Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1914-02-13
How Beach
Got It's Name
J. w. Foley Write. Of Pioneer Days In
the Late Eishties-Town Got lts
Name from "Col. Beach"

Name from "Col. Beach."
Medora, Feb. 7.-ln my last letter.
mention was made Of the Lincoln post.
master. This man remained at Lincoln
until the spring Of 1887. when . post
officer Inspector came to inspect the Of
fee: VIXEN it was found that G had
been payi.x hi..Es sal.sy at the rate
of one shousand dollars per year from
cancellations. This was considered
large for the number Of residents. The
inspector found. il lsoking over the &C.
counts that no record Of cancellations
had been kept. c was man who
stood high with the business men Of
,aandan, where he was bank director.
and the owner Of town property. While
he was not. to my recollection arrest
ed. he must have anticipated arrest or
disgrace. for he at once disappeared
and his body was afterwards found in
the Missouri. 1t was reported that
when the body was recovered it was
discovered that he was neither man
nor a woman.
While he was trying to recover the
stolen money he offered reward to
any one who might give information,
but when the money was recovered he
gave the party who hunted up the evil
.dence a FIVE cent cigar; and a poor one
at that. The day c was taken to the
place where the money had been hid
den. some one shot fine COW belong
ing to the guide. So the party who
hunted up the evidence was out forty
dollar COW, but ahead FIVE cent Gig
During a conversation with the in
spector he informed the writer that the
only evidence against c was his fail
ure to keep a cancellation record: and
that all which the Government could
have done would be to relieve him as
postmaster.
All companies at Lincoln planted
gardens and raised great quantities Of
vegetables and melons Of all kinds. The
year '79 showed what the soil Of
North Dakota would produce when
there was sufficient moisture: and this
wa. one Of the Fat years that. Joseph
described in Egypt many years ago.
Doctor Wolverton and Captain Po-
land were chicken fanciers and intro
duced to the West side the Plymouth
Rock and White Bramas. In the early
eighties there were few wchickensin Nor
ton county, excepting those at Lincoln.
Poland introduced fine seed potatoes
and many excellent vegetables. Many
.of the early settlers received their seed
potatoes from the post gardens.
The country around Bismarck he'd
the reputation Of great farming coun-
t,y: but farming was in its infancy in
the year 1879. Henry su.tlc on the
East side and Eliza Boley on the West
aide were among the early farmers ol
the Slope country.
Late in the fall Of this year order,
were received for the purchase Of large
quantities Of onions and potatoes 70,
the new posts Of the far north: the
object Of the government was to make
the purchases near where grown te
make market for the produce and tc
save transportation. The Major wat
the one whose duty it was to make the
>urchases. He would visit Bismarck
daily. but never appeared to secure the
goods and get them ready for ship.
ment. One trouble was that the quan
titles of goods wanted were not in thu
country. The merchants did not wan
to miss the sale 90 they ordered then
by wire, shipped from Saint Paul. 4
was suggested to the Major that as th'
boating season was nearly over haste
must be made and that he better taxi
me with him to Bismarck to assist.
We drove to Bismarck in a small
phaeton. which had been the propert,
of Miss Ella Sturses, now Mrs. Pennins
ton. On arrival in Bismarck it wa
found that the Major had engaged
goods from various merchants, bu
none were ready for shipment. w
put in two days getting the good
ready. Late the second day a. W
were about leaving for the post it com
menced to rain, when J. A. Stoyal toll
the Major he must not think Of leavin
in an uncovered rig: to come up t
his livery barn and get a covered bug
ey. which the Major did. The Majo
thought we were leaving the town to
soon, but when assured that the Blac
FILLS stage had gone and knowing tbs
when it arrived at the river the 'bos
would cross for the last time that nigh
he concluded to start. We drove dow
Third street and followed the roa
along which the telegraph poles wes
until we arrived at the timber. whe,
the road turned to the right followin
the river bank to the landing. Whe
we arrived at the point where the ron
turned the Major bore hard on the le
rein causing the horse to make circ
to where he met the road when !
started ON the back trail. When "
arrived near the foot Of the Thi,