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
BARTLETT, =72.5 m.= (1,534 alt., 67 pop.), was named for Frank Bartlett
of Larimore, who owned the town site. For a time Bartlett was the end
of the rail line, a typical boom town, and had 21 saloons; one, the
Diamond, employed a Negro piano player and singer who usually ended his
performance in a burst of "Bartlett, dear Bartlett, will be a dandy of
Dakota yet."
DOYON, =78.5 m.= (1,512 alt., 204 pop.), was named for Charles H.
Doyon, a bonanza farmer.
DEVILS LAKE, =96 m.= (1,466 alt., 5,451 pop.), seat of Ramsey County,
was at one time head of steamboat navigation on the then important
inland sea of Devils Lake (_see Side Tour 6A_). The lake has receded 5
m. in the half century since the vicinity was settled, and the town now
overlooks a dry bed and shrunken shore line. Fort Totten, which later
became Fort Totten Indian Agency (_see Side Tour 6A_), was established
on the southern shore of the lake in 1867 to place the Indians of the
region on a permanent reservation. In 1882 the Government held that the
Chippewa Indians had no claim to the lands N. of the lake, settlers
began to come in, and Creelsburgh, or Creel City, 4 m. NW. of the
present site of Devils Lake, became the first white community in the
area. The town of Devils Lake was founded the following year and many
Creel City citizens moved to the new town site.
One of the first settlers in Creel City was Capt. Edward Heerman, who
inaugurated steamboat navigation on Devils Lake. On July 4, 1883, the
first train on regular schedule arrived in Devils Lake, and was met by
Heerman's steamboat, the _Minnie H._ The service was later augmented
by two smaller steamers. Rails were laid on the wharf at Devils Lake
so that all freight and passengers for Fort Totten, Minnewaukan, and
other points across the lake were transferred directly from car to
steamer. By 1909, however, the water of the lake had receded 4 m. from
the city, 6 m. from Minnewaukan, and nearly 2.5 m. from the fort, so
navigation came to an end. The shrinking of Devils Lake has been one of
the arguments for the Missouri River Diversion project, which, it has
been asserted, would raise the water level of the lake.
The STATE SCHOOL FOR DEAF is at 14th St. and 1st Ave., situated in
expertly landscaped grounds. Established in 1890, the school has
gained international recognition for its work in physical education
for the deaf. An elaborate revue, known as a Rhythm Pageant (_public_,
_June_), is presented annually at the school's graduation exercises,
and motion pictures of this pageant have been made for study in similar
institutions elsewhere.
At the eastern end of 2nd St. is the I. O. O. F. HOME, maintained by
the North Dakota Grand Lodge of the Odd Fellows for its aged members
and orphans of former members. It is a three-story brick building
surrounded by landscaped yard and gardens.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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