George W. Cole was born November 19, 1853 in New York State. As he attained manhood, he moved to Michigan to care for an aged aunt and uncle. Here he heard stories of the frontier in Dakota, so, with a few friends, he came to Tower City about 1881.

He became infatuated with the prairie, so different from New York State. He homesteaded in Section 14, Ellsbury Township, hauling lumber twenty-two miles to build his buildings. In 1882 the railroad was extended to Hope, and Colgate became the nearest village and post office. A carpenter, he helped L. B. Hanna (later Governor Hanna) build the first buildings in Hope.

George Cole served as clerk of the school board and as a road supervisor. He was a teacher in the Ellsbury School.

An astute observer, his descriptions of the life and times, especially relating to the early settlement of Ellsbury Township, are very enlightening. As an example, his observations of harvest season, "It seemed so strange to see the steam threshers, a-puffing and whistling in every direction, and see the great stacks and shocks of grain every way you look for miles and miles. When I think that only a few months ago there was not a living soul nor sign of habitation, it is almost incomprehensible, even to a person that has been in the midst of it and watched the magic progress."

George Cole took a great interest in schools and township government, serving as a road supervisor and not only on the school board as a clerk but as a school teacher as well.

Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 48