Morgan T. Rich, for whom Richland County was named, made the first settlement at Wahpeton July 22, 1869. Mr. Rich visited the Red River Valley in 1864, when he crossed over the plains from Fort Ridgeley, Minn., to Helena, Mont., as one of a party having 122 wagons going to the mines. They were escorted to the Missouri River by Minnesota troops, and from Fort Rice, on the Missouri River, to Glendive, Mont., by General Sully, whose command numbered about four thousand cavalry and mounted infantry, and he had a train of two hundred or more wagons of his own. Anson Northrup was his wagon master.
Arriving at Glendive, Rich's party crossed the Yellowstone, intending to go over the mountains directly from that point, but were turned back by Indian alarms, and went down the Yellowstone to old Fort Union, and from thence without escort on to Helena, on the north side of the Missouri, via Forts Peck and Benton, and Great Falls.
Captain Rich remained in Montana till 1868, when he returned to his old home at Red Wing, and in 1869 came to the Red River Valley and located at Wahpeton, as stated. The St. Paul & Pacific Railroad had then been extended as far west as Smith Lake, in Wright County, Minn., and was pushing on toward the Red River.
Rich remained alone at Wahpeton until May, 1871, entertaining an occasional immigrant en route down the valley. His garden was known as a model, and Mr. Rich as a successful farmer in a small way. He secured a ferry charter from the commissioners of Pembina County, and by the time immigration commenced in 1871 was ready to transfer the wanderers across the Bois des Sioux, near its confluence with the Ottertail. These streams united from the Red River. Mr. Rich operated the ferry until 1876, when a bridge was built by subscription.
In May, 1871, Mr. Rich was joined by Alvah Chezik, Matt Lawrence and Simon Woodsum, young men without families. In July, a party of forty or more settlers, en route from Yankton to the Goose River country, camped at Richville, as the place of the ferry was then called. Two of these, viz.: William Root and William Cooper, returned in a day or two, Root having purchased at McCauley- ville a claim adjoining that of Rich, on which Mr. Trott had made improvements. Rich's claim became the original plat of Wahpeton and Root's an addition. Cooper was accidentally killed while hunting. Root is still in Richland County.
Folsom Dow, J. W. Blanding, and J. Q. Burbank were the first settlers after Captain Rich, and Folsom Dow was appointed the first postmaster at Richville, as Wahpeton was at first called. It appears on the first records as Chahinkapa, signifying the end of the woods, but the name was not acceptable, and never came into general use. Valley City was then known as Wahpeton, but before its post- office was established Richville postoffice was changed to Wahpeton, taking its name from the Indian tribe of the vicinity.
In 1872, Samuel and Benjamin Taylor settled at Wahpeton and opened up farms, Samuel having a farm of 640 acres and Benjamin 960. Root had broken forty acres the season before and there was a farm of forty acres or more in connection with the military post at Fort Abercrombie. The Formanecks, father and sons, and other families related to Chezik, had come in from Wisconsin.
Major M. H. Bovee, of national reputation, from having given the republican party its name on its organization in 1856, came with D. Wilmot Smith, and Ransom Phelps and M. P. Propper were among the early settlers. Mr. Bovee moved to Morton County.
Richland County was organized in 1873. J. W. Blanding, D. Wilmot Smith and M. T. Rich were the first county commissioners. Hugh R. Blanding was clerk and register of deeds, William Root, sheriff and assessor, Ransom Phelps, judge of Probate, Emma A. Blanding, superintendent of public instruction, John Q. Burbank, treasurer and county surveyor, Albert Chezik, constable, George B. Spink and Washington Howe, justices of the peace. Frank Herrick was overseer of Road District No. I, L. J. Moore of District No. 2, and David Lubenow of District No. 3. The county seat was located at Wahpeton, then called Chahinkapa.
In connection with his ferry, M. T. Rich laid out the townsite of Wahpeton. Next to his house, the first building erected was a store by Jacob Mourin, who was killed by lightning while washing windows, within a month from the time he opened up for business. John Kotscheaver succeeded him and remained in trade till 1885, when he was succeeded by his brother, Jacob. M. T. Rich and John Q. Burbank erected a building 16 x 22, which was used for county purposes after the organization of the county.
Miss Mary Keating, afterwards Mrs. Shea, taught the first school at Wahpeton, and Miss Sarah Rich, the second.
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