| Summary: | Griggs County It was a broad expense of buffalo grass prairie, totally devoid of trees except a fringe along the Sheyenne River, that greeted the early day pioneer as he came to the area that is now known as Griggs County. And it was not until the time of the ill- fated expedition of General Sibley against the Sioux Indians in 1862 that definite knowledge of this territory became known. Sibley's army traveled across what is now known as Griggs County, and camped briefly within its present confines. Prior to that time, the Hudson Bay Company had established a fur trading post in the vicinity and the main Ft. Totten trail crossed the county, although few traces of it remain today. The energies of the traders and trappers, however, were bents on pelt gathering, and no attention was given to the agricultural capabilities of the county. It was several years later that an attempt was made to till the soil, and its development agriculturally may be said to date from the establishment in 1881 of the bonanza Cooper farm. From that time on progress has been rapid. it might be noted that the land where Griggs County is now located has been under four national flags; Spanish, French, British and, of course, United States. Since water and trees were in big demand by the initial settlers, it was logical that the first pioneers would locate near the river. In the wooded area bordering the Sheyenne river, Omund Nelson Opheim became Griggs County's first settler. This was in the year of 1879. Opheim's first home was a log cabin which has been preserved and moved to the County Courthouse grounds. Other settlers soon followed even before the land had been surveyed. .Opheim's old neighbors from Iowa came in April of 1880 and settled mainly on the wide bend of the Sheyenne River. .-■■.- Martin Opheim son of Griggs county's first settler Site of Mardell, first town in Griggs county, shows but little of the promising little town on the Sheyenne which at one time boasted of a 24 room hotel and oilier business places. The town was abandoned when railroad surveys by-passed it. Griggs County was named in honor of Captain Alexander Griggs, founder of Grand Forks, and closely identified with the earliest navigation on the Red River of the North. The county was formed from parts of Trail! and roster Counties on February 18, 1881. On June 10, (882, the governor of the Territory appointed Allen Breed, Rollin Cooper and William A. Giines commissioners for the purpose of perfecting the organization of the county. The county seat was at first located at Hope, but later moved to Cooperstown. When the county was divided, Hope automatically came within the borders of Steele County. The fight for the county seat was nothing short of sensational, being fraught with charges of armed robbery, assault, attempted kidnapping, ballot box stuffing, injunctions, court trials and numerous legal and, perhaps, illegal rnanueverings. This colorful inter-county struggle is treated in another portion of this book. Early settlements in Griggs County were located at Mardell, a once-promising town, which was the first to be platted and was located on the Sheyenne about four miles north of No. 7. What early day residents believed it would become—the Valley City of Griggs County—soon disappeared when railroad surveys failed to include it in their routes. At Mardell a hotel was constructed known by the swanky name of the Park Avenue Hotel. There was a store and also other buildings. To the north of Mardell another neighborhood grew up. H was known as Romness. John Hogenson and Peter Mathison were among the first to come in 1880. A post- office was established there in 1883 with Mathison as postmaster. Still another neighborhood group had their homesteads on the northern part of the Sheyenne Valley. This was known as the Ottowa community. Among them were N. C. Rukke, one of the first county commissioners. Their postoffice was established in 1882 with Isaac E. Mills, postmaster. West Prairie was another pioneer group which settled in Northern Griggs. Their West Prairie Church 15 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited in Multi-page TIFF Editor.
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