SIDE TOUR 5A

FORT ABRAHAM LINCOLN STATE PARKAbove: Blockhouse of Fort McKeen

Below: Slant Indian Village LodgePhotos by Russell Reid

Below: Slant Indian Village Lodge

Photos by Russell Reid

MARQUIS DE MORES(from an old drawing)

BADLANDSPhoto by Russell Reid

BADLANDS

Photo by Russell Reid

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. (SeeIndians 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 meanscity 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.

Right on this road to SAN HAVEN,0.5 m., State tuberculosis sanatorium, situated in a 2,500-acre game reserve on the southern slope of the mountains overlooking a vast expanse of prairie.

North from the junction with the graveled road, ND 3 runs over ridges and past little lakes, into the Turtle Mountains, whose hills are the habitat of hundreds of deer in addition to many varieties of song and game birds.

On ND 3 is the INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDEN,12.5 m., a memorial to the peace which has prevailed between this country and Canada for more than 120 years. The garden lies partly in North Dakota and partly in Manitoba. On the international boundary stands a stone cairn with a plaque bearing a pledge of peace:

"To God in His GloryWe two Nations do pledge ourselvesThat so long as men shall liveWe will not take up arms against one another."

A formal garden, one mile square, is planned (1938) on the International Line. It will center about a peace fountain around which a circular garden plot will form a visible ring of friendship between the two nations. The memorial has attracted wide attention because of its noble purpose, and several foreign countries have expressed a desire to aid in its development. It is rededicated with appropriate ceremonies each year (1st wk. in Aug.).

To the S. and W. of the hills and also in the northeastern section of the State a great number of the settlers were of Scottish descent, and each year in connection with the ceremonies at the Peace Garden a Highlanders' Frolic is held with old-fashioned Scotch music, dances, and games.

West of Dunseith for 50 m. the route has not a single curve or jog.

At138 m.is the junction with a partly improved dirt road.

Right on this attractive road to BUTTE ST. PAUL PARK,3 m., plainly marked by Butte St. Paul (2,500 alt.), highest point on the southern edge of the Turtle Mountains. A steep climb up the eastern slope leads to the 15-foot stone cairn commemorating the work of the Rev. G. A. Belcourt, missionary to the Indians, who on his first visit in 1853 placed a wooden cross where the cairn now stands. From the top of the butte a beautiful scene stretches away to the tree-covered plateau on the N. and E. and to the prairies on the S. and W.

BOTTINEAU,148.5 m.(1,645 alt., 1,332 pop.), was named for Pierre Bottineau (c. 1812-1895), most noted of Dakota guides (seeHistory). It lies beside tree-borderedOak Creekon a gently rolling plain. Most of its settlers were of Scottish descent, but the western end of the mountains was long nicknamed Little Norway, and until recent years Norwegian was heard there more often than English. From 1883-84 a stagecoach line connected the town with the nearest railroad point, Devils Lake (see Tour 6),120 m.to the SE., whence settlers hauled supplies with oxen.

Originally Bottineau was situated a mile farther N. When the G. N. Ry. survey was made, it became evident that the permanent site would be farther S. Business houses were soon moved, but the Bottineau County Courthouse could not be legally moved without recourse to legislation. Accordingly, one morning the building was found reposing in the new settlement. As no one was supposed to know how the transfer had been effected, no one could be prosecuted, and the expense of returning the building to its former site provided a convenient and practical argument against that action.

A catastrophe long remembered by the early residents of Bottineau was a huge prairie fire in 1886 that swept 500 sq. m. of territory NW. of town, destroying hay and buildings.

The Indians of the region were not hostile to the white settlers, but there were Indian scares now and then, and the white men were inclined to be cautious. An old French settler living near Bottineau tells the story of being lost with two companions. They asked some Indians for directions, and were invited to a meal, which they accepted to avoid giving offense. They were almost enjoying the meal, when an old squaw, who had been stirring the stew which they had been eating, urged hospitably, "Dig down deep; pup in bottom."

TheState School of Forestry, in the northeastern part of Bottineau on Oak Creek, offers a two-year junior college course in forestry. In the botanical garden or arboretum are about 30 varieties of foreign trees, obtained on a reciprocal basis from other countries, to be tried out in this climate. Plantings established under direction of the school are found on farms in every county in the State. The annual output of the nursery at the present time (1938) is about 500,000 seedlings.

At Bottineau is the junction with a graveled highway called the Lake Road, which leads NE. into the hills to Lake Metigoshe, one of the State's best-known summer resorts.

Right on this road, at the southern approach to the bridge over Oak Creek, to the junction with a trail,1 m.

