Barnes County was originally part of that vast empire obtained from France known as the "Louisiana Purchase." As the American Civilization moved westward, territories were created by Congress, and from those territories states were created. What is now known as Barnes County remained Indian Country until March of 1861 when Congress authorized the organization of "Dakota Territory," which included what is now North and South Dakota.
Dakota Territory was organized and the President appointed a governor and other officials, including judges, to govern this vast, largely unsettled area.
Under General Grant's administration, as President he appointed John A. Burbank the Governor of Dakota Territory. A political appointee, Governor Burbank schemed to enlarge his fortune in the Dakotas.
A number of new counties were laid out in the northern portion of Dakota Territory by Governor Burbank and he named one such county ''Burbank County." There were no settlers and no organization in the county.
Engaged in a nefarious plan to build a railroad into what is South Dakota, financed by Government or county money, Governor Burbank sought the approval of Judge Alphonso Barnes, Judge of the First Judicial District of Dakota Territory. Judge Barnes refused his approval of the scheme, despite a threat by the Governor to move him to Pembina, then a very undesirable place, where he would be Judge of the Second Judicial District.
Judge Barnes not only reported the actions of Governor Burbank to Washington, but traveled there to personally lay the facts before the President. Governor Burbank was forced to resign and the Dakota Territory Legislature, on July 14, 1874, renamed Burbank County "Barnes County" in honor of the incorruptible Judge Barnes.
The Northern Pacific Railroad had reached the Sheyenne River and crossed it on September 15, 1872. Donald P. McFadgen, who had preceded the track crew to the crossing several months before, and had built a log cabin where the Mercy Hospital now stands, filed the first claim to Barnes County land at Pembina in October of 1873. John Morrison, who also had a small trading post where the Valley City Tourist Park is located, filed a claim at Pembina at the same time. The county had been surveyed in 1872 and the survey filed in September of 1873.
Settlement was slow in 1872 and 1873. The river crossing was first known as "Second Crossing of the Sheyenne" and a few weeks later as '"Fifth Siding" and then "Wahpeton." On July 24, 1874, the name was changed to "Worthington" after a railroad land promoter sent to the spot to promote the sale of city lots and railroad land throughout the county. Since there was already a "Worthington" in Minnesota, the Post Office Department requested that the name be further changed. At a meeting of the people of the village, all 32 of them, the name "Valley City" was approved, as suggested by Joel Weiser, the first merchant. It was approved on May 10, 1878.
Initial settlement of the county was largely confined to the Sheyenne River Valley, mostly in the area adjacent to Valley City with the most remote settler about 14 miles south. By far the greater percentage of the settlers were of Irish, Scotch or English extraction. Many were former residents of Canada.
Of the more important of these settlers was Hiram Walker, a flour miller by vocation. The establishment of Walker and his sons of several flour and grist mills on the Sheyenne River contributed greatly to the economic well-being of the county.
One of the earliest settlers, coming in 1874, was Colonel L. D. Marsh. A Civil War veteran, Colonel Marsh built an important mill on the river and was elected the first Register of Deeds.
The Northern Pacific Railroad reached Bismarck in 1873 and found itself in dire financial straits. Casting about for additional funds, the directors decided upon two courses of action. The first was to urge bond-holders to exchange their bonds for railroad land, thus opening up large areas for bonanza farming. The second was to launch a far-reaching and intensive campaign in Europe to bring emigrants to Dakota to take advantage of the millions of acres of land opened to homesteading. Nearly a thousand agents were sent to Europe to proclaim the plan that the railroad set up. Thus, with settlement, the wants and needs of these settlers would create the necessary funding for carrying on the building of the road farther west.
The more immediate result of these actions was the creation of the famed "bonanza farms," Located mostly in the Red River Valley. These farms, thousands of acres in size, required hundreds of men and women to carry on the operations. The small settler with limited funds and finding it hard to make ends meet could find a job working during the planting season and the harvesting season and add to the meager income from his farm in the early stages of homesteading.
With the influx of settlers into the county, ever farther from Valley City, Oriska and Sanborn, it became increasingly difficult to travel to these centers for mail and supplies. Inland post offices, usually located in farm homes and served by star route carriers, began to spring up. In some cases, a small store and perhaps a blacksmith shop, as in the case of "Daily," came into being to serve the people of that community.
The addition of a rural school building might also make the center a place where religious services might be held by "circuit riding" pastors, and dances or parties held.
Realizing the need for an education for their children, the settlers submitted petitions for the organization of school districts rather early in the settlement period. Daily was the first in March of 1879, followed by Valley City in July of 1879.
The Fargo Argus, a newspaper, made fun of Barnes County for having not made a school tax levy, and was told that when the tax levy was approved by the county commissioners for 1879, there were no schools in Barnes County. There were 101 school districts organized in Barnes County over the years.
Petitions for road and bridge building began in 1880. Gragreen, a small community in Green Township, built its own road to Valley City, such as it was. With at first few settlers in the county, the county commissioners were hard put to finance the road and bridge building requests of its citizens. In fact, by 1883 the county found it necessary to issue bonds to refinance the county debt and to build a much needed courthouse. This situation was further complicated by the embezzlement of the bond funds of some $40,000 by the then County Treasurer, A. M. Pease. His bonds had been signed by a group of local citizens, who had to make good the loss. Pease was never apprehended, although the Sheriff, Donald D. McFadgen, followed him for several weeks before losing the trail.
Politics was a major concern of the early settlers of the county, since many were from the eastern states and were greatly interested or involved. The settlers from the old country at first were more concerned with making a living under extreme hardships but quickly found politics an exciting experience.
Predominantly Republican, local politics often became super-heated, resulting in rump conventions, fist fights and canings. Newspapers of the times spared no words in describing those candidates of which they disapproved, which led to trials for libel and defamation of character. Polling places were often wild scenes
since there were no laws governing the presence of liquor at polling places. In fact, candidates often furnished the jug. The buying and selling of votes was not unheard of nor was the practice of stuffing the ballot box something strange. Voting at several polling places also took place, especially during the very early days.
As sentiment for the division of Dakota Territory into two states gained favor, politics on a higher level became the main interest and all of the towns in Barnes County on the railroad; Oriska, Valley City, Eckelson and Sanborn, all had hopes that the new Capital might be located in their particular town. The raising of $100,000 and the donation of land for the Capital effectively excluded all but
Valley City, who put in their bid. However, the train bearing the committee to select the Capital stopped only twenty minutes in a pouring rain in Valley City, and there went their hopes.
The advent of statehood in 1889 had its effect on Barnes County in several ways; the most important being the location of a State Normal School here. Originally, the county was to have the agricultural college, but politics and Cass County changed that. To keep peace, Barnes County was allocated a Normal School. A fight ensued over the location of the school, either on the north side or the south side of Valley City. A commission was appointed by Governor Burke and a tie vote was broken by (Sir) Thomas Elliott, the founder of the village of Elliott, in Ransom County.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 6