The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1915-09-04
EARLY ! HISTORY !!
Of MCKENZIE CO.
ATTORNEY GEO. F. SHAFER
WRITES INTERESTINGLY OF
EARLY SETTLERS OF
HIS COUNTY.
Weaves in Names of Many Former
Dickinson Residents. Story of
Long x Cattle Company Told.

Dickinson Residents. Story OF
Long x Cattle Company Told.
The Schafer Record is publishing
historical sketches of Mckenzie
county written by Attorney Geo. F.
Shafer, son of Charles Shafer, form
er we'll known Dickinson resident, now
on his homestead just out Of Schafer,
town which bears his name and into
the spelling Of which the postoffice
department planted the extra letter
&C"
Speaking of Attorney shafer's
work the, editor Of the Record says:
Mr.. Shafer is eninently qualified
to write a history of Mckenzie county,
having lived here all his life. He is
Intimately acquainted with the plo-
neers who helped to make the early
history of this section Of the north
west. OF these pioneers Mr.. Shafer
succeeded in getting photographs of
only three to publish in the historical
volume, which is now a part of the
state records. They are the photo
graphs of Daniel Manning, Geo. M.
Frye and John w. Goodall. The first
two named have been dead for num-
ber of years. Mr.. Goodall is now liv-
ing in the northeastern part of the
county near the postoffice which was
named after him. Photographs of
such early settlers as Charles Shafer,
Frank Banks, H. F. Merrill, Arthur
Mahoney, H. C. Christensen, Frank
Poe, John Frish, Jay Grantier, Bill
Cheney, Bob and Joe Stroud, Tom
McGregor and two or three others,
the names of whom we cannot recall
at the time, were not to be had at
any price. They seemed to shy at
camera like young horse at a
barbed-wire fence. Besides there
were no cameras nearer than Fargo
when these oldtimers had the cour-
age to face one.
Extracts Of Mr.. Shafer's historical
letter are as follows:
The first official census taken in
Mckenzie county was recorded IN
1890. The records show popula-
tion of twenty-seven persons at that
time; twenty-four in Wallace and
three in Mckenzie county. This is
nearly correct, exclusive of Indians,
who were supposed to have been sta
toned on the Berthold Reservation,
but who made no pretence of staying
there when hunting was good else
where.
The first log cabin known to have
been erected within the county, was
built in 1883, by Messrs. Chase and
Frye mentioned above, at the mouth
of Cherry Creek on the Little Mis-
souri, river. The purpose of it's erec-
ton was that it might serve for a
hunting camp: This cabin still stands
and it is in good condition. About
this time another one was built at
the present county seat by Chas.
Shafer; this cabin was accidentally
burned a few years later. Ex-presi-
dent Roosevelt also built one at his
ranch "The Elk Horn, on the Little
Missouri, but the ranch and the cabin
have both long since disappeared
This is not the ranch from which the
Roosevelt cabin now on the capitol
grounds at Bismarck was taken.-Ed.]
The following are the names of the
white people; contained in the census;
In Mckenzie, county, Wilbur Pool
Thomas Grasier and Charles O. Arm
strong; in Wallace county,. Daniel
Manning, Kate Manning, William
Manning, Bennie F. Manning, Dell
Dickinson, Frank Chesrown, John
MCGEE, Geo. M Frye, August
Schrader, Arthur N. Jeferies, Nora
C. sJefferies, William F. Cantelow
John Armstrong, Henry Neetert, John
Thompson and Alex A. Carp.
The following are the people not
enumerated in the census, but who
were living in Mckenzie county in
1890: Frank Banks, E. E. Chase, A.
H. Arnett, Sid Tarbelt, Arthur Ma
honey, Wilson Richards, J. c. Merrill
Geo. Bacon, Chas. Shafer, Eva Shafe1
and Geo. F. Shafer. :,
Speaking Of the advent of stock
raising and the general impression
that the early hunters and trappers
would pass along, Mr.. Shafer con-
tinued: ~ ~.
Indeed they became more plentiful
than ever, although the buffalo hao
been externinated by 1888, and the
mountain; sheep and elk a few years
later. Yet the business of hunting
and trapping the many other kinds
Of game fiourished even as late a.
1900. In many cases the small
rancher and the hunter was one anc
the same man. In fact every ranche1
had to be q hunter in order to pro:
vide himself with fresh meat, which
was always the staple food in tn
west. And nearly every hunter be-
came a rancher when hunting became
improbable.
The honor of inaugurating tn
ranching business in Mckenzie count!
is due to the firm Of Chase and Frye
These men came from Elk River
Minnesota, and after hunting on
winter, that of 1884, started !:
ranch the following spring at thei
hunting camp on the Little Missouri
They imported a small herd Of cattl
and a few horses and their place wa
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