As counties were formed in North Dakota, towns vied for the honor of being the county seat. It was no different in Bowman County. Located in the far southwest corner of the state, Bowman was created by the Dakota Territory Legislature in 1883. It was disbanded in 1903 due to low settlement. Governor John Burke issued a proclamation reestablishing the county in 1907. It was named for Edward M. Bowman, a member of the 1883 Territorial Legislature.
On this date in 1907, the Bismarck Daily Tribune announced that Bowman County was having difficulty choosing a county seat. The towns of Atkinson and Hamilton were both seeking the honor. Representatives of each argued their cases before Governor Burke. Attorney John S. Watson presented a petition in favor of Hamilton that was signed by over 700 people, and he said a competing petition that favored Atkinson was invalid, with over 100 signees having changed their minds. He claimed they wanted their names stricken from the Atkinson petition and had now signed the petition for Hamilton. In addition, he said that more than 100 of the signatures on the Atkinson petition did not come from residents of Bowman County. Instead, they were itinerant laborers. Watson said the Hamilton petition had more signatures from bona fide Bowman County residents, so it was obvious that the county seat should be located there.
Attorney Purcell represented Atkinson. He said Watson had made some serious charges that would require time to investigate. He requested a delay, and Governor Burke gave him until June 10th.
In the end, neither town was successful in the effort to secure the county seat. The opening sale of lots for the newly established town of Bowman, named for the county, was announced for November 21st, 1907. The ads proudly proclaimed that Bowman would be the new county seat. It was on the Pacific Coast Extension of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad. Special train service was scheduled to bring in potential buyers,
Bowman was at its largest in 1980 with a population of slightly over 2,000 people. According to the 2010 census, the population was 1,650 people. And the population of the entire county? 3,151.
As for Hamilton and Atkinson, they no longer exist.
Dakota Datebook by Carole Butcher
Sources:
Bismarck Daily Tribune. “Bowman County People Have Difficulty in Locating Seat of Government.” 25 May 1907. Bismarck ND. Page 1.
Wahpeton Times. “Town Lot Sale.” Wahpeton ND. 14 November 1907. Page 1.
Reference Desk. “Bowman County, North Dakota.” http://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/counties/north-dakota/bowman.html Accessed 8 April 2018.
United States Census Bureau. “Bowman County, ND.” https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/bowmancountynorthdakota/LND110210 Accessed 8 April 2018.
