History of Grand Forks County : with special reference to the first ten years of Grand Forks City, including an historical outline of the Red River Valley

• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: State Historical Society of North Dakota
• Subjects: Detour; Garry; Grand Forks; Hudson; Hudson Bay; Hudson Bay Post; Indian; Lone; Newell
• Online Access: http://cdm16921.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/ndsl-books/id/39005

• 52 HISTORY OF GRAND FORKS COUNTY up about 1859. Mr. J. F. Mager, now a resident here, came in over that trail that year with his father, and be states that it was not a trail at that time in the proper sense of the word, as it was hardly discernable and, at points, would have been lost entirely but for the knowledge of their Indian guide." The reason why this route was opened so far west of Red river was probably due to the fact that in spring and early summer the route near the river, in some places, became well nigh impassable. On that account a more dry route upon higher land was desirable. In 1870, men with teams, materials and supplies were sent from Fort Abercrombie to re-establish Fort Pembina. .Some were sent down the river by flatboat, but one party, which included about twenty-five carpenters, were obliged to proceed by the back country route. At first they traveled by way of the trail along the river, but this being found impassable for the many loaded teams accompanying the party, a detour was made and the more western route was struck at Maple river. Thethirdoneoftbe.se curt routes that crossed the area of ' country now comprised in Grand Forks county appears to have been a cross-cut between the river and inland trails and which formed a route from the Hudson Bay post of Goose River (now Caledonia) to St. Joseph and Fort Garry. This trail led in a northwestern direction and passing the "lone tree," it crossed Turtle river at the Newell 0. Morgan place, thence bearing west- by-north it recrossed the stream near the line between Elm Grove and Hegton township, and intersected the other trail some distance north of 101 m grove. The "lone tree" is a large Cottonwood in Section 21, Blooming township, and is now surrounded by smaller ones of the same kind. In the old days it stood as a landmark to travelers coming down tlie trail and going to Turtle river and the section around Gilby. Now the halfbreed trails were unlike those worn upon the prairies by tlie settlers in using the common farm.wagon. They consisted of three separate and closely parallel.paths, each about sixteen inches in width, the outer ones being worn by the thick rimmed, heavy wheels of the carts, and the center one by the treading of the animals drawing them, both ponies and oxen being used and harnessed single between the pbills of each cart. Thus peculiar- roadways were worn upon the prairie surface by the passage of the cart trains that annually traversed-these routes and the worn trails remained visible for many years after they had ceased to be used. THE CREATION OF COUNTIES. The territory of Dakota, which, as originally formed, extended from tlie state of Minnesota, as at present-bounded; westward to the Rocky mountain divide, was created by :act of Congress Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.