i'm
provement made. The Kirkwood hotel
was built and a large court house was
erected in Darlington. Elevators were
built and the grain began to roll out
OF the county by the hundreds of car.
loads. The wouldbe farmers disap.
pearcd and real agriculturists took
their places. Flax became a gold mine
u.sl A. 49,