Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-12-18

finished. Rev. Curl taught the first
term OF school held iii the building,
which is said to have stood in tho
court house block.
In 1875 Alex Graggs became post
master Of Grand Forks The same
near Frank Vets bought the Hudson
company hotelsand store and this
valley south of the boundaryA Some
real estate property was retained a
while longer
Grand Forks in 1875 was a half
dozen years old, but had made no pro-
gress3 beyond what is implied by the
word village. Some framed buildings
including q few houses had been
erected but others were of hewn logs
and board shanties with shed roofs.
Some persons had faith. in "a future
development Of the place for which
they hopefully waited; but there were
others who did not believe that they
would ever see 1t become much Of a
town or becohe>a railroad point, as
was the case with Moorhead, Fargo,
Breckenridge and Crookston. There
was, as yet, no developing agricultut-t
aLscountry. back of Grand Forks,
though the land had been entered for
six or eight miles outward from the
village. There were settlers along
Red Lake river (among others. w. G.
Nash just above its mouth, J. and along
river above the valley plain
Outward from the village lay the
monotonous level -sexpanse- of the
shacks in sight and no artificial land
marks such as are made by elevators,
farm houses and cultivated groves.
Toward the southwest the higher land
could Tbe. seen lying low on the hort
ION. Along the river, as far as the
eye could reach, stretched the wind
ing timber belts on both banks. AS
seen from q long distance away from
either side, the timber formed O dark
band against the horizon, especially in
winter BY contrast with the white of
the snow covered plains. aLte in the
TALL came the prairie fires, burning.
over wide stretches OF the country,
filling the air with clouds of smoke
and leaving in their track q waste Of
inky blackness until this somber hue
was removed by winds and rains.
Sections that escaped the autumn fires
would be burned over in the spring.
During the year 1876 a party Of
men from Grand Forks made an over
land journey to the Black Hills, which
region was then attracting consider
ebAS- dSSSlASAOA IL u sAS" 6OAN ALL
section: The party that went from
Grand Forks was organized the pre-
vious winter and comprised the fol-
lowing named persons: William
Bulge. D. NJ. Holmes, j. s. Eshelman,
James A. jerks, Geo Fadden, James
Williams, A. F. Whitney, Thos. Hall,
Zeb. Hammer, James tMul1Igan>and a
person called Farmer Brown" Hec-
tor Bruce was in the Black Hills that
year and may possibly have gone with
them. They used Indian ponies and
sleds to transport their supplies to
Bismarck and some Red River carts,
partially taken apart, were also sled
ded across the country to Use during
the remainder Of the journey. Bis
marck- was then the terminus of the
Northern Pacific railroad and on out
hitting point for parties going to the
Black Hills. Here~the Grand Forks
men united with one of theses parties.
On their way to the hills the enlarged
party. numbering about fifty persons,
We're. attacked by, the Sioux on the
first of April. and a mar named Ward
killed, with two others wounded. one
being James Williams. The Indians
lost & few in Killed and Others wound
ed. The party reached their destina-
ton about April goth, but most OF
/ the. Grand Forks, men returned home
before the close OF the year.
John Fadden decided his claim at the
-c%ontluence Of the rivers June "a. 1876
to Frank Viets. This had been Cady.s
sqlntter's claim. He had sold his
right to Asa Sargent; one or two~oh-
Z eGs next held possession of it and fin.
silly Faeden filed upon it. The same
year that Viets purchased this tract
of land he erected, a hotel upon il
which vas called the Vets house, bu,
in later years known as. the Richard.
son house. The building, probably
more. or less altered, stands ON the
east, side OF Third street between the
Great Northern crossing and the ditS
waterworks. H.
Crookston had been started in 1878
at, the point where the st. Vincent
extension" as 1t was called, crossed
Red Lake, river. This unfinished line
of the ST. Paul G. Pacific system 70,
several years had no connection with
ANY Of the other lines of that com.
pany which was, financially, in bad
condition. following the failures Of
1873. j. J. Hill and Canadian associ-
ates had not ven re-habilitated those
lines. To build the extension in 1872.
3, materials had been delivered al
Glyndon on the Northern Pacific. BY
the year 1877 the extension had beer
connected with Breckenridge. Trains
had run occasionally between Glyn'
don and Crookston, but this line wa.
not very regularly operated.
ITO Be C%ontinued).
l.LS.E+H4 s. -r