Benson County ND History

BENSON County, in the famous Lake Region of North Dakota was organized by proclamation of N. C. Ordway, Governor of Dakota Territory, in the year 1884, with Thomas Larison, M. D. Flint and E. L. Yager named therein as County Commissioners. On June 4th, 1884, the commissioners met at Minnewaukan, and, having qualified, appointed county officers, and established the temporary county seat at Minnewaukan. At the first election thereafter, on the 6th day of November, 1884, and after a spirited campaign, Minnewaukan was chosen as the permanent county seat over section 2 in township 154, range 67, the rival point.

In July 1885, the Jamestown and Northern branch of the Northern Pacific railroad was completed to Minnewaukan. In 1886 the Great Northern was extended across the northern end of the county. In 1889 the Jamestown and Northern was extended from Minnewaukan to a junction with the Great Northern at Leeds, and in 1901 the Jamestown and Northern railroad company completed a branch road running from Oberon to section 34, township 153, range 71, which is now the thriving Village of Esmond.

In the early history of the county the terms of the district court for the sixth subdivision of the Eighth district were held at Minnewaukan, the county seat of Benson county, which was the senior county of the subdivision composed of Benson, Eddy, "Wells, Bottineau, Rolette, Ward, McHenry and DeSmet (now Pierce) counties. At the January, 1887 term, there were 1000 persons in attendance, and the expense of the term of ten days exceeded $5000.00.

In 1889 E. S. Rolfe represented the county in the constitutional convention held at Bismarck, at which time Benson and Pierce counties became the Twentieth Legislative district.

In 1901 the Seventh legislative assembly made Benson county the Twentieth legislative district, which entitled it to one senator and three representatives.

In 1885 a census of the county showed a population of 1255 (exclusive of Indians) in 1910 the national census showed a population for the county of 12681. In the meantime the assessed valuation of property in the county has grown from about $300,000.00 in 1885 to $6,035,000.00 in 1910. At present the number of school houses in the county is one hundred and two.

The first filings on government land in the county were made in 1884, and at this writing all of the government land outside of the Indian Reservation has been taken under the various land acts of congress, and the result has been that land which a dozen years ago was considered a doubtful asset is now worth from $30.00 to $50.00 per acre, according to distance from market and amount of improvements.

The principal grain products of Benson County are wheat, oats, barley and flax, while the prairie grass furnishes abundant feed for live stock during the winter months, and pasturage during the summer. For this reason the live stock industry is an important one in the county. Of late years much attention has been given to the culture of corn and all varieties of vegetables for which the soil and climate seem to be peculiarly adapted. Fruit trees of the smaller varieties also thrive here and yield abundantly, raspberries, currants, plums and crab apples being plentiful enough in the season to supply all local demands. An important industry, -which has grown immensely of late years, is that of dairying and the county has now several creameries which produce a steady revenue for their patrons the year around.

Every year a county fair which attracts the people from adjoining counties is held at Leeds. It is one of the best attended county fairs of any held in the state and has a wide influence for good on agricultural methods in that part of North Dakota.

Benson county has no bonded indebtedness, and with an assessed valuation of nearly $6,000,000, with 20 banks having deposits in 1901 of $155,000 and in 1910 of $1,800,000, is one of the richest counties in the state. One township has a per capita wealth of $2,022.50.

Of the inhabitants of the county in 1910 about one third are Scandinavians, and the remainder, excepting a small portion of Germans, are of English speaking people.

At a special election in November, 1889, the proposition to issue bonds for the erection of a new court house was carried by a majority of 340 votes in a total of about 1000 votes. Work was commenced on the building in- June 1900, and was completed at a cost of about $40,000.00 in February, 1901. At a meeting of the county commissioners in July, 1910, the entire indebtedness of the county was paid off and a balance was left in the various funds with the county treasurer of something over $45,000.00.

There are fourteen prosperous villages located in the various parts of the county, ranking in population as follows: Minnewaukan, Leeds, Maddock, Esmond, York, Oberon, Brinsmade, Knox, Warwick, Pleasant Lake, Flora, Tokio, Hesper, Josephine.

There are about fifty grain elevators located in the various towns which have a combined storage capacity of over one million bushels.

The following statistics will show the progress made along agricultural lines in Benson county from 1908 to 1909, the figures being the latest procurable:

Product. No.	of Bushels.	No. of Bushels.
	1908.	1909.
Wheat	2,081,160	2,635,840
Oats	961,400	1,221,301
Barley	512,423	609,972
Potatoes	48,523	66,547
Millet, tons cut	2,659	5,338
Prairie hay, tons cut	31,275	39,916
Acres under cultivation,	1909	332,950
Acres under cultivation,	1910	385,818

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