| Summary: | As we dig and delve into the history of Galesburg we first wonder, "What brought those hardy pioneers to this area?" There had to be a specific drawing card and that was perhaps a chance to make a good living for their families. We who live here now know without any doubt that this is a good place to live, a good place to make a living for our families. This we all owe to those hardy pioneers who had the courage and foresight to recognize this area as a wonderful place to settle and live. Generally we can say our state of North Dakota is really a fine place to live. Its temperate climate and fertile soil have brought thousands of people within its borders, people from other states as well as foreign countries. Here, no matter how poorly they farmed, for North Dakota is essentially a farming state, they were almost always sure of getting good crops. Galesburg is located in the very southwestern part of Traill County. This area is in the western edge of the Red River Valley and the eastern edge of the Drift Prairies. The land in the Red River Valley is almost as level as a floor. It is probably the most fertile part of North Dakota. This beautiful valley was formed by a glacier from the north that visited us many years ago. The glacier picked up top soil and deposited it along the way as it traveled south. Much of the topsoil here was actually donated to us by Canada and carried here by the glaciers. The valley was deepened by this glacier and as the glacier melted, water was dropped in much of the area to make a lake. This lake was called Lake Agassiz. As the surface of the lake was lowered from time to time new beaches formed new margins. These sand beaches together with deltas of rivers flowing into the lake are the only irregularities in the otherwise perfectly formed level floor of the Red River Valley today. The landscape of the Drift Prairie region is quite different from the nearly perfectly level floor of the Red River Valley . The land is rolling, that is, moderately hilly, although their are some fairly long level stretches. This area was also visited by glaciers, carrying large quantities of glacial drift, that was dropped when the ice melted, covering the entire area. As the glacial drift was dropped very unevenly, and the surface of the ground was not level even before the glacier came, the surface of the Drift Prairies is quite uneven, with many hills and depressions. The hills are all rounded and have gently sloping sides. The soil is a deep, rich loam, with clay subsoil and a mixture of sand in the eastern part and is practically inexhaust- able as is shown by the fact that after heavy crops have been taken from the land a succession of years, the last one is always equal, and in many cases better than the first. The soil being exceedingly fertile produces in abundance, wheat, oats, barley, flax, sunflowers, soybeans, pinto beans, and corn. All kinds of vegetables grow well in the gardens as well as small fruits. One river drains the land in the Galesburg area and this is the Elm River, a tributary of the Red River which flows northward into Canada. There is an abundant amount of timber along the river's edge, along with all the tree claims and shelter belts that have been planted by the area farmers. Trees indigenous to the area are oak, elm, soft maple, box elder, ash, and Cottonwood. Owing to our position in the North American Interior Plains, we have what is known as a continental climate, one with a wide range of temperatures. In summer it gets as hot as one hundred degrees Fahrenheit and in winter it gets as cold as thirty degrees below zero. Because the air is dry, hot days do not feel very hot and cold days do not feel very cold. We have many hours of sunshine which is very important not only for the heat it gives but also for the chemical effect that it has. Plants need sunshine to manufacture starch and sugar. Our long summer days (some having as many as sixteen hours of sunshine) make this a very favorable area for agriculture. Our growing season enables most of the grain crops to mature and ripen. We have fewer inches of rainfall than many other neighboring states but it comes when it is needed — during the growing season. Submitted by Audrey Hochgraber A STORY OF PRESETTLEMENT TIMES This centennial book is the story of individuals who have been a part of Galesburg's community life at one time or another over the past century. There is, however, another history which should not be forgotten. On these next pages we will examine the era of presettlement which spans many centuries. The soil upon which Galesburg is built was once the center of a vast untouched wilderness of forests, mountains, and plains stretching from ocean to ocean. Before man was ever aware of a North American continent the land we now use was here. The hours, the days, and the seasons passed then as they do now. Thousands of sunrises, sunsets, rain storms, blizzards, fires, droughts, and perfect sunny days have come and gone unseen by man. This was a land of tall grasses, fragrant wildflowers, noisy marshes, waterfowl, shy animals, and dangerous animals all carrying on the endless task of survival. There were people here too. They were a different kind of people. They were a people who lived in harmony with the land and felt a profound reverence for it and for all it produced. The history of our land as we recognize it today begins with the roar of crashing waves as the endless winds churn the icy waters of Lake Agassiz. It is a barren land of sand ridges and glacial rubble. The air is cold and rains are frequent. Off to the north on a clear day a faint ribbon of blue is visible running from east to west. This is the southernmost edge of the retreating glacier. The towering glacial wall itself is a scene of continual chaos and drama as million-ton avalanches break off and slide into the giant lake amidst a thunderous roar and icy spray. This is a new and hostile place. Two or three centuries later would find the glacier edge far to the north as it continues to lose its battle with the warming climate. The retreat of the ice mass is allowing the melt water it has held back to find new outlets to the northeast. The old beaches are abandoned and rows of new ones are started off to the east only to be marooned in turn as a rapidly shrinking Lake Agassiz makes its descent. The ragged piles of glacial till left abandoned two miles west are being rounded and smoothed by the erosive forces of wind and rain. A few hundred years later finds the ice mass gone and Lake Agassiz reduced to a much smaller but still not-so-small lake which will one day be named Lake Winnipeg. The once barren ground now sports a lively cloak of green. Pioneer plants and soil microorganisms have become established and through harmonious interaction have already begun the centuries-long process of building humus. These silent, unseen members of tha' .tent soil ecosystem should be given recognition. They 10 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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