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

CBy Assoc,ared 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 a remarkable de-
gree, and to his last days he was
ever ready to tell Of early day af-
fairs. Ea..... 80.
Probably no character whom the
west has produced is more generally
known or has more friends among
notables OF the nation than Dennis
Hannafin. ...
Born in Ireland March. Is, 1885, at
the age OF 10 Hannafln 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 BACKED boots, sold
newspapers and hired out to farm
ers to earn money for the family,
saving enough meanwhile to acquire
common school education.
Enlists in 1862.
He was Is when he went west and
started to work on the Illinois Gen.
tral right-o July IL, 1852, he
enlisted at Amboy, H., with the
Seventy-fifth Illinois infantry, and
NF that IA commits
stoned a lieutenant for conspicuous
bravery at the battle of Ferryville.
He was wounded at Crab 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
the sea-
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 a
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
Ne .
the first white men to stake out a
claim in Moorhead, MINI, 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
4vaAn
associates, John ]. Jackman, still a
resident Of Bismarck; George q.
Sanborn, later of Fargo; John H.
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. s a result Bismarck is |
located a mile east instead Of on the |
banks Of the river. John j. 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 a millionaire. Dennis did |
not hold on. He was a Spectator
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 |
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, 1878, he, with John
Warn, Jack Kale and Jesse Mccoy,
typical frontiersmen, crossed the
river, fought d battle with hostile Il
Sioux on the bluffs now occupied by /
the city of Mandan. drove the In
dams back and forged on to the
Green river, where. near the, present
site of Dickinson. they took possess
sion of a coal mine, built Fort Han
nafin and held it for two weeks
against daily attacks of large bands
Of Indians, disdaining military aid. L
John Wrn remained entrenched in
this outpost SIEVE years and military
authorities have declared 1t one Of
the strongest earthworks they ever
had known.
At BismarcIx's first election Han
nafin was elected county auditor, =
post which he declined. At the first
term of court held in Mandan, Han
MAIN became a full-ffedged barrister,
but the law did not prove exciting Ii
enough for him, and he devoted lit
Tie time 70 practice. In those days he
frequently 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 a Democratic convention.
Hancock, often declared Dennie,
would have been president had he
taken my advice"
tAfL...6.- A., r., ANA