Left on this unusually delightful 5-mile trail, along the western bank of the creek. At about0.5 m.is the junction with a less well-defined trail; L. here on the western side of the creek to a stone cairn marking theSite of the First White Man's Home in Bottineau Countyand the original site of the town of Bottineau,1 m.Farther on the country becomes hilly, and at2.3 m.a faint wagon trail leads R. through a wire gate down to theGorge, a pleasant spot where the creek flows through a heavily wooded ravine, an excellent place for picnicking. Crossing the stream, the trail follows the eastern side of the creek back toward town. At2.5 m.is theState Game Farm, temporarily (1938) used as the Bottineau Country Club; here is a junction with the LakeRoad (L) which may be followed S.; along the side of the creek, a much more attractive route, at4 m.the trail joins the Lake Road following the creek to theCCC Dam,4.3 m., just N. of theWillow Vale Dairy Farm. Here the trail crosses to the western side of the stream and rejoins the trail on which it began.

Right on the Lake Road to the 640-acre LAKE METIGOSHE STATE PARK,14.5 m.In the park lodge is theHenry Klebe Collection(open) of Turtle Mountain fossils, Indian artifacts, and geologic formations.

Left on the Lake Road15 m.to the center of activity on LAKE METIGOSHE, largest and scenically one of the most attractive of the Turtle Mountain lakes. It has 70 m. of shore line and extends across the border into Canada. Its name comes frommetigoshe washegum(Chippewa,clear water lake surrounded by oaks). There are six resort parks (stores,hotels,cottages,bathing beaches,boat landings;12-mile motorboat trip crosses into Canada, not permissible to land on Canadian side). About 1 m. from shore isMasons' Island, where Masonic groups hold annual summer meetings. The Congregational Conference of North Dakota has a summer Bible camp on the lake, and the Great Plains Area of the Boy Scouts of America holds an annual encampment here.

West of Bottineau the route proceeds over the extraordinarily level country formed by the bed of glacial Lake Souris. At156.5 m.is the junction with ND 14, a graveled highway.

Left on this highway is KRAMER,9 m.(1,460 alt., 190 pop.), believed to have been named for one of the surveyors of the Soo Ry., which passes through the town. The Kramer Equity Cooperative Elevator, with a capacity of 110,000 bu., all under one roof, is one of the largest cooperative elevators in the State.

Right from Kramer2 m.on an improved county highway to a junction with a road; L. on this road to the junction with another road,3 m.; R. here to a permanent CCC CAMP,4 m., whose workers construct dams on the Souris River and work on the LOWER SOURIS MIGRATORY WATERFOWL REFUGE, an area of 48,000 acres, largest project of the U. S. Biological Survey in North Dakota (1938).

At13 m.on ND 14 the route crosses the Mouse or Souris River, remnant of Lake Souris. At14.5 m.are the headquarters of the refuge, where theAdministration Buildingsare. The 100-foot observation tower is used in studying bird life (open, children must be accompanied by adults).

UPHAM,18 m.(1,461 alt., 257 pop.), is believed to have been named by the G. N. Ry. town site company. Left from Upham at22 m.on an improved county road to the largest dam being constructed on the lower Souris Refuge, a retaining dike approximately 3 m. long.

At165.5 m.the highway dips slightly and crosses the Souris River, here resembling a canal, and running almost bank full. At175 m.is a junction with US 83; between this point and192 m.the two roads coincide (see Tour 3).

MOHALL,202 m.(1,646 alt., 676 pop.), seat of Renville County, was named for M. O. Hall, publisher of the first newspaper. Platted in 1903 as the terminus of the railroad, its growth for thefirst few months was rapid. The Renville CountyTribuneof December 3 of that year said that the G. N. Ry. agent estimated that during the preceding week 125 carloads of material had been shipped into the new town, in addition to 175 cars lying on sidetracks along the line and billed for Mohall. Four tracks were crowded with cars and eight dray lines were kept busy transferring the material to the lumberyards and points of construction. One hundred and seventy-five carpenters were employed, and then the demand was only half met. At that time the place had nine grain buyers.

Dick Grace, motion picture stunt flier, lived here for a time.

A CCC CAMP with an enrollment of about 200 adjoins the town. At present (1938) its members are assigned to work on the Upper Souris Migratory Waterfowl Refuge (see Tour 7).

At205 m.the route passes between two farms lighted by natural gas from wells drilled on the premises. Although natural gas in large quantities has been found in Montana, and a number of small wells have been opened in North Dakota, there has never been a sufficient amount in this State to form the basis for a permanent commercial enterprise.

At214 m.the route leads down into the mile-wide Souris valley. The stream here is lined with box elder, elm, and small fruit trees.

At215 m.is the junction with a graveled county road.

Right on this road to the 480-acre MOUSE RIVER PARK (boating,swimming,roller skating,golf;store,dining hall,auditorium, cottages),2 m.

At229.5 m.is a junction with US 52, a graveled highway, which unites with ND 5 between this point and257 m.(see Tour 7).

At258 m.is the junction with a graveled county highway.

Left on this road is LIGNITE,1 m.(1,979 alt., 217 pop.), which was to have been named Kincaid, for an agent of the G. N. Ry., but through an error of the town site company was given the name intended for the neighboring town, a lignite mining center, which was consequently named Kincaid.

