Bowbells is the county seat of Burke County, which is bordered on the north by the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Bowbells was founded in 1898 along the main line of the Soo Line Railroad and incorporated in 1906. Railroad officials named the town for the famous bells of St Mary-le-Bow Church in London.
On this date in 1900, the Bowbells Tribune announced that Bowbells was located in “one of the finest tracts of agricultural lands in North Dakota.” Over 700 settlers had taken up land in the area. 120 people filed for land in just one month. The newspaper expected that within a year, 1,500 settlers will have moved into the area.
This land in the Des Lacs Valley was government land, subject to the Homestead Act. The newspaper described it as dark, rich soil on a gentle incline towards the river. The soil was free of rocks and very fertile. There were, indeed, many incentives to entice settlers. The newspaper also cited an abundance of coal, which could be purchased at one dollar per ton. Water could be found at a depth of twenty to forty feet. The big draw was the potential for agriculture. The land was suitable for wheat, flax, and vegetables. The wheat yield in 1900 was expected to be twenty-five bushels per acre.
The Tribune noted that besides agriculture, there were openings for many different types of businesses. Bowbells needed a livery stable and a general merchandise store. There were also opportunities for lumber and machinery.
Bowbells did thrive for a time. The courthouse was built in 1928. A distinctive building designed by a Minneapolis firm, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. But the population of the county fell. From a high of about 10,000 in the 1930s, the county population was down to around 23 hundred in 2015, and Bowbells itself around 360.
Bowbells remains a prime agricultural area, with farmers producing wheat, barley, flax, canola, and sunflowers. The climate varies from warm, sometimes hot summers to cold, often severely cold winters.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher.
Sources:
Bowbells Tribune. “Bowbells!” Bowbells, ND. 9 March 1900. Page 1.
Burke County, ND. https://burkecountynd.com/ Accessed 10 March 2018.
City Data. “Bowbells, ND.” http://www.city-data.com/city/Bowbells-North-Dakota.html Accessed 10 March 2018.
