Histories

1884 Andreas Atlas
1950 History of Dickinson
1990 Northern Pacific Depot, Belfield

1884

This county is the second one west of the Missouri River, on the lime of the Northern Pacific Railway, and is bounded on the north by the unorganized counties of Williams and Dunn, on the east by the organized county of Morton, on the south by the unorganized county of Hettinger, and on the west by Billings and Villard, also unorganized. It comprises an area equal to about six townships north and south, and Ranges from 91 to 98. The west boundary, according to the legislative act, is the 103rd meridian of longitude west from Greenwich, which has not been definitely determined on the map of Dakota. It probably passes through Range 98, near the east side, a little west of the butte known as Malakoff. Only a small portion of this county, equal to about fourteen congressional townships had been surveyed when this work went to press. The total area includes about forty-two townships equivalent to 1,512 square miles, or 967,680 acres.

The northeast part of the county is drained by branches of the Big Knife River, the middle portions by the Heart and the north fork of the Cannon Ball River, and the southern by the south fork of the last named stream.

The topography of this county is very similar to that of Morton County, except that the bluffs along the streams are less pronounced, and there are possibly fewer buttes and sharp hills. Lignite abounds in many localities in the county and sandstone outcrops occasionally. The settlements as yet are mostly confined to the immediate vicinity of the Northern Pacific Railway.

Stark County has but lately begun to be developed, the first settlements having been made at Gladstone, Dickinson and Glenullin in 1882, by colonies from Ripon, Wisconsin and vicinity. These colonies were formed through the labors of Rev. J.R. Letss, of Dickinson. The county was organized May 25, 1883, by H.L. Dickinson, James Collister, and James G. Campbell, commissioners. Mr. H.L. Dickinson was elected chairman of the board, and the following county officers were appointed: N.C. Lawrence, Register of Deeds; R.E. Lawrence, Treasurer; Wm. Gibson, Probate Judge; J.L. McKittrick, Clerk of Courts, and Wm. Cushkelly, Sheriff. The surface of the county is gently undulating, and agricultural pursuits are more diversified that in the eastern counties.

Dickinson, the county seat, and named in honor of the chairman of the first board of county commissioners, was settled in the spring of 1883 and now has a population of about 300. The enterprising people have built a fine school house, two churches, and a large number of stores and dwellings. There are good hotel accommodations and it is in every way a model you western town.

In 1883, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company built extensive repair shops and established the terminal facilities usual at the end of divisions; this being the end of the first freight division of the Missouri grand division.

1950 History of Dickinson

DICKINSON, 304 m. (2,305 alt., 5,839 pop.), principal stock and wheat shipping point in the central Missouri Slope area, and Stark County seat, is on the slope of a hill overlooking the Heart River, which cuts through the prairie S. of the city. The town is still young enough to retain much of the friendly atmosphere of the early West.

When the railroad reached this point in 1880, the site was known as Pleasant Valley Siding, but in 1883 the name was changed by H. L. Dickinson, the town's first merchant, to honor h is cousin Wells S. Dickinson, a New York State senator.

The town defeated Gladstone and Belfield for county seat in 1884, and the same year saw its development as a forwarding point for freight to the booming Black Hills gold fields. On April 15 alone, more than 220,000 pounds of freight destined for the Hills were received at Dickinson.

In 1886 the Dickinson Press reported:

The first Fourth of July celebration attempted in Dickinson took place last Monday. It exceeded the anticipation of all and proved to be a grand success—a day that will long be remembered. The day dawned bright and cool. Early in the morning people began to arrive and by ten o’clock the largest crowd ever assembled in Stark County lined the principal streets. The train from the west brought a number of Medora people. Amongst them was Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, the orator of the day. The celebration consisted of: A Parade, Addresses by Hon. Theodore Roosevelt and Hon. John A. Rae, Races, Fire Works, and a dance in the evening."

Russo-German immigrants seeking homes in this country were early attracted to Dickinson by the Catholic mission established there by Bishop Martin Marty of St. Paul, and today the southern part of the city is a Russo-German settlement, almost a town within a town. Although the younger generation is Americanized, the older women still wear old-fashioned, long, dark dresses, and cover their heads with dark scarfs or tuecher. There are halls for social functions and for the gala wedding dances, which often last several days.

Contributed 2025 Jun 11 by Norma Hass, extracted from North Dakota: A Guide to the Northern Prairie State, pages 280-281

1990 Northern Pacific Depot, Belfield

Courtesy of Digital Horizons