At8 m.BIG BUTTE (2,200 alt.), a large grassy hill, covers about two sections of land, rising more than 200 ft. above the surrounding prairie. At the foot of the butte was once a spring of excellent water, frequented by Indians passing along the old White Earth Trail from the Turtle Mountains to the Missouri River. Circles of stone and Indian mounds are found on the northern side of the butte. In early days there was a ranch with 300 head of horses near the spring, but the owner lost all his stock to smugglers. Somewhere in the vicinity of Big Butte may be the hiding place of $40,000. A story, not generally credited, relates that in the late 1870's a Hudson's Bay Co. paymaster, on his way to pay employees of the company at the several trading posts in the territory, was robbed of this amount near Estevan, Canada. Therobber was apprehended in the neighborhood of Big Butte, but not before he had found a place to cache his loot. Taken to Portal, he died under torture while an attempt was being made to force his secret from him. On the tanned side of his fur coat was found a diagram believed to show the hiding place of the treasure, which has since been the object of many searches. The accidental unearthing of a stone bearing the inscription "1877" inspired fresh digging. At another time the Royal Mounted Police of Calgary are said to have sent men to the locality in an attempt to recover the money. So far, however, all efforts have proved unsuccessful. Some believe the treasure was found and taken away; others think it is still in the vicinity of Big Butte; and a few skeptics disdain the idea that it was ever buried here at all.

At268.5 m.is the junction with a graveled road.

Right on this road is COLUMBUS,0.5 m.(1,930 alt., 516 pop.), clumped together on the flat prairie. First settled in 1902, it was moved to the railroad in 1906 when the Soo Ry. was extended through this part of the State. The first postmaster, Columbus Larson, gave his Christian name to this town, and his surname to the next town W.

At269.5 m.is a junction with ND 40, a graveled highway.

Left on this highway3 m.to a junction with an improved road; R. here to the MONTANA-DAKOTA POWER PLANT,2 m., in the heart of the lignite coal field. The plant was opened 1928, and today is a $300,000 enterprise, supplying electrical energy to the towns of northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota.

At4 m.on ND 40 is a junction with a second improved road; L. here to the TRUAX-TRAER LIGNITE STRIP MINE,4.5 m., the oldest strip mine in North Dakota. The big shovels which have been stripping the earth overburden since 1919 have piled ridges of earth so vast that they resemble miniature mountains. The eight-cubic-yard shovel saw service in the construction of the Panama Canal. It is supplemented by another of four-cubic-yard capacity. About 150,000 tons of coal are taken out annually. Huddled on a small piece of unbroken ground between the artificial buttes are the frame homes and store buildings of the little community of miners.

At273 m.is the junction with a graveled spur.

Left on this road is LARSON,0.5 m.(1,931 alt., 89 pop.), a small Scandinavian town, named for the first postmaster of Columbus.

West of Larson the route ascends the hills of the Missouri Plateau. At278 m.is the junction with a graveled road.

Left on this road to the BAUKOL-NOONAN COAL MINE,1 m., third largest lignite strip mine in the State. The mining operations cover an area of 1,040 acres adjacent to the town of Noonan, and the lignite vein, which lies beneath a 30-foot overburden, averages 7 to 9 ft. in thickness. The huge, molehill-like hummocks of earth tossed up by the giant steam shovels spread fanwise from a central, electrically operated tipple. Loading and screening facilities at the tipple permit the filling of four cars at the same time, each with a different grade of coal. The dailyoutput of the mine, which runs full time during the fall and winter months, is approximately 100 cars. During the 1935-36 season more than 170,000 tons of coal were taken out.

NOONAN,279 m.(1,959 alt., 423 pop.), named for an early settler, has its white buildings scattered over the northern slope of a small hill. When the town was platted in 1906, contracts stipulated that buildings should be painted white in order that the community might live up to its advertised name of theWhite City.

CROSBY,292.5 m.(1,962 alt., 1,271 pop.), dominated by the dome of the Divide County Courthouse at the northern end of Main St., was named for a member of the town site company of Portal (see Tour 7). It sprang up at the junction of the Soo and G. N. branch lines, a strategic rail position that soon established it as a focal point for trade in the northwestern corner of the State.

Straight ahead (N) from the fairgrounds on a graveled road to the CROSBY CITY RECREATION PARK (swimming pool,golf course,tennis and horseshoe courts,ski jump,camping ground),5 m., developed along the Canadian border.

At301.5 m.is a junction with US 85 (see Tour 4), which unites with ND 5 to311 m.

FORTUNA,315 m.(2,190 alt., 196 pop.), a Scandinavian community, named for the Roman goddess of fortune, was established in the summer of 1913 when the branch line of the Soo Ry. was extended from Ambrose, N. Dak., to Whitetail, Mont. The day lots were sold, temporary business houses, which had been squatting a mile from the present site at a post office called Norge, were put on wheels and rolled away to the new town by night.

Right from Fortuna on a county road to the DEWITT SPRING,1 m., whose flow fills a two-inch pipe of water the year around. It has furnished water for Fortuna since the founding of the village.

At329 m.the route crosses the Montana Line, 66 m. E. of Scobey, Mont.

