The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-11-05
DENNIS HANNAFIN
is DEAD, PIONEER
DAKOTAN UNIQUE
STATECHARACTER
Succumbs In Bismarck
Hospital After Illness
of Several Weeks
BISMARCK RESIDENT
SINCE EARLY DAYS
Participant in Many Pho
neer Day Affairs and
Had Unusual Career
IRy Assoeoared Press.1


(By AssoeaaIed Press.)
Bismarck, N. D., Nov. 5.-Dennis
Hannafin. widely known as North
Dakota's "sQuatter governor" vet
eran OF the Civil war and member of
ST. Paul commandery, Legion OF
Honor, is dead at Bismarck hos
pital. He was born in ireland on
March is. 1885, and came here in
1872.
The story of Dennis Hannafin's life
reads like a novel. Friend Of Sheri-
dan, Grant, Custer and Logan, he
was familiar with pioneer days OF
the northwest to q remarkable de-
gree, and to his last days he was
ever ready to tell Of early day af-
fairs. s|
Probably no character whom the
west has produced is more generally
known or has more friends among
notables OF the nation than Dennis
Hannafin. ...s
Born in Ireland March. Is, 1885, at
the age Of 10 Hannafn emigrated
with his parents to America His
father died at sea, and when his
mother reached Buffalo with her
children, little Dennis was the man
of the family. He blaclSed boots, sold
newspapers and hired out to farm
ers to earn money for the family,
saving enough meanwhile to acquire
common school education.
EnIists in 1862.
He was Is when he went west and
started to work on the Illinois Cen
tral right-of-way. July Il, 1852, he
enlisted at Amboy, Ill, with the
Seventy-fifth Illinois infantry, and
Nov. 2 of that year he was commits
stoned a lieutenant for conspicuous
bravery at the battle of Ferryville.
He was wounded at Grab Orchard
and was in the thick of the fight at
Stone River, with the pioneer brigade
commanded by James st. Clair Nor
ton, supporting the Chicago Board of
Trade battery. He helped build the
Notifications at Murfreesboro and
went with Sherman on his march to
Comes to the West.
Mustered out at Chicago at the
end of the war, the pushing Of the
Union Pacific through the western
desert called him, and he became q
famous character Of the company's
at Cheyenne. Laramie, Pomontory
Point and other frontier points. |
When the Union Pacific was finish
ed he came to the Northern Pacific
at N. Junction in 1870, was one of |
the first white men to stake out q
claim in Moorhead, Mimi, in 1872, |
and one OF the first few to locate on |
the present site of Bismarck in 1872. |
Learns of Town Plans.
Hannafin was at Moorhead when /
he learned that q party of st. Paul |
capitalists was en- route to the pro- /
posed junction of the Northern /
Pcific with the Missouri to establish /
q town. He interested some pioneer
associates, John J. Jackman, still a /
resident of Bismarck; George @. /
Ganborn. later of Fargo; John III. |
Richards, recently on the Chicago
board of trade, and William Woods, |
late of Los Angeles. They beat the |
st. Paul party to the river by several |
days. pre-empted all of the land /
along the banks OF the Missouri, and
when the latter reached their goal
they found the Moorhead men in
possession. a result Bismarck is
located, a mile east instead of on the
banks of the river John ]. Jackson
remains in possession of his land.
Hannafin claimed eighty acres which
now is the heart of Bismarck's fin-
est residential section, and which,
had he held on to it, would have
made him q millionaire. Dennis did
not hold on. He was a speculator=
with the old time western gambling
instinct. Scores of times he was on
the verge Of making fortune and
as often the will o. the wisp eluded
him.
Battles With Indians:
Hannafin, from the day of his ar
rival on the site of the town which
was to become the capital of Dakota
territory, and later of North Dakota,
never lost his interest in the COM
ing city. His adventurous spirit
frequently in those early days, long
before the Northern Pacific had
pushed on past the river, carried him
westward into Indian country.
In September, 1873, he, with John
warn, Jack Kale and Jesse Mccoy,
typical frontiersmen, crossed the
river. fought a battle with hostile
Sioux on the bluffs now occupied by
the city of Mandan, drove the In-
dians back And forged on to the
Green river, where, near the. present
site Of Dickinson. they took posses
sion of coal mine, built Fort Ham
nafin and held 1t for two weeks
against daily attacks of large bands
Of Indians, disdaining military aid.
John Wrn remained entrenched In
this outpost seve years and military .
authorities have declared 1t one OF
the strongest earthworks they ever !
had known.
At Bismarck's first election Han i
nafin was elected county auditor, = j
post which he declined. At the first /
term Of court held in Mandan, Han
nafin became full-fIedged baTrister, Z
but the law did not prove exciting
enough for him, and he devoted lit !
tie time to practice. In those days he I
tramped from Bismarck to ]
Fargo. and even to st. Paul. In 1874 (
he walked from Sioux City to Elk
Point. now in South Dakota, TO at
tend Democratic convention.
Hancock" often declared Dennie, !
would have been president had he I
taken my advice"
Washington, Nov. s.--Pres. Milton