Revere, North Dakota, came on the map in the spring of 1913 when the Great Northern built their railroad from Fargo to Minot, and provided each town with a depot, a loading platform and a stockyard. Revere was the only station that had its depot on the south side of the track. The first depot agent was Mr. Simkoski.
The St Anthony Company built a grain elevator with Arthur Caine from Carrington as the first manager. A little later the Minnkota Company came in with an elevator and Charles Elliott was its first manager, coming from Iowa. The Crane Johnson Lumber Company had moved in a large shed that had served them in another town, stocked it with lumber, and soon added an open shed for storage. The first man to handle this business was Nels Nelson, a single man and carpenter from Hannaford.
The Helena School district located one of its four new schools in Revere No. 3. The first teacher in the new schoolhouse in the fall of 1913 was Miss Mathilda Britton, cousin of Mrs. Asher Anderson of Hannaford. Twenty pupils, grade one to eight attended. A store with living quarters upstairs was constructed and stocked with groceries and men's work clothes. A young Minneapolis, Minnesota, man and wife came to operate this business. His name was C. W. Broom. The school children were delighted to know there would be a place to spend their pennies and nickels for candy but very disappointed on opening day to find only fancy chocolates displayed on glass trays in a glass show case and priced by the half and quarter pound. All went out with long faces and no candy. Evidently Mr. Broom was not hep to children and their pennies and nickels, but he soon learned.
A bank in Hannaford put up a small building south of the store to serve as The State Bank of Revere, and L. O. Skjelset came in April 1913 to handle the banking business. When lumberman Nelson left about 1916, Skjelset took on his job. Moved the bank equipment into the lumberyard office and held down both jobs.
Some excitement occurred in early fall about 1925 when the Skjelsets were awakened after midnight by an explosion and a dim light in the bank. Skjelset realized the bank was being robbed and spent most of the rest of the night with a rifle watching from an upstairs window. They were much relieved when he heard them leave.
The robbers had blown open the safe door but did not get into the moneybox. They came back a few weeks later and got into the small safe that was temporarily used until the bank could install a new safe. This time they got some cash.
The first men that came to Revere to manage the various business places were single men and needed a place to board as there was no place to eat in Revere. They induced the nearest farmer, a fourth of a mile north, Mr. and Mrs. Mikal Mogaard to supply them with their three daily meals.
There was no school in this immediate area the fall of 1912. Since the Crane Johnson lumberyard office in Revere was not yet in use, desks and other equipment from the old schoolhouse northeast were moved in and Miss Senora Fogderud was hired to teach for five months, January to May. There were 17 pupils.
Revere has a wide range of temperature from 100 degrees above zero in summer to 45 degrees below zero in winter but as the atmosphere is dry and the altitude high (1,459 feet) it is not unpleasant. The average rainfall is 18 inches.
Helena Post Office was the first post office established in this vicinity northwest of Sanborn and was named (Helena) after the wife of Peter Fiero. The only time the early settlers received the mail was when someone in the neighborhood went to Sanborn (37 miles SE). There was no regular mail carrier. The Helena P. O. was moved after a few years to the Richard Sellwood farm and then later moved to the Eimon ranch where it remained until 1912 when it was moved to Revere.
Among the early settlers in the Revere vicinity were J. W. Fiero, Peter Fiero, A. G. Lindsey, and J. S. Byington, all from New York State, C. H. Mosely from Michigan who came in 1882. Iver Eimon of Wisconsin arrived in 1882 also. In 1883, the new settlers that came were Hans O. Lien, Claus Jackson, Chris Jackson, Chris Sonju and August Palm. Other early settlers at Revere were Mikal Mogard, Hubbard Knapp, and W. S. Hyde.
In 1911, a bank was organized at Revere by G. C. Epler, at present a resident of Williston. The cashier was L. O. Skjelset. The McCoy Lumber Company established a lumberyard whose manager was Nels Nelson now a resident of Leeds, North Dakota C. W. Broom from Minneapolis, now a resident of Seattle, Washington, owned a general store at Revere. He was also the first postmaster. The St. Anthony elevator was erected in 1912. THOMAS KOKAL was the first blacksmith and did custom (feed) grinding. The first restaurant was operated by T. KATE in the building now used as the residence of the manager of the St. Anthony elevator. School was held in the lumber-office until 1913 when a one-room school was erected.
The first Great Northern station agent at Revere was John Jefferson of Hope, North Dakota He was killed in the World War.
Four miles west of Revere is the "ghost" town of Helena. The buildings have been removed.
Revere was a busy thriving hamlet until 1929.
At present, Revere has a general store, oil station, elevator and produce station.
Religious services are held in the schoolhouse and also in the Revere Community Hall.
The Revere Homemakers' Club was organized November 1934, with a charter membership of 15. Since 1926, the Parent Teachers' organization had been very active but in 1932 this organization merged with the Revere Homemakers Club. The club has remodeled a Township machine shed and use it as their club-house or Community Hall. The club sponsors home-talent plays, Christmas trees, annual picnics and all community celebrations. Revere is surrounded by rolling prairie and is situated near the banks of a branch of Bald Hill Creek.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 309