| Summary: | Introduction The entrance of the white man into the Red River Valley area was led by adventurous agents of the English fur trading companies before the year 1880. Of these agents, Alexander Henry stayed the longest. By 1801 both Pembina and Park River had been established as fur trading posts. During this year Henry and his party, usually referred to as the "Red River Brigade", traveled on the Red River as far as the confluence of the Goose River. Their constant fear of the Sioux Indians prevented them from going farther south at this time. Henry made many journeys along the river and succeeded in establishing a trading post at Grand Forks. In the fall of 1803 Pembina had become self-supporting, and by the abundance of the harvest that year Henry and his men realized the rich farming possibilities of the Red River Valley. However, he could not see that it would be practical for anyone to live on the prairies. He considered that this land would never have any value because of the lack of transportation over great distances to the markets of the eastern states. The rivers, being nature's highways to remote places, were always the location of the first trading posts. Therefore, the country that held the possession of the mouth of the river also controlled all the land drained by that river system. Inasmuch as the Red River flowed north into the Hudson Bay, England claimed the Red River Valley and the Union Jack flew over the Park River post. The Treaty of London in 1818, which established the 49th parallel, made this a part of the United States. Years went by with little change due to the wars between France and England. During these years a trade route was established between Pembina and Abercrombie. About the year 1822 a group of Selkirk colonists became discontented and moved south to the Fort Snelling area. They followed the western edge of the Red River Valley. This trail was located about 5 miles west of Northwood and went through what was later to be known as Grace, Lind, and Beaver Creek Townships. It was one of the three trade routes used to transport hides, furs, and meat in exchange for provisions. In 1858 it was reported that 6000 Red River carts were in use on these trails. The identifying three ruts in the road were plainly visible to the early pioneers. With the advent of the steamboats on the Red River in 1859, promoters realized the possibilities of the Red River Valley as a place for settlement. In 1871 posts at Frog Point (Belmont), Goose River (Caledonia), and Georgetown had been established by the Hudson Bay Company. This also marks the year of the first settlers along the lower Goose River and a daily stagecoach service between Fort Abercrombie and Grand Forks with one trip to Winnipeg. On March 2, 1861, Dakota Territory was created by the signature of President Buchanan, two days before his retirement. Yankton was its first territorial capital, but it was later moved from Yankton to Bismarck. In January, 1873, the territorial legislature created Grand Forks County by subdividing the over- extensive Pembina County. At that time the new county included the southern half of the present Walsh County, parts of Traill and Steele Counties, and three ranges of townships beyond its present boundary. The lure which drew homesteaders west incorporated many features. One of the more obvious was the constitutional fiat of private property and acquisition of such as encouraged and guaranteed through national legislative acts. Settling of the midwest and the west was a continual moving beyond the established areas. "Go west, young man!" appeared in an article in the Terre Haute, Indiana Express in 1851. John B. L. Soule wrote it. Horace Greeley proclaimed it in the New York Tribune, "Go west, young man, and grow up with the country." It wasn't just advice, it became a way of life. The PRE-EMPTION ACT of 1841 provided that each person who was the family head, or was single, over 21, and a citizen of the United States, or who shall have filed his declaration to become such, was entitled to one pre-emptive right to not more than 160 acres. It also provided that no person who shall have quit or abandoned his residence on his own land shall acquire any right to pre-emption. Title was acquired by six months residence with improvements and payment of $1.25 an acre. The HOMESTEAD ACT of 1861 stated that a person with certain qualifications, supra, might acquire title to 160 acres or less of land by residing on same, making improvements, and cultivating a certain amount of acres for a period of five years. The TREE CLAIM ACT of 1873 provided that no person could acquire more than 160 acres under the act. It also provided that anyone having lived on land on the HOMESTEAD ACT of 1862 could secure a patent, if he met certain conditions as to planting and cultivation of trees. Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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