Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1921-06-09
WALHALLA EARLY
HISTORY BEGAN
BACK IN F0RTIES
Once Described as Place On
Margin Where Handker-
chiefs Froze On Oroning
Board-Fruit and Straw
berries There Now.
Walhalla, N. D.
June /, 1921.

To The, Alert:
I#. Walhalla, in Pembina County, is
at, the fountain head of Dakota His
tory" and the writer is spending sew
eral days here looking up historical
data, for publication i'll historical
and biographical volume, in prepar-
alton for the new memorial hall to
the old settlers in Fargo, to be built
for the North Dakota Children's
Home Society.
The history of st. Joseph, (now
Walhalla) dates back to 1916 when
a primitive grist mill was brought
here from St. BOniface, Manitoba by
Rev. Father Bellcourt. Though the
present larger mill was built by the
late George Emmerling and his
brother in law, the late John F.
Mayer, who came here in 1877, the
old mill stones are still kept. Pro-
testant missions were established here
in 1852, by the coming of a Baptist
missionary named Terry, who was
killed by Indians, and Presbyterian
and Congregational missions by the
coming of Rev. Alonzo Barnard and
family, David B. Spencer and family
from Oberlin College, Ohio with
James Tanner an interpreter from
L'Anse, Mich. 'G
In 1853 Mrs. Barnard died from
exposure to cold and in 1854 Mrs.
Spencer was cruelty shot by the In
dians. The mission was then aban-
doned just after arrangements had
been made to. establish a mission
school for white settlers and Indians.
The young son David B. Spencer Jr.
in his mothers arms when she was
shot, became Congregational minis
ter, who returned some years ago at
River Falls, Wis. and his sister Cor
della B. Spencer, became foreign
missionary in Turkey. The mission
here was started by an appropriation
of $500, from the Government, Sc
cured by the late Governor Ramsey
of Minnesota, supplemented by the
American Board of Foreign Missions.
The first printing press was brought
to Cass Lake, Minn.~and to st. Joe
by the "Oberlin Band" from Cincin-
natl, Ohio in 1848 and was subse-
quently used by George B. Winship,
for printing "The NOrwester" years
before he established the Grand
Forks Herald. The Presbyterian
church was organized here in 1881,
after five years of missionary work
by the late Rev. John Scott, from
Emerson, Man. who died in James,
town a few year ago. In 1897 the
Reverend H. G.. Gum came here, and
in March 1885,; was called to James
town where he served the Presbyter-
ian church for three years.
Last evening Rev. Mr.. Gum
preached the sermon on the installa-
tion of the present pastor, the Rev.
Lyle D. Stone. Rev. Mr.. Gum now
resides at his old home in Winnipeg,
where his mother resided until her
recent death, at the advanced age
Of SO years and seven months. Mr..
Gum preached with his old time
3vigor and force. He was pleased to
hear from his former parishiOners at
Jamestown and told the writer that
Miss Jennie Holmes, the first wo-
men graduate from Manitoba Col
,lege, who is remembered as a leader
in jamestown Il College in 1892 and
1893, Is now the wife of Rev. ]. E.
3Muncoe of Oakville. She is the.
mother OF, q Ane group Of boys. one;
killed in the war over
seas. Rev. Gum sis still an enthus-
|iastics historian and, has contributed
,toS the volumes in n North Dak kota His