| Summary: | History of Esmond In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the large tract of land from France known as the Louisiana Territory, paying the sum of $15,000,000 for it, for which he was quite severely criticised by some. Our community may be considered as a portion of that purchase, although it was not strictly in the original area bought at the time. We like to point out that the grain purchased in our market in Esmond during the last two years, totals in value almost as much as was paid for the entire Louisiana Territory back in 1803. Our community is only a minute part of that purchase, yet its contribution to the wealth of the nation during the bicentennial period, is surely considerable. GEOLOGICAL HISTORY: The area about Esmond, from a geological standpoint, is quite recent in history. We are told that the ice age, which had such a great affect upon our topography, receded only about 10,000 years ago. Everywhere about us are evidences of the time when glaciers covered the landscape. To the west of Esmond lies a large coulee, cut by the waters of the melting ice as it retreated to the north; this trench is about 150 or more feet in depth. It is known today as the Big Coulee, or as Buffalo Coulee. In it lie the lakes Buffalo, Girard, and farther northwest, Smoky. Buffalo Lake has been developed into a fine recreation area; Girard has a potential for much recreation development, and Smoky Lake is an outstanding goose and duck hunting mecca. Geologists tell us that this Buffalo Coulee was one of the outlets of a huge glacial lake, Lake Souris, that was formed to the north and west of us toward the close of the recent ice age. The hills about Esmond are strewn with boulders, mostly limestone and granite, which, we are told, were transported from as far away as the Hudson Bay region. The numerous potholes, with poor drainage, further point to the fact that the glacier was a recent visitor to our area. MORE RECENTLY: The writings of William Makepeace Thackeray gave Esmond its name, and the first station to the east of Esmond on the Northern Pacific railway, also derived its name, Pendennis, from the writings of this English author. In North Dakota we find several towns that have, or have had, two names during their histories. Coleharbor postiffice, Coal Harbor railway station; Menoken postoffice, Burleigh railway station; Josephine postoffice, Genin railway station, are some that come to our minds. Esmond, too, had two names until 1908. Esmond was always the name of the postoffice, but railway timetables listed the end of the branch, not as Esmond, but "Rhodes," likely named from the African 'Empire Builder,' Cecil Rhodes, whose work was so prominent at that time. Free land! Free homesteads! That was the cry that brought settlers to this area at the turn of the century. They came from America's East, and from Europe. Some came from Canada-Ontario mostly, but also from New Brunswick. Some of these Canadian immigrants later returned to Canada, but to the western provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, after they had proved up on their North Dakota homesteads, seeking further free land as the Canadian West began to settle. It was the time of railroad construction. North Dakota was a place where railway building was comparatively easy. There were no mountains, few large rivers, no swamps. The Northern Pacific had built from Jamestown to where the city of Minnewaukan is now located. It was a different country then from what it is now. Devils Lake was truly the 'inland sea' and was a hunter's paradise. Its waters extended from Minnewaukan to the city of Devils Lake, and for many miles to the south and east of the city. Three steamboats carried passengers from the Chautauqua grounds to Fort Totten, to Minnewaukan and to Devils Lake City. The "Minnie H" was the most famous of these. Travel into and out of the country was by railroad. There were no good roads then, and no automobi les of any consequence until about 1908. This accounts for the rapid and extensive railway construction in our state, eventually over 5,000 miles were built. To some writers today it is easy to state that the railroads overbuilt in North Dakota, but to the homesteader of 1900 who had to drive his horse or oxen thirty or more miles to a railroad station, the coming of a railway to within a few miles of his farm was a Godsend. Esmond began in 1901. The Northern Pacific looked at the fertile lands of Antelope Valley, to the west of Oberon, and saw there the potential for good business. So, the line from Oberon to Esmond was constructed, reaching Rhodes (Esmond) in the fall of 1901. Antelope Valley got its name when some of the first explorers to see it came over the hills at its north end, and there saw immense herds of antelope. The antelope early passed out of the picture; victims of the hunters' weapons. But they were here in countless numbers before the turn of the century. The high hills to the west of Antelope Valley were appropriately given the name of Antelope Hills, When settlement took place Esmond was close to the dividing line as to where the Norwegians and the German- Russians settled. To the east of the town the Scandinavian settled, and to the west, at a later date, came Germans from Russia. Sometimes they named their churches and towns after places in the Old Country. The German- Russians had their 'Odessa' and 'Strasburg,' churches. The Norwegians settled in 'Viking' township, among others. Like all other towns in the nation, Esmond contributed its share of boys to the wars that were fought during its existance. During these wars people were very patriotic. Boys from Esmond paid the supreme sacrifice in World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, and in Viet Nam. Perhaps one could say that the end of the war in 1918 brought to an end an era which had started at the close of the Civil War. Our state had increased in population up to that time; it was a time of development, rather rapid perhaps. The Canadian migration took some from the state, but despite that our population increased. But, during the drouth of the 30's and after World War II, North Dakota has shown little increase in population; one decade showed a slight decrease. The increase in the size of farms has had its affect on out-migration, and this coupled with the fact that the farmer in a state where agriculture is predominant has consistently received less for his labor and his investment than any other segment of the economy, has caused North Dakota to be one of the few states that has not enjoyed development to any great extent during the last fifty years. Esmond has had, over the years, its share of businesses Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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