Washburn

On this date in 2000, sculptor Tom Neary installed a 14-foot-tall stainless steel sign at the intersection of highways 83 and 200 in Washburn. The sign, which weighs almost a ton, reads “Historic Washburn” above a scene of Lewis, Clark, and Sakakawea. The giant sign was commissioned by the Washburn Civic Club and gave Tom Neary a chance to put his mark on the town he lived in and loved.

Communities closed down when the flu pandemic struck North Dakota in the fall of 1918. But the length of restrictions on schools, churches, theaters and public gatherings differed. Fargo’s lockdown lasted about three weeks. Bismarck’s restrictions lasted a month. Grand Forks reopened after seven weeks, and Minot’s restrictions ended after eight weeks, one of the longest closings in the state.

On this date in 1912, the Washburn, North Dakota newspaper announced that Minnesota Senator William D. Washburn died at his home in Minneapolis. There was a strong connection between the town of Washburn and the man for whom it was named. The newspaper noted that Washburn had always taken a personal interest in the North Dakota town.

The history of smallpox in North Dakota spans centuries. The terrible disease devastated the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara people in 1781. Years later, in…

There was great rejoicing in Washburn on this date in 1908. After many unfulfilled promises, the Soo Line was making a concrete effort to build a new…

On this date in 1887 the McClean County Mail touted the great advantages that the town of Washburn had to offer. The town had been founded five years…

On this date in 1914 the Washburn Leader explained that the town of Washburn had a rather inauspicious beginning. In the summer of 1882, the steamer…