Histories

• Enger Township
• History of Steele County

Enger Township

The old township of Enger, Traill County Territory, was dissolved by the governor of Dakota Territory when Steele County was organized in 1882. On petition of legal voters of 147 Range 54, the township was organized into a civil township to be known as Enger Township. It was named for Fingal Enger, the first white man to enter and homestead here in March of 1872.

The first meeting of Enger Township was held June 25, 1885. Elected to offices were: R. K. Lien, Ole Anderson, and Ole Haageson, Supervisors; S. H. Hustvedt, Clerk; F. G. Enger, Treasurer; O. O. Fechar, Assessor; D. W. Sprague and S. H. Hustvedt, Justices of the Peace; and P.O Boe and Gunder Rud, Constables.

A town hall was erected in 1881 in the center of the township at a cost of about $100.00. It was the original home office for the Farmers Mutual Fire and Lighting Insurance Company of Steele County. This building still stands where it was originally built, although it is no longer in use. Meetings are now held in one of the schools located along Highway 20.

Enger had the first school teacher, as well as the first long school house in Steele county. Steffa Husvedt came in 1876 to teach and the long school house was built in 1877 on Per Nyhus' land. This was used until about 1885 when a new school was built. The school term was five months--two in the fall and three in the spring and summer. The first vacation Bible schools were taught during summer in the Fingal Enger home by Ole Bale. Records of meetings in 1882 show the following school board member: Reir Lien, Director, D. W. Spragne, Clerk and F. G. Enger, treasurer.

There were at one time four schools throughout Enger Township which have since closed due to consolidation. The first cemetery of Enger Township dated back to 1880 and is located on land now owned by Myron Rygg and was originally owned by Lewis Severson. The first burials were of small children who had died from diphtheria during an epidemic in the 1880’s. Little Forks Church was organized in 1877 and Bang Church was organized in 1881. They are the two churches located in Enger Township.

The present township officers are as follows: Albert Nelson, Jeff Boe, and Irving Eng,Supervisors; Carston Karlstad, Clerk; Allen Kville, Treasurer and Vernon Thompson, Assessor.

History of Steele County

In what is now Steele county, the first settler was probably Fingal Enger, who located there in 1872. [Compendium History and Biography of North Dakota, page 69]

Steele county was created by the legislature March 8, 1883, from portions of Traill and Griggs county. June 8 of the same year three commissioners to organize the new sub-division of the state were appointed by the governor. This first board of county commissioners consisted of the following gentlemen: Thomas Ward, P. S. McKay and R. W. Berry. The first officers of the county, other than these, were: E. J. McMahon, register of deeds and county clerk; C. A. Renwick, probate judge; C. J. Paul, treasurer; R. H. Simpson, county superintendent of schools; C. H. Ward, sheriff; H. D. Carpenter, assessor; Dr. W. H. M. Phillips, coroner, and H. L. Smith, C. Sloper and W. J. Skinner, justices of the peace. Sherbrooke is the county seat. [Compendium History and Biography of North Dakota, page 112]

There is one other case in the laws of 1883 where the creation of a new county was made provisional upon ratification by the electors' vote. Steele county was made up of portions of Griggs and Traill counties, ten townships being taken from each of these two counties. Steele county was bounded on the north by the twelfth standard parallel; on the west by the line between ranges 57 and 58; on the south by the line between townships 143 and 144, and on the east by the line between ranges 53 and 54. A special election was called in Griggs and Traill counties for the second day of June, 1883. Steele county received a majority vote, and was accordingly created. The boundaries assigned to Griggs, Steele, and Traill counties by the laws of 1883 have not been changed up to the present time. [1923 Collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, page 202].

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