Junction ND 5—Walhalla—Leroy. ND 32, ND 55, and an unimproved road.Junction ND 5 to Leroy, 25 m.Branch of G. N. Ry. touches at Walhalla.Graveled roadbed except for 0.5 m. outside Leroy.Accommodations in Walhalla.

Junction ND 5—Walhalla—Leroy. ND 32, ND 55, and an unimproved road.

Junction ND 5 to Leroy, 25 m.

Branch of G. N. Ry. touches at Walhalla.

Graveled roadbed except for 0.5 m. outside Leroy.

Accommodations in Walhalla.

This route runs through the Pembina Mountains, a scenic region rich in historical associations. From Walhalla, one of the oldest towns in the State, the route turns east to the settlement of the metis, descendants of those French-Chippewa who conducted the famous Pembina hunts of the middle nineteenth century.

ND 32 branches N. from ND 5 at Oak Lawn Historic Site (see Tour 5),0.0 m.

At8 m.the graceful wooded PEMBINA MOUNTAINS are visible on the horizon. The nearest elevation, 250 or 350 ft. higher than the country to the E., is known as Second Pembina Mountain, and is a portion of the Pembina Escarpment, a high ridge extending from Canada through North Dakota into South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota. In the southern part of North Dakota it is known as the Coteau des Prairies. First Pembina Mountain, lying SE. of Second Mountain, is the prehistoric delta of the Pembina River, formed when that stream drained the melting ice sheet into Lake Agassiz (seeNatural Settingand Tour 1). First Pembina Mountain has an average height of 150 ft., and its eastern edge shows the various shore lines of Lake Agassiz as it receded in post-glacial times.

To the first white explorers and trappers the Pembina Mountains were known as the Hair Hills, coveted hunting ground held by the Chippewa, whose ownership was often hotly contested by the Sioux. During the early nineteenth century white and half-breed hunters roamed the hills, gathering furs to be loaded on lumbering, squeaking oxcarts and sent to eastern trading posts.

It was in this vicinity that Charles Cavileer (see Tour 5), one of the most prominent settlers of the State, in the 1860's while making a trip with a party from Pembina to Devils Lake, saw a herd of buffalo like a black cloud on the horizon. The party immediately arranged their carts in a semicircle and prepared for an onslaught. The bison came on with a rumble like thunder, the rumble became a roar, and the earth trembled; but when they reached the carts the herd parted and swerved on either side, upsetting only the outside row of the improvised stockade. Not until the second day could the journey be resumed, and even then there were buffalo in sight for another day. The herd was believed to number two or three million, and in its wake was an area, several miles in width, entirely devoid of vegetation.

At9 m.(L) are the SAND SLIDES, where steep sand and gravel slopes form a precipitous funnel-shaped valley down to the PEMBINA RIVER. This stream once drained prehistoric Lake Souris into Lake Agassiz, and its rushing waters cut into the Pembina Mountains, creating the present canyon 350 to 450 ft. deep.

At12 m.(R) is WALHALLA (966 alt., 700 pop.), attractively situated in the wooded river valley on the slope of Second Pembina Mountain. In 1848 Father G. A. Belcourt established St. Joseph's Mission here for the Chippewa Indians. By 1860 the settlement had become an important fur trading post, with a population of 1,800; but good furs became scarce, the bison virtually disappeared, and by 1871 "St. Joe" was inhabited only by a priest, the U. S. customs inspector, and some 50 metis or half-breeds, who remained only as long as the hunting was good. The town revived, and was platted in 1877 and renamed Walhalla, for the palace of immortality in Norse mythology.

The old bell in the Catholic church belfry, known as theAngelus Bell, was brought to Father Belcourt's mission when it was opened, and was the first church bell erected on the plains of North Dakota. It was cast in 1845, and a wreath of raised figures around the top represents science, art, music, mechanics, and astronomy. The bell is believed to have been brought down the Red River by boat, thence to St. Joseph by oxcart. Its tone is similar to that of the old mission bells of California.

Right from Walhalla crossing the railroad tracks on a graveled road; L. on a graveled road to a METIS SETTLEMENT,4 m.Here, in the foothills of the Pembina Mountains, live descendants of half-breed French Canadians and Indians of earlier days. The metis are found throughout the northeastern corner of North Dakota (see below). In this particular settlement they operate small farms, gaining their livelihood by selling garden produce, berries, and cordwood. The graveled road turns L. at5 m., to Leroy (see below),7 m.

Also at12 m.is WALHALLA STATE PARK (L), on the eastern slope of the Pembina Mountains. The wooded 5-acre tract contains theSite of Alexander Henry, Jr.'s Trading Post, a temporary depot established in 1801, one of the first posts in present North Dakota; also theKittson House, erected in 1851-52 as a trading post and warehouse under the supervision of Norman Kittson, who became the first postmaster in North Dakota. This building was originally built nearby and was moved to the park in 1915. Often locally designated as Old Settlers' Park, the area is the scene of the annual meeting and picnic of the Pembina County Old Settlers' Association (July).

