The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-04-26
SCOUTS LIVE OUT BLIZZARD

Location Seekers Passed Up
Mouse River vaiisy DUE 70
Storm Experience
Ryder, N. D., April 26.-tR-When
j. p. Peterson Is buried here. tomor-
row, the soil Of North Dakota will
have claimed another Of the pioneers
who LETT their eastern homes In an 1t.
tempt to win prosperity in the West
Peterson first came to North Do.
kota In 1852 g . member Of . COM
rnittec appointed BY residents Of
Hud1on, WIS.,. to report On the ad-
visibility Of locating In northwestern
Minnesota or western North Dakota.
After touring parts Of both states.
the committee selected . site near
Washburn, Mclean county. Further
investigations were made BY the com.
mittee and Peterson pre-empted land
near Washburn late In 1851.
An autobiography. written BY Mr..
Peterson shortly before his death,
contains the names Of many who
were In the original party Of emf.
grants from Wisconsin and relates
numerous interesting experiences Of
his trip q . member Of the explora-
ton committee.
It shows that u persons signed the
petition to appoint . committee to
seek Z new location ct q meeting In
Hudson. Wis.,, In the fall Of 1881.
Residents Of the committee were
mostly Swedes.. Danes and Norwe.
gians and included among tho peti.
TONERS were farmers, stoeekeepers,
b~lacksuliths and hotelkeepers.
Dsdged Wet Country
Peterson, Andrew Toereson and
Glitter Evesson were named on the
committee. Free passes. were given
them on the Northern Pacific and
Winnipeg railroads. which were en-
couSaGtng emigration. The Winnipeg
railroad aSterward became . part Of
the Great Northern system.
The committee left Hudson on May
/. 1857. and went ia. Crookston and
Hallock, MINI. but didn't like the
country because water was standing
in the bitches along the railroad. The
committee hired Z team and went to
the Red Lake Indian reservation but
found It too vet. also. and took the
railroad to Grand Forks.
The committee was discouraged, the
hisGtsphy said. but hired . team ia
take It out to the Mouse river valley.
The colony had instructed them, not
to lecete on prairie land unless there
was IA abundance Of wood nearby.
Th6re Was no railroad west Of .Lart-
more but the committee had heard
that both timber and prairie land
could b found In the Mouse river
valley and decided to make the trip
by team.
Nearly Fresss In Biissard
d. Near Stump Lake the committee
ran into Z blissard.- They took the
box OF the wagon, put It against the
running.sear and hudled behind 1t
Tor protection.
II never came to near to freezing
in my life," the biography states.
I'VE were poorly prepared to stay out
al night In . blizzard. The next
morning It finally cleared up. We got
up, shook ourselves and went to look
for the team. It was In such bad
shape that We had to burn around
and 90 hack to Larimore."
After this MiSadventure the COM
mittee abandoned thought If the
Mouse river valley and went to Bis.
marck By train.
They yere told ct the federal land
office that they could find what they
were seeking near Washburn and
went there. Peterson stated that the
'mpst popular" persons whom the
committee encountered were Alex
Mckenzie. for years . leading po-
litical figure. and John Satterlund.
who lived ct Washburn for years.
Pick Site Fer Colony
A. Asluud, Bismarck liveryman,
fitted the committee out With . team.
which Peterson declared to Be the
best I ever drew lines over" and It
went TO Washburn.
There. With the assistance Of
George Rhude, they selected land In
eveedrup township and later, ct Dis.
masck. arranged With the land Office
registrar To- kotp okhees- OF :ol It un-
"a the colony could fle.
0oturuing to Hud1ou. the commit
~ called . meeting Of the colony xud
moAo . report. Gilbert Everqon Wa
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