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This website, North Dakota Place Names by Douglas Wick, is a fantastic source for studying North Dakota history. Included is a brief indication of the nature of each settlement in Traill County [it chronicles 67 settlements which are listed below]. A large percentage are rural post offices; a few had their own buildings, many were housed in country stores, most were located in the home of the postmasters, but a precious few continued to thrive and grow. Those below with the blue link lettering have descriptions which go beyond the North Dakota Place Names book. The index Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns links to contemporary pictures of these Traill County Towns: Alton, Arnold, Blanchard, Caledonia, Clifford, Comstock, Duane, Greenfield, Hague, Kelso, Midway, Murray, Portland Junction, Rosville, and Taft. Alhalstead - This was a rural post office established February 3, 1892 with James H. McVeety as Postmaster. It was located in the southwest quarter of section 27-146-52, Mayville Township five miles southeast of Mayville on the Great Northern Railroad branch line. The name is credited to site owner Andreas C. Ulland (1849-1907), a Norwegian who came here in 1873, although its meaning is unknown. Frank A. West became Postmaster December 7, 1892, and on December 23, 1897 received the authorization to change the name to MURRAY. Mr. Ulland became Postmaster on February 16, 1898, but the facility closed April 14, 1898 with mail to Blanchard. The name change to MURRAY was rescinded for official purposes on April 25, 1898, and it believed that that name was never actually used by the post office, although the station adopted this name and used it until abandonment about 1940. Alton (Alton Landing, Alton Siding, Dalry, Dalry Siding) - This was a Great Northern Railroad spur and loading station built in the southwest quarter of section 21-145-50, Hillsboro Township three miles south-southeast of Hillsboro, and one-half mile north of Alton Junction. It was founded in the 1890s to serve the Alton Farm, a 2,000 acre operation named for Alton R. Dalrymple, the only son of legendary bonanza farmer Clark C. Dalrymple. Sometimes shown on maps as Alton Siding, it was served by the Kelso post office. About 1905-1915, it was shown on maps as DALRY, or Dalry Siding, quite obviously coined from the Dalrymple family name. ALTON is still shown on some detailed county maps. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Alton Junction - This is a point in the northwest quarter of section 28-145-50, Hillsboro Township about one-half mile south of Alton, and two miles north of Kelso, where the Great Northern Railroad branches off to Halstad, Minnesota. Today it is approximately the intersection of US Highway 81 and North Dakota Highway 200. Ames - This was a Great Northern Railroad loading station in the southeast quarter of section 13-147-53, Viking Township three miles north-northwest of Mayville, and one mile south-southeast of Portland Junction. It appears on maps circa 1915-1920, and was named for Francis Wilbur Ames (1851-1926), a native of Connecticut [sic - actually native of Maine] who was one of the county's first lawyers. He came to Caledonia in 1881, moved to Mayville in 1886, and was involved in banking and politics. Arnold's Post - This was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post established in 1871 in Section 31-147-52, Lindaas Township by Alvin Lewis Arnold (1833-1891). The site is just west of Mayville, and is considered to be the beginning of settlement in the Mayville-Portland area. The Arnold family played a major role in the founding of both cities. This site was later known as MAY, for Mr. Arnold's daughter. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Belmont Also Bellmont - This settlement was founded in 1871 as FROG POINT, and from 1879 to 1909 a post office called BELLMONT operated here as a small village developed. During its existence and afterwards, the name has usually been spelled as BELMONT, said to have been the intended spelling suggested by the Ray family, and taken from Belmont, Ontario, Canada. The name is French for beautiful mountain, certainly not descriptive of its location in the Red River valley. Blanchard - This Great Northern Railroad townsite was founded in 1880 in the east half of section 25-145-52, Blanchard Township and named for S. S. Blanchard, an area bonanza farmer originally from Boston, Massachusetts, and a brother-in-law of J. L. Grandin, the king of the bonanza farmers. The post office was established November 29, 1880 with Douglas Robertson as Postmaster. The elevation is 932, the Zip Code is 58009, and a population of 100 has been reported at various times since 1890, although the current population is under 50. Since January 2, 1976 the post office has been operated as a Community Post Office affiliated with Hillsboro. In the 1960s BLANCHARD billed itself as the city with the world's tallest manmade structure, the 2063 foot KTHI-TV tower just southwest of town. Pictures are at Ghost Towns of North Dakota and see "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Bloomfield - This was a rural post office in the northeast quarter of section 33-146-51, Norway Township five miles west-northwest of Hillsboro. It was established in 1877 as STONY POINT, but on March 24, 1879 as Postmaster Rev. Jonas Ostlund changed the name to BLOOMFIELD to note the wild flowers that bloomed here each summer. The post office closed July 10, 1882 with mail to Hillsboro. Brown's Landing - An 1890 guide to North Dakota lists this place as being in Traill County, and served by the Fargo post office. No other information is available, although it is thought that it was an early Red River boat landing. Buxton - See Buxton Page Caledonia - This settlement was founded in 1875 in the southeast quarter of section 15-146-49, Caledonia Township absorbing the adjacent pioneer community of GOOSE RIVER. The post office opened as CALEDONIA on August 19, 1875 with Asa Sargeant (1844-1935) as Postmaster. He came here in 1870 from Vermont, and was a county official and state legislator. Caledonia is the ancient name for Scotland, and was Mr. Sargeant's home county in Vermont. Joseph P., Chester M. and Oliver P. Clark, cousins of Mr. Sargeant, were pioneer merchants here. CALEDONIA became the county seat by default in 1875 when it absorbed GOOSE RIVER, but lost that honor to Hillsboro in 1890, having survived several previous challenges. The population had been as high as 1,000 in 1890, but has been in the 150 range for most of this century. The Zip Code is 58219. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Carlton - This was a Great Northern Railroad station in the southeast quarter of section 18-146-50, Eldorado Township between Hillsboro and Cummings. It is mentioned in a state guide of 1890 as GUNDIN FARM, and appears as CLARKE on a 1904 map. It has been suggested that the name honors Hopewell Clarke of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who led an expedition in October 1886 to confirm that Lake Itasca was the true source of the Mississippi River. Starting about 1910 the site is shown on maps as TAFT. Clarke - This was a Great Northern Railroad station in the southeast quarter of section 18-146-50, Eldorado Township between Hillsboro and Cummings. It is mentioned in a state guide of 1890 as GUNDIN FARM, and appears as CLARKE on a 1904 map. It has been suggested that the name honors Hopewell Clarke of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who led an expedition in October 1886 to confirm that Lake Itasca was the true source of the Mississippi River. Starting about 1910 the site is shown on maps as TAFT. Clifford - This Great Northern Railroad townsite was founded in 1881 in the northwest quarter of section 27 & northeast quarter of section 28-145-53, Norman Township and named for Clifford F. Jacobs of Hillsboro, a promoter of the townsite. Others say it was named for a pioneer settler in the area. Clifford is an Old English name meaning dweller at the ford near the cliff. The post office was established February 15, 1883 with George A. Swaren as Postmaster, and he was replaced the following year by his brother, Andrew A. Swaren (1856-1937). The elevation is 1061, the Zip Code is 58016, and a peak population of 175 was reached in 1940. Anton T. Kraabel (1862-1934) - Burial, - Biography, a prominent businessman, was Lt. Governor of North Dakota 1917-1918. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Comstock - Settlers first came into this area in the late 1870s, and in 1880 a small settlement began in the northeast quarter of section 5-145-50, Hillsboro Township. Asa W. Morgan, a native of Maine and a resident of Caledonia, established the post office here September 14, 1880, which he named for Solomon Gilman Comstock, also a native of Maine, who was a lawyer and politician from Moorhead, Minnesota. The site was platted in September 1880 as HILL CITY, but it was discovered that a place of that name already existed in the Black Hills, so the post office and the town were renamed HILLSBORO on August 12, 1881. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Cumings and Cummings - See Cummings Page Dalry - See Alton and Alton Landing. - This name appears on several maps circa 1905-1915 at the exact site of ALTON, a Great Northern Railroad spur and loading station in the southwest quarter of section 21-145-50, Hillsboro Township three miles south-southwest of Hillsboro. The more commonly used name, ALTON, honored Alton R. Dalrymple, and it is assumed that DALRY was simply a shortened version of his family name. One map shows the site as Dalry Siding. Duane - This was a farm post office established September 10, 1894 with Theodora Miller Hurley as Postmaster, who had married Harry Duane Hurley (1853-1942) in 1893. It was located in the northeast quarter of section 19-145-49, Caledonia Township seven miles east of Hillsboro on the 2,200 acre farm run by Mr. Hurley, who later served two terms as a state legislator. The post office closed January 30, 1904 with mail to Hillsboro. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Elm River - See Elm River Station and Quincy. - This was the post office established March 18, 1874 to serve the stage station in the northeast quarter of section 26-144-49, Elm River Township known as ELM RIVER STATION. Fred Freebel was the first Postmaster, and he chose to drop the "Station" from the post office's name, and simply note its location on the Elm River at its confluence with the Red River in the extreme southeast corner of the county. A settlement began to develop, and on February 16, 1880 the name was changed to QUINCY. Elm River Station - See Elm River and Quincy - This was a stage station at the confluence of the Elm and Red Rivers in the northeast quarter of section 26-144-49, Elm River Township in the extreme southeast corner of the county. It was run by George H. F. "Dutch Ferdinand" Johnson (1843-1912), who settled here in 1874. "H. F." stood for Henry Ford, although Mr. Johnson was born twenty years before the famous automobile manufacturer. This site was once thought to have been the Northern Pacific Railroad crossing point into Dakota Territory, but it actually happened several miles to the south at Fargo. A post office called ELM POINT [ Editor note: Believe writer meant for POINT to be RIVER. Elm Point is in McLean County ] operated here 1874-1880, taking the name QUINCY in that year. Enger - This was a post office established July 15, 1910 with Mrs. Bella Halland as Postmaster. It was located at the Great Northern Railroad station known as PORTLAND JUNCTION in the southeast quarter of section 11-147-53, Viking Township five miles northwest of Mayville, and was named for Fingal G. Enger (1846-1913), who came here in 1872 and ran a 20,000 acre bonanza farm, later serving four terms in the state senate. Others say it was named for Carl F. Enger, a local farmer. The post office closed December 15, 1912 with mail to Mayville. Eyresville - This was a rural post office established November 8, 1880 with Joseph G. Eyres as Postmaster. It was located in Section 24-144-52, Greenfield Township five miles south of Blanchard, and closed March 2, 1881 with mail to Casselton. It reopened April 11, 1881 with Mr. Eyres again serving as Postmaster, but closed for good February 7, 1882 with mail again to Casselton. The EYRESVILLE community survived into the 1890's, and was served by the Kelso post office. Eyersville is an erroneous