In 1901 a townsite named Goodrich was platted north of the new Northern Pacific Rail Road track in Sheridan County. That same year, the townsite of Dudley was platted right across from Goodrich on the south side of the tracks. After a few years of rivalry the two towns combined and continued on as Goodrich. The town grew and prospered, at one point with a population over 500 people. However, by 1990, the town had shrunk to just under 200 people.
On this date in 1990, Goodrich made national news when the World Health Organization announced that the town was to be honored on World Health Day, April 6th. This honor was due to the work Agnes Kreiter did to promote health in Goodrich. Agnes, a retired bookkeeper, was the regional health and temperance director for the local Seventh Day Adventist Church. In 1989, she saw that the World Health Organization's theme for the year was “Health for All, Pass it Along.”
Agnes turned an empty business’ window on Main Street into a display that she constantly changed to share health information, health events, and to thank others in Goodrich working to improve health. The town put on health events such as bikeathons, healthy cooking classes, and aerobics classes. A health committee was formed and the local churches, the school, businesses, and other organizations all got involved. A health fair was held in December, 1989.
The American Association for World Health, the coordinator of World Health Day, was so impressed by Goodrich’s efforts that they choose the town to be one of three recipients of awards in 1990. The other two were George Washington University and the International Chiropractic Association. Agnes was modest about her achievement, saying: “They liked what we did, I guess.”
Agnes passed away in 1993 at age 72. However, Goodrich still has an elementary school and four churches, including the one that Agnes attended, where she became inspired to advocate for health. And the 2020 census showed a slight uptick in the population of Goodrich. It gained 8 souls since 2010 to reach a population of 106.
Dakota Datebook by Trista Raezer-Stursa
Sources:
“Agnes Kreiter, The Bismarck Tribune, September 29, 1993, pg. 9A.
“Goodrich, North Dakota,” Wikipedia, accessed February 24, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodrich,_North_Dakota.
Fredericksen, Julie, “Goodrich Being Honored for Promoting World Health,” The Bismarck Tribune, March 29, 1990, pg. 6B.
Will, Jim, ed., Sheridan County Heritage ’76: A Bicentennial Project, 1976.
