The Ward County independent., 1922-07-27
(Grand Forks Herald)

trudging along at the foot's pace OF
oxen toward the unattainable horizon
pausing at last in this Mouse river
valley to build their homes. They saw
those early struggles against the ele.
ments, against fever and famine
against death itself, and they saw the
pioneers triumphant at. last, the soil
fielding to their efforts and giving
them life. They saw the early Minot
city of tents and crude log huts
and in the end, saw the new Minot, a
city Of much business and of wonder
full spirit; Minot that cannot be
broken upon the wheel of adversely
Activities Stopped
Today Minot paused in its activities
to honor those pioneers, some OF
whom still are living in the city. In
parade and pageant, the folk of this
city paid tribute to them and pledged
themselves anew to the work that was
begun here forty years ago. And
with the people Of ,Minot were men
and women from other towns in
northwestern North Dakota, who
came here to pay little of the debt
they owe to those first settlers.
1t was privilege to be a part of
the celebration. ] was spectator
only, but l felt a part of it, for after
all, we people of North Dakota, no
matter where we live, owe much to
the intrepid pioneers who drove across
our plains in those days when civili-
zation first began it's struggles upon
the prairies. We who live in the Red
River valley are indebted to the
pioneers of the Mouse river district,
no less than to our own first settlers.
They were all part of the empire
building force which gave US North
Dakota.
Because of this, have tried to
catch a glimpse of those early days,
went into the hills yesterday and
looked down into the valley, where
nestled Minot, all snug and compact
along the ambling Mouse river, whose
trees gave it shelter and beauty. l
looked around me, and saw wide
stretches of farms, now colored yell
low and brown and green by ripened
and ripening fields. l saw some Of
the old trails, over which the first
pioneers truged in their long and
weary journey to this district, and l
wondered if the people l saw in the
distance, some hustling through the
city and others far away under the
horizon moving over the fields, ever
looked at those trails and thought of
the people who first came over them.
I was in the hills again at sundown,
and l saw the sun, huge red ball,
going down as it were in some far
away valley, leaving the western sky
thought how those long-ago sunsets
and the sky full of stars which came
later were the most varied spectacles
the pioneers could hope.
Into the Past
I looked, then, into the past. I saw
the trappers, J. F. Booth and Edward
Booth, making their way into the
Mouse River valley from the east.
saw them struggling through the
small forest and the thick UNDER
brush, and saw them, weary at last,
returning over their path. saw Olaf
Olson, who was born in Sweden and
who had settled in Michigan, coming
into the valley in 1882 from Bis
marck, where he had left his wife
and children. He settled first near
the place now known as Sawyer. He
drove his team of oxen from Bis
nlarck, fighting loneliness and weari-
into this section for better land, he
ooAI, S&Au otdhSo OuI q ldlul,
now is one of the finest in the section
west of Minot.
saw, too, Ole T. Spokelie, with his
wife and children, coming from Moor
head with Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Gas
man, who originally settled in Wis
consin. Each had yoke of oxen and
a covered wagon, and they kept at
their journey day after day, till they
reached the Mouse river. Mr.. Spoke
lie settled mile west of Minot. In
the same year, 1882, came Elmer
Francis and his family from Sauk
Center, MINI. Mr.. Francis staked out
a homestead half mile from Olaf
Olson. ' H~'.-~---'. =.
Came in Covered Wagons
These pioneers came in covered
wagons built for every emergency.
The boxes were made so that they
could be removed and poled across a
river, when it was impossible to ford
the stream. The wheels then were
pulled across by long rope and the
cattle followed.
Francis is the only one who has gone
world. Mr.. Olson still lives in Minot,
west of the city. Mrs. Francis also
lives in the city.
AS I stood in the hills, saw an
other historic figure: Rev. Pleasant
Royce, Congregational sky pilot
who rode regularly from the Turtle
mountains to Burlington, little town
seven miles northwest Of Minot.
Burlington was the first town in this
district, and it was one of those
typical frontier towns. 1t had its
gamblers and it's bandits, and Mr..
Royce used to say that he could smell
s'fre and birthstone two miles out" of
the town. 1t was this same sky pilot
who performed the first marriage in
this district. He performed many
other services, too, for all of the
pioneers speak of him with much
kindness and great praise. He was
one of the men who kent the early