Left from the park on a winding graveled road to the PROTESTANT CEMETERY,0.4 m., where are buried two missionaries killed by Indians in the early 1850's and hence known as the Martyrs of St. Joe. At1.4 m., at the summit of the mountain, LOOKOUT POINT affords a fine view of the deep Pembina River valley below and the Red River Valley farming area, dotted with villages and farmhouses, which stretches away in the distance. The point is the property of several Masonic lodges in this area, and they hold an annual picnic here.

At15 m.on ND 32 is the junction with ND 55, on which the route continues. At22 m.is the junction with a graveled road. After crossing the Pembina River, the highway at25 m.enters LEROY (890 alt., 100 pop.). The inhabitants of the town are chiefly metis and their log cabins are scattered in the timber along the river. From the time the Hudson's Bay Co. began operations in 1670, French Canadians migrated westward, intermarrying with Chippewa women. Their children were known as metis or mixed-bloods. Inheriting the characteristics of both the Indian and the French-Canadian woodsman, the metis became adept voyageurs, and their part in the early fur trade of the Middlewest was very important. They were excellent hunters, trappers, and couriers, and it is said they loved the "musical" sound of the Red River oxcarts which, with their unlubricated wooden axles and hubs screeching across the plains, brought furs E. from the trading posts.

When this region began to be settled the metis were the first mail carriers, since their stamina and knowledge of the frontier made them "brave and bold, and the most reliable men to be had."

The early metis of North Dakota, ancestors of the present metis, enjoyed life with true appreciation. They were fond of good dress, and their clothes were made of the finest imported merinos, cashmeres, and broadcloths, bought at the trading posts. The men wore black broadcloth redingotes, long and double-breasted and trimmed with large brass buttons. At the collar was acapuchonor hood, which was never worn but served merely as an adornment. A bright sash about the waist, beaded moccasins, and a beaded tobacco pouch, used much as a French courtier used his snuff box, completed the costume. The women wore the tight basque and flowing skirt, and, in summer as well as winter, a half dozen gaily colored petticoats, which created quite a dazzling array when the wearer stooped to tie the lace of a beaded moccasin. A black silk kerchief was tied about the head, and over this went a large square of black broadcloth which wrapped about the entire body and served as a cloak.

The metis were, and still are, fond of music and dancing. Their songs came down from their French ancestors or were learned from the mission priests. One favorite wasAu clair de la lune(By Moonlight) and another wasMarlbrouck s'en va-t-en guerre(Marlborough Goes to War). Square dances, the Red River Jig, Pair O' Fours, and Reel O' Cats were favorite dances, and some of them are still performed.

The most important event in the year for the metis, in the first half of the last century, was the Pembina buffalo hunt. For this, white and metis hunters would meet at Pembina on an expedition which sometimes took them as far as Fort Union on the Missouri (see Side Tour 6B). Not only men, but also women and children, went on the hunt, and even the priest went along to counsel and advise. Equipment was carried in stridently creaking oxcarts. It was like a good-sized town on a tour. On the hunt of 1840, probably the largest ever held, there were 1,630 people and 1,210 oxcarts, and the cost of the expedition has been estimated at $120,000. The camp was organized under a chief, with 10 captains under him, and 10 soldiers under each captain to enforce the camp regulations. For a first violation the saddle and bridle of the offender were cut up; for a second, his coat was destroyed; and for a third, he was flogged. A thief, even if he stole something of no greater value than a buffalo sinew—a common article of barter in the Red River country—was publicly cried "thief." Hunting was not always good; hot weather or storms delayed parties, and sometimes prairie fires were encountered. Eventually encroaching civilization put an end to the buffalo hunts, but while they were held, and when they were successful, the hunters lived in plenty. The 1840 expedition took home more than a million pounds of meat in their oxcarts.

The main food of the early metis was pemmican, or dried buffalo meat, but wild game was also plentiful.Galette, an unleavened bread made by mixing flour with water, salt, and shortening, was preferred to white man's bread.

Great respect for old age, and deep affection for relatives characterize metis family relationships. Concerning birds and animals, they have many unusual beliefs: a hungry beast coming to the door is regarded as a sign of poverty, a woodpecker pecking at a window is said to be a sign of death in the family, and snakes are believed to be symbols of quarrels and enemies.

(Duluth, Minn.)—Grand Forks—Devils Lake—Minot—Williston—(Glasgow, Mont.). US 2.Minnesota Line to Montana Line, 390.5 m.G. N. Ry. roughly parallels entire route, Farmers' Line between Devils Lake and Webster.Graveled roadbed except for about 110 m. of short stretches hard-surfaced.Accommodations in principal towns.

(Duluth, Minn.)—Grand Forks—Devils Lake—Minot—Williston—(Glasgow, Mont.). US 2.

Minnesota Line to Montana Line, 390.5 m.

G. N. Ry. roughly parallels entire route, Farmers' Line between Devils Lake and Webster.

Graveled roadbed except for about 110 m. of short stretches hard-surfaced.

Accommodations in principal towns.

This route reveals a cross section of the agricultural life of the State. In the east the flat, fertile lands of the narrow Red River Valley, which formed the bottom of glacial Lake Agassiz, blend into the uneven, farm-dotted surface of the broad Drift Prairie, bordered on the west by the rougher, more sparsely settled grazing areas of the Missouri Plateau. The route touches on Devils Lake and crosses the level loop of the wooded Mouse River, a region at one time covered by Lake Souris, another extinct creation of the glacial epoch. Midway across the State is the geographic center of North America. The western half of the route is through a rich, though largely undeveloped, lignite coal area, formed ages ago by the inundation of prehistoric forests.

GRAND FORKS,0.0 m.(834 alt., 17,112 pop.) (seeGrand Forks).

Points of Interest:University of North Dakota, Wesley College.

At Demers Ave. and 5th St. is a junction with US 81 (see Tour 1), which unites with US 2 to the intersection of Skidmore Ave. N. and N. 16th St.

West of Grand Forks US 2 passes through the western half of the Red River Valley, part of the bed of ancient Lake Agassiz.

At9 m.is the junction with a county dirt road.

Left on this road to tiny OJATA,1 m., the remains of a once thriving boom town known as Stickney. In its heyday it was a railroad terminus, and for a time rivaled Grand Forks in trade. Since the site is swampland, each heavy rain makes it a quagmire, and residents, considering the first name too literal, soon changed it to Ojata. The place declined when the railroad was extended W. At one time a farmer acquired the entire village in exchange for a stallion.

At20 m.is the junction with a county graveled road.

Right on this road to TURTLE RIVER STATE PARK (swimming,picnicking,camping),3 m., where a picturesque ravine, cut by the once swift-flowing waters of the TURTLE RIVER, offers a pleasing variation to the level surrounding country. The river is named for the many small terrapin found on its banks. Just W. of the entrance are 15 tumuli (mounds) built by prehistoric Indians. Excavations by Dr. A. E. Jenks of the University of Minnesota have yielded copper instruments, an ivory pipe, and other artifacts. Unlike the mounds in other parts of the State (see Side Tours 8A and 8B), these have been plowed over and cultivated until they are only small humps on the prairie. The few tumuli opened have been easily excavated because they lie in a gravel deposit.

ARVILLA,21.5 m.(1,019 alt., 150 pop.), was named for the wife of a bonanza farmer. TheGrand Forks County Farm and Hospital, a large brick structure, is situated just across the railroad track on a 136-acre tract adjoining the town on the S. The Arvilla Academy and North Dakota Conservatory of Music, the first private college in the State to maintain a music department,was founded in 1886 by Rev. John Allen Brown, Presbyterian pastor at Arvilla. Miss Sadie P. Brown, daughter of the founder, and a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, headed the music department. The existence of the academy was brief, for the building was destroyed by fire in 1893 and was never rebuilt.

The CRYSTAL SPRINGS STOCK FARM,23.5 m., consisting of 2,480 acres along the Turtle River, was a bonanza farm and then a stock farm, but now is known for the spring water bottled here for commercial purposes. In its early days the 20-room house, now standing empty with its venetian shutters flapping in the wind, was the scene of a social life that rivaled the surrounding bonanza acres in expansiveness and amplitude. H. T. Hersey, a Minnesota millionaire, became interested in wheat farming and built the house. His wife installed a full staff of servants, and many parties were held for eastern friends. On several occasions James J. Hill stopped his special train here to visit the Herseys, and once a special train carrying members of the State legislature stopped while its passengers were entertained at this prairie palace. Eventually Hersey tired of his role of gentleman farmer and sold his farm to James Streeter, prominent Larimore real estate dealer and farmer.

LARIMORE,28 m.(1,135 alt., 979 pop.), was named for N. D. Larimore, stockholder and business head of the Elk River Valley Farm, which was once the world's largest farm under single management. Most of the bonanza farms were divided into a number of tracts, each under a foreman, but the Elk River Valley Farm had all operations centralized. Its huge proportions attracted the St. Louis World's Fair Foreign Commission, which visited the farm in 1904, at which time there were 11,000 acres under cultivation. From this visit a great influx of northern Europeans resulted, leading to the breaking up of the bonanza farms and the sale of small farms to the new settlers.

TheCity Park(wading pool,tennis courts,tourist camp) is in the same block as the city hall.

At32.5 m.the highway crosses the Turtle River, near a dam built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (swimming,picnic grounds).

McCANNA,38 m.(1,142 alt., 100 pop.), was named for S. A. McCanna, owner of theMcCanna Farm(R), now the largest in the western part of Grand Forks County. Large modern buildings adjacent to the town on the NW., and the use of modern farm methods make it one of the show places in the area.

NIAGARA,44.5 m.(1,443 alt., 207 pop.), was named for Niagara County, N. Y. Because of uncertainty as to where the railroad would pass, the town was first built on skids 1 m. E. of the present site, and was moved when the railroad came in 1882.

PETERSBURG,51.5 m.(1,524 alt., 310 pop.), named for a pioneer clergyman in the community, has a population predominantly Norwegian, as has MICHIGAN CITY,57.5 m.(1,520 alt., 433 pop.), platted on land of the James Lamb family, who were among early arrivals in the vicinity and have continued to be prominent in local affairs. The town was named in honor of the native State of many of its first settlers. In the early 1880's an error in billing sent here an entire trainload of iron ore intended for Michigan City, Ind. The village officially retains its original name, but local usage has abridged this to "Michigan."

MAPES,62.5 m.(1,530 alt., 56 pop.), once a prosperous grain shipping center, was named for Emery Mapes, one of the men who worked out the formula for the nationally known Cream of Wheat.

At67.5 m.is the junction with ND 1, a graveled highway (see Side Tour 8B).

LAKOTA,68.5 m.(1,518 alt., 860 pop.), is the seat of Nelson County. Its name is derived from the Teton Sioux word meaningallies, which is the same as the Santee Siouxdakota. The many trees lining Lakota's streets are the result of experiments by a pioneer who believed trees could be grown on the barren prairies. TheTofthagen Library and Museum(open), built in 1927, was a gift to the city from A. M. Tofthagen, Nelson County pioneer. It contains 5,000 volumes, and curios gathered by the donor in his travels.

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 presentsite 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, theMinnie 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.

TheState School for Deafis 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.

TheWorld War Memorial Building, 504 4th St., is a community recreation center. Studios and transmitter of KDLR are in the Grayson Hotel building at the cor. 5th Ave. and 7th St.

At the W. end of 5th St. is the junction of ND 20, a graveled highway (see Side Tour 6A) and ND 19. Right at this junction isRoosevelt Park(swimming pool,picnicking,camping), built as a WPA project.

North of Devils Lake US 2 passes SWEETWATER LAKE,105 m., once a large body of fresh water that attracted pioneers. Today, like that of Devils Lake, its shore line has greatly receded.

CHURCHS FERRY,123 m.(1,460 alt., 295 pop.), developed from a ferry established by Irvine Church across Mauvaise Coulee (Fr.,bad streambed) in 1886, so named by French explorers because it was difficult to cross, the channel once drained a large territory into Devils Lake to the S. Although it has been dry for several years, in the 1870's and 1880's, until Church began his ferry, all goods for the area NW. and W. of Devils Lake had to be boated across or hauled around the southern shore of the lake.

At124 m.is the junction with US 281, a graveled highway (see Tour 2), which unites with US 2 from this point to131 m.

LEEDS,135 m.(1,514 alt., 725 pop.), with a predominantly Scandinavian population, was established in 1884. It has paved streets and a park (swimming pool). Because many stockholders in the G. N. Ry. were Englishmen, several of the towns along the railroad, including Leeds, were given names of English towns. One of the first newspapers in this region, the LeedsNews, founded in 1903, boosting the new community in the customary manner, lauded it with this characteristic humor: "A man died and entered heaven. On his first walk about his new abode he noticed several men fettered in ball and chain. His inquiry of a passer-by brought the reply, 'They came from Leeds, N. Dak., and if they weren't chained they'd go back.'"

Left from Leeds on a county dirt road to LAKE IBSEN,2 m., named for Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian poet and dramatist. It is said that about 1858 a peace agreement between the Sioux and Chippewa Indians was made at this lake, a treaty well observed by both tribes. Small islands in the lake were known to explorers of the region as Petites Isles Aux Mortes (Fr.,small islands of the dead), owing to the fact that the Indians had buried many victims of a devastating smallpox epidemic here. They placed their dead on scaffolds, the wooden frames of which were visible from the lake shores.

YORK,142.5 m.(1,612 alt., 250 pop.), is another town with an English name and a predominantly Scandinavian population.

KNOX,150 m.(1,605 alt., 177 pop.), is named for John Knox, the Scottish religious reformer.

PLEASANT LAKE (good camping,tourist accommodations,spring water),155 m., is a small tree-fringed body of water which was called Broken Bones Lake by the Indians who camped on its shores to dry their buffalo meats. They broke the buffalo bones to remove the marrow, which they sewed into sacks of skin and preserved for winter use. Evidences of an Indian burial ground are found on a hill to the N. These burials are not in mounds, and the only excavations are those made accidentally by farmers plowing the land.

At156 m.is the railway station of PLEASANT LAKE (1,603 alt., 33 pop.), where tribal dances were performed on the town site by a group of Indians as recently as 1883. Some of the settlers feared that the ritual was a war dance, but the Indians did no harm.

At163.5 m.is the junction with ND 3, a graveled highway. At this crossroads is a stone cairn marking the GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF NORTH AMERICA. In 1931 the U. S, Geological Survey determined that the geographic center of the continentis in Pierce County, N. Dak., and the marker at the highway junction is in the approximate center of the county. The survey states, "The geographic center of an area may be defined as that point on which the surface of the area would balance if it were a plane of uniform thickness, or in other words, the center of gravity of the surface.... It would not be feasible, therefore, to specify for such a large irregular area as that of North America the exact section, township and range in which the geographic center lies." Some years before 1931 Pierre, S. Dak., claimed to be the approximate center of the continent, based on the fact that two lines drawn from corner to corner of a map of North America intersected near Pierre.

Right on ND 3 is RUGBY,1 m.(1,562 alt., 1,512 pop.), Pierce County seat, named for Rugby, England. It was platted in July 1885 and the first train arrived a month later. In theCity Hallis a museum (open weekdays, 9-5) containing, among other things, Indian artifacts found in the county and Spanish-American War relics.Ellery Parkand the tourist camp are in the western part of town. Rugby was the home of the late N. P. Lindberg, who is said to have originated the slogan,Say It With Flowers. It is said that in the course of a talk made at a national florists' convention in Chicago he remarked, "In North Dakota we say it with flowers." His words caught the fancy of his fellow delegates, who adopted them as a slogan. His florist shop and greenhouse, now operated by a son-in-law, are in the eastern part of town.

TUNBRIDGE,168.5 m.(1,509 alt., 15 pop.), and BERWICK,174.5 m.(1,484 alt., 100 pop.), are small hamlets R. of the route. Although the latter town has a name of English origin, the BerwickPost, which suspended publication several years ago, was published partly in German for the large community of Russo-Germans living S. of the town.

TOWNER,183 m.(1,478 alt., 622 pop.), named for Col. O. M. Towner, one of the first ranchers in McHenry County, is the county seat. It lies in a bend of the SOURIS (Fr.,mouse) RIVER, so named by French explorers for the numerous field mice found in the river basin. The river itself lies on a level plain that was at one time the bed of glacial Lake Souris, of which the stream is now the only remnant. Fully three-fourths of McHenry County is on this plain, once principally cattle country, now devoted to diversified farming.

During ranching days in the 1880's the country was a rough frontier populated by an odd assortment of personalities. Among these were two English peers, each of whom acquired a ranch near Towner, built a large home, and settled down to the serious business of living lavishly on remittances from home. The community was excited when one of the men had a visit from his sister, a countess prominent in women's suffrage work in the British Isles, who arrived on a special train. The other exile also had acaller from home, an elderly woman who arrived unexpectedly to find him occupied with the entertainment of a houseful of guests. She departed without seeing him or even getting out of her carriage. Not long afterwards both Englishmen took their leave.

Towner is the junction with ND 14, a graveled highway, which unites with US 2 between this point and188 m.

1. Left from Towner on a graveled county road to the SCHULTZ HEREFORD RANCH,1.8 m., where registered Hereford cattle and Belgian horses are bred. Situated on the timber-flanked banks of the Mouse, the ranch has an air of early-day friendliness. Its huge barns and corrals reflect the large-scale ranching of pioneer days joined with the efficiency of a modern business—a combination typical of the present-day stock raising industry in the State.

2. Right (N) from Towner on a graveled county road to a GOVERNMENT NURSERY,1.5 m., where experimental work in connection with the shelterbelt project is conducted.

3. Right from Towner on ND 14 is BANTRY,14 m.(1,469 alt., 150 pop.). Left from Bantry on ND 17, a graveled highway, to the LONG TURKEY RANCH,20.5 m.At the age of six weeks the young turkeys are sent out on the 320-acre range in flocks of 700, and attain their full bone growth during the summer months. A few weeks before fall marketing the flocks are driven in to the ranch and the birds confined in large pens where they are fattened for market. More than 2,000 turkeys are shipped from the Long ranch annually.

At188 m.is a junction with ND 14.

Left on this graveled highway to the junction with a dirt road,1.5 m.; R. here to the EATON DAM,3.3 m., which irrigates 6,800 acres of meadowland. This water adds to the productivity of the heavy native grasses from which many hundreds of tons of hay are cut each year. At the close of the haying season the river bottoms are dotted with hundreds of small, mound-like haystacks resembling huge grain shocks in a field of giant wheat. In the time between haying and fall the grasses attain a second growth, and cover the meadowlands around the stacks with a luxurious green carpet that contrasts with the dingy brown of the autumnal stubblefields through which the Souris courses.

At196.5 m.(L) are the DENBIGH REFORESTATION PROJECT HEADQUARTERS. The feasibility of growing trees in poor, sandy soil and semiarid climate is being tested on a 640-acre tract by the Northern Plains branch of the Lake States Forest Experimental Station. The results secured will serve as a guide for work in similar areas of other States.

GRANVILLE,207 m.(1,513 alt., 450 pop.), named for Granville M. Dodge, G. N. Ry. civil engineer, is in a level agricultural area W. of the sand hills bordering the Mouse River. A condition common in homesteading days drew this worried comment from the GranvilleRecordin 1904: "It is a great wonder this country has advanced and is developing as rapidly as it is with so manyold bachelors who do not improve their places and so many old maids holding down claims. It ought to cause a blush of shame to mount the face of every bald-headed old bachelor in the vicinity."

At216 m.is NORWICH (1,529 alt., 100 pop.), named by the G. N. Ry. town site company for an English town.

West of SURREY,222.5 m.(1,627 alt., 125 pop.), the route begins the gradual descent to a second crossing of the Mouse River. In the distance to the W. and S. of the river, the hills rise to the Missouri Plateau.

MINOT,230.5 m.(1,557 alt., 16,099 pop.) (seeMinot).

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