Township 152 North, Range 71 West
Atlas of Benson County, 1910 Plat Map
Information taken from the "Esmond Diamond Jubilee 1901-1976"
It was in the year 1896 that William A. Preuss and Rueben Heath came to this area to look for homestead land. They staked their homesteads in Section 24. Preuss too the S.E. 1/4 and Health too the S.W. 1/4. The men went back to Trail County for the winter. In 1897, they came back and built their claim shacks bringing lumber with them from Oberon, ND which was then the nearest town at that time. By this time others had staked out claims in the same general area. Some of the early settlers were Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hunter, Mr. and Mrs. David Hunter, Mr. and Mrs. Sam Griffin, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rowland, Mr. and Mrs. David Brown, Mr. and Mrs.Herma Reichet, Mr. and Mrs.Jacob Leier, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Guy Freeman, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Hetler, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Butts, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Willy, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Huyck and possibly others.
The McDonald Brothers and brother-in-law Haddow had the first steam threshing machine in Rich Valley. It was shipped to the area by rail. Minnie Simpson filed on a homestead claim on the S.E. 1/4 of Section 9 and it has been told that she taught some of the children of the early pioneers, quite possibly in her home.
By the year 1900 nearly all of the quarters of land were filed on and a school was needed. The school district was organized on April 23 1900 with thirty pupils registered for the school. It was first call Pleasant Valley School District. The name was changed to Rich Valley in 1918. Rich Valley Township was organized on November 13, 1906. The first election was held April 23, 1907. Helter, Tollerud and Preuss are the only original names still represented in the Township. Some of the other signatures were Score, Kramer, McDonald, McMillen, Butts, Hunter and Huyck.
Other early settlers were Mr. and Mrs. David Arnold, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Maddock, Mrs. and Mrs. Daniel Rogness, Felix Corkery, Herman and Gottlieb Preuss, John Worth, Mr. and Mrs. Dorph Tollerud, John Svabo, Mary Kehrer Preuss, Mr. and Mrs. O.J. Olson, Mr. and Mrs. Matt Haley, Mr. and Mrs. Pete Amunrud, Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Branum, Marie Bellerud, and Lars Berg. On the west side of the township were Olivia Arnold and Keith Miller. Early settlers in the northwest part of the township were James Stevens, Arthu Hunter the Nerson family and Paulson family.
The area on which these early pioneers settled was known as Goa but n 1906 it was named Rich Valley Township.
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Colleen Goltz
Benson County Coordinator
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