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INTRODUCTION .............................................. 7 PART I. PRE INDIAN CIVILIZATION ...................... ....... . 17 The Mound Builders: Burial mounds near Fort Ransom; Writing rock; Big earth pyramid; Engravings on Writing rock; Other writing rocks; The old Game trail. PART II. THE INDIANS OF THE PLAINS .......................... 29 Ancient pottery at Fort Ransom: Tribes that moved through area; Farming tribes, Hidatsas, Mandans and Sheyenne; Chippewas, the Buffalo hunters: Sioux, horsemen of the plains; Sibley's march to Missouri River; Last Indian Village in county. PART III. EXPLORATION ............................................... 37 Did Norsemen reach Ransom County?: Inyan Bosnadata (Standing Rock Hill); Springer Township site; Stevenson Survey party 1853; Fremont-Nicollet expedition; Dead Colt's Hill; Emigrant Hill; Fur Trading posts; Verendrye, French Courier du bois; Lewis and Clark expedition. PART IV. THE MILITARY PERIOD.................................... 45 Sibley Expedition 1863: July 4th observance at Camp Hayes 1863; Camp Wharton. Fort Ransom: General Terry orders building of Fort; Major Grossman's Account of Fort; Prairie Fire, August 1887; Origin of Fort Ransom name; Report of Assistant Surgeon C. E. Munn; Indian Mail carriers frozen; Mail and freight from St. Cloud; High water and low water trails. Fisk expedition crossed Ransom County. PART V. PIONEER DAYS............ .................................. 63 The white eyes are coming. Owego settlement: Captain Hadley recruits settlers; Colony rules; Lumber hauled from McCauleyville; Why the colony failed; Rerouting of Northern Pacific; Indian scares. Dave Fairbault at Pigeon Point: First triangle love affair. Bonnerville. Owego and Shenford settlers. Settlers in Big Bend and Casey. Northland, Preston-Fort Ransom settlement: Gilbert Hanson first settler; Preston Fort Ransom settlers; Walker dam at Fort Ransom; Currie and Lovelace first merchants; Hadje and Abdullah well known peddlers. Preston first named Muller: Valley road Preston to Fort Ransom. Lisbon area settlement: Colton and Murray first settlers; Colton plats Lisbon and builds mill; Railroad comes to Ransom County; The land boomers. Prairie homesteading: Northern Pacific land grant; Large scale land sales; Tom Elliott founds Elliott; Englevale first named Marshall; Wisner plats Plymouth; Hanson, Isley and Alleghany settlers; Rosemeade, Sydna and Aliceton settlers; Liberty township settlers. Pioneers recall homesteading days: Ole Rufsvold ir Fort Ransom township; Willie Olson, early settler; Josie Henrikson's parents settled on prairie; Hilda Peterson'si home on Bears Den Hill; Her father and brothers open a mound; Kenneth Brown writes about McLeod; Clara Olson (Otterson) born in dugout; She recalls Plymouth and McLeod; Ida SUndby (Seelig) came in covered wagon. Durum wheat first grown here: Charles Hitchcock first grower; James A. Gates first milled Durum. Ghost towns and postoffices: No trace of 12 early sites; Church and cemetery mark Preston site. Pioneer days and ways: Machinery, tools and methods different than today; Pioneers worked together; It was hard work; Fuel was a problem on the prairie; Fun and recreation was homemade; Baseball popular summer pastime; Socials, Dances, hometalent plays; Early days in Sheldon; Origin of names in county; Railroads played an important role; Grain markets and supply centers; Some railroads went bankrupt; Soo line was the last one built into county; Public tr4nspor- tation still a problem. Cole Hardware 1880-1975: Early line of goods very different. Ransom County towns: Anselm dying; Little left of Buttzville; Elliott once a busy town; Englevale at one time a c mplete service town; Enderlin youngest town in county; R ilroad Division point; A town determined to improve; Fort R nsom, noted for scenic beauty; Mrs. M. C. Engle praised its beauty; C. A. Sandhei wrote its history; Local events attract outside visitors. Lisbon, county seat, largest town: Early business and business- men; Six churches started early; Has a large trade area. McLeod once brisk town: It was a cattle and hay center. Sheldon is oldest railroad center: Wide open town at first; Early businesses and newspapers. Ransom County early days: Mrs. Ide writes of early days. Pioneer school: One room country school was once the standard; Will Crocker, early Lisbon editor, Educational leader; Ransom county led in building consolidated schools. Early churches: Rural churches were Lutheran; Town churches included Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic and Episcopalian. PART VI. POST PIONEER ERA................ ...................... 17 Machinery and transportation: The auto enlarged com- munities; Telephone changed community lines; War hastened machinery changes. The Roaring twenties: Flappers, Bootleggers and zoot suits; Farms grow bigger, farm boys leave; Farmers in politics; Farm prices go down, down, down; Ethnic lines fade; Numerous newspapers and a bank on every corner. Drought depression and despair: Homemakers a bright spot in a dark world; Hilde weathers the bad years; Lisbon business- man recalls depression; Drought and depression ruined most farmers; Banks closed, many never reopened; The Triple A program. A Ransom County Farmer recalls the depression: Russian thistle silage; Government seed and feed loans; Government cattle purchase program; Rust in 1935, then more drought; The road back from disaster. Drought and depression killed small towns. Farm population declined. It took a tough spirit to survive. PART VII. RANSOM COUNTY SINCE THE DROUGHT ............. 191 The Rains come again. Rural Electrification wrought wonders. Farmers plant thousands of trees. Clouds of War: Draft cut heavily into farm labor; War time regu- lations often hard; Rationing; Tire removals; The Gloomy years - 1941-1942. Farmers, wives and kids accomplish wonders: Blood, the price of farm prosperity. Ransom county road improved. Pollution, a continuing problem. Agriculture since the forties: New and bigger machinery; New varieties; Bigger farms and bigger debts; Riding machinery brings new problems. Rising interest in Arts, crafts and hobbies: Radio and T.V. both good and bad. Paths, Trails and Roads. Prominent people. Storms. Marking Historic sites. In retrospect.