Carole Butcher

After serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, Colonel Clement Lounsberry moved west. He entered journalism as a writer for the Minneapolis Tribune, but he had something else in mind - establishing a newspaper wherever the Northern Pacific Railroad crossed the Missouri River. That plan became a reality in 1873 when the first issue of the Bismarck Tribune came off the presses.

The Wild West was not nearly as wild as it is portrayed in books, movies, and television. Life on the frontier was hard work, and that in turn created a need for entertainment, and there was no shortage of ways for people to spend their time and money.

Millions of bison once called the Great Plains home. They were an essential element of the ecosystem. They were also essential to Native Americans and frontiersmen for who depended on them for food, shelter, and clothing. The bison became an icon of the west even as railroads began to cross the plains and an influx of hunters nearly wiped them out. The vast herds dwindled, and they faced extinction.

The Homestead Act of 1862 opened the American West to settlement. Newcomers could claim 160 acres after living on it for five years, paying only a small fee for the land. Along with attracting settlers, the promise of nearly free land attracted speculators who gobbled up large tracts of land and then sold it at an inflated price.

At the end of the Civil War, the country began waking up to the realities of recovery. Railroads and bridges had been destroyed. Farms had been wiped out. Disabled veterans were unable to support themselves and widows and orphans had been left behind. President Lincoln had promised to care for “those who have borne the burden, his widow and orphans.” But no one knew how to go about doing that.

The Dakota Territory legislature created Richland County on January 4th, 1873. It was named for Morgan T. Rich. In 1869, Rich settled on the site of what would become the city of Wahpeton. Wahpeton serves as the county seat of Richland County, tucked along the Red River in the southeastern corner of North Dakota.

The American West underwent major changes in the early 1900s. Cities and towns were springing up, railroads crisscrossed the countryside, and fences put land off-limits to public use. The Federal government also established Forest Reserves. Grazing livestock in these areas required a permit. In an effort to avoid paying for permits, some livestock owners moved their herds from place to place in search of grazing and water. This was common for sheepherders.

The United States is home to more turtle species than any other country in the world, with almost one hundred species and subspecies. North Dakota has four native species. All four have healthy populations and are classified as “least concern” on the scale of conservation status.

Located near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, Williston was founded in 1887. Railroad magnate James J. Hill named the town for his friend, Daniel Willis James. Williston is the county seat of Williams County. At the time of Williston’s founding, Dakota Territory was untamed. Far from population centers like Fargo and Bismarck, Williston quickly developed a reputation as a wild and wooly town.

In 1902, Indiana seed merchant James A. Everitt organized the American Society of Equity, one of the first organizations formed to improve conditions for American farmers. Everitt believed that if farmers organized, they would become a powerful political force. By 1906, the Society claimed there were almost three thousand local chapters, with almost every state represented.