North Dakota: A Guide to the Northern Prairie StateFederal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of North Dakota
History
North Dakota: A Guide to the Northern Prairie State
Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of North Dakota
North Dakota; North Dakota -- Guidebooks
BELCOURT, =115.5 m.= (1,619 alt., 6,334 pop., including Indian
reservation), agency headquarters for the Turtle Mountain Indian
Reservation, lies in a shallow valley on the southeastern border of
the hills. It was named for the Rev. George Antoine Belcourt, a priest
prominent in the establishment of the community. The Indians, about 95
percent of whom are of mixed Chippewa Indian and French blood, make
their homes in crude cabins on small farms out in the reservation.
Academic and vocational training for the children is provided by the
large consolidated school in Belcourt. The Chippewa are woods Indians
who when first encountered by the whites dwelt in the region of the
Great Lakes. From here they pressed W., often warring with their
enemies the Sioux, until ultimately their hunting grounds included the
Turtle Mountain region. With the white occupation of the West their
range in North Dakota was reduced until finally it was limited to this
small and crowded reservation of 72 sq. m. (_See_ INDIANS AND THEIR
PREDECESSORS.)
Each year the Indians hold a sun dance (_June_; _approx. 5 m. NE. of
Belcourt_; _no set date or place_). The ceremony lasts for several
days. At the fairgrounds in Belcourt an Indian fair is conducted
(_Oct._).
Since 1896 the week of St. Ann has been the occasion of a retreat at
Belcourt for the people of the mountains, for whom St. Ann is the
patron saint. Many of the Indians bring their tipis in which they live
during the retreat. The week is culminated with the feast of St. Ann
(_July 26, if it falls on Sun. or on Sun. following that date_). On
the feast day a procession is held, with hundreds participating. Many
cures--none, however, authenticated by the Roman Catholic Church--have
been attributed to the shrine at the Belcourt church.
DUNSEITH, =131 m.= (1,715 alt., 484 pop.), scattered over level land
at the edge of the Turtle Mountains, is the southern entrance to these
hills. Its name means _city of peace_, and was selected to honor the
first white man in the vicinity and also the city of Dunseith in
Scotland. The town is the terminus of a G. N. Ry. branch from the main
line at York (_see Tour 6_).
The Dunseith Gristmill was built on Willow Creek in 1887 of lumber
hauled from Devils Lake by ox teams. It continued to grind for several
years after steam boilers and modern machinery had come into general
use, but in 1913 it was damaged by fire and has never been repaired.
Dunseith may have a buried treasure somewhere in the foothills. In 1893
its Turtle Mountain Bank was robbed, and the robber had time to bury
his loot in the hills before he was shot by a posse. The stolen money
was never found, and the bank was forced to close.
At Dunseith is the junction with ND 3, a graveled highway.
Right on this highway to the junction with a graveled road, =2 m.=
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account