Park River, Walsh County, North Dakota

Maps

Location of Walsh County in North Dakota

Early Walsh County Map

Park River Street Map

Note: Code and Wadge Avenues

SOURCE

WALSH COUNTY ORGANIZED

In 1862 Walsh County was included in a region known as Kittson County, and in 1867 was included in Pembina County, which then extended from the Red River west, taking in Cavalier County, and south to the Sheyenne. Voting precincts were established at Park River, now in Walsh, Stump Lake, now in Nelson, Dead Island, now in Cavalier, and Sheyenne, now in Cass, the latter taking in most of Walsh, Grand Forks, Traill and Richland counties. The voting place was near Georgetown, then a Hudson's Bay post.

In 1871 the Grand Forks Precinct was established, taking in Grand Forks, and part of Walsh and Traill counties, and west to the Pembina Mountains. The voting place was at the house of James Stuart at Grand Forks. Thomas Walsh, S. C. Code and John Fadden were appointed judges of election. The northern limits of the precinct were Park River, the Goose River formed the southern boundary and the crest of the Pembina Mountains the western boundary.

In 1873 Grand Forks and Cass counties were created from a part of Pembina, and in 1881 Walsh from parts of Grand Forks and Pembina, and was organized August 30,1881, Governor Ordway having appointed George P. Harvey, William Code and Benjamin C. Askelson county commissioners. They appointed Jacob Reinhardt, sheriff; E. O. Faulkner, judge of probate; K. O. Skatteboe, treasurer; Eugene Kane, surveyor; Dr. N. H. Hamilton, coroner; Dr. R. M. Evans, superintendent of schools; John Harris, Charles Finkle, J. A. Delaney and William Richie, justices of the peace. John Ross, Thomas Trainor, G. W. Gilbert and Whitefield Durham, constables. P. J. McLaughlin was later appointed state's attorney and John N. Nelson assessor. The judge appointed W. A. Cleland clerk of the court, and under a special act of the Legislature Edwin O. Faulkner became the first county auditor.

PARK RIVER

Park River was a wheat field in 1884 and the wheat was removed to make way for the townsite and was first known as Kensington. The first settler in the vicinity of Park River for agricultural purposes was Charles G. Oaks, an old Hudson's Bay Company employee, who settled at what was afterward known as Kensington in November 1878, and those who came later constituted what became known as the Scotch settlement The next and now the recognized oldest settler, was Charles F. Ames, who settled January 16, 1879. Among the other names recalled by the old settlers were William and Alex Bruce, James Smith, George Brown, James Maloney, Ed Carman and George Kennedy. Hans Robertson was the first in the Norwegian neighborhood and dates his settlement also from January 1879. There were no settlers west of him at that time and few indeed between what is now Park River and Grand Forks. Accompanying Hans Robertson were Andrew Y. Anderson, Thomas Thompson, Iver Iverson and Knud K. Halstad and Peter Sager. The Kensington settlers came from Canada: the Scandinavians from Iowa, stopping first, however, in Traill County.

In 1879 Charles H. Honey and John Wadge, brothers-in-law, came from their Canadian home in Kensington, where they selected land. Wadge remained and Honey came on the next season, followed by other relatives and friends. Other settlers in 1879 were Thomas Wadge, George Nicklin, William, Edward and Benjamin Code, William Craig, E, O. Faulkner, John and Fred Robb, Peter Campbell, Alexander Smith, William Davis, R. B. Hunt, William Burbridge and John Baird.

Code and Wadge Properties

1983 Map - Along road east of Park River: Ed Code, Benjamin Code, Margaret Code, Mary Wadge, John Wadge, Mary Wadge - additional Code properties south of the road (see also below).