4/11/2009:
St. Mary's Catholic Church and its Iron Cross Cemetery, in Hague, ND, are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most early settlers in the Hague area came from southern Russian villages including Baden, Elsass, Kandel, Mannheim, Selz and Strassburg.
The original St. Mary's, built in 1907, burned down in February 1929. On this date, two months later, the parish priest, Father Joseph Niebler, announced a new Gothic style church would be built at a projected cost of $60,000. Building plans featured two towers and a steeple 114 feet high. Father Niebler said the building would be constructed of brick and steel, would seat 600, and would be completely fireproof.
Construction began soon after, and the finished structure has dominated the landscape of Hague and the surrounding area ever since. In fact, the church and its cemetery now attract many tourists to Emmons County.
By Merry Helm
Sources:
The Bismarck Tribune. 11 Apr 1929:1.
Wald, Katie Glatt. Hague, North Dakota: History of St. Mary's Catholic Church and the Town of Hague. Book review: Germans from Russia Heritage Collection Libraries. Fargo ND. Web. (11 Jan 2009)
2009 North Dakota Tourism Division. Web. (11 Jan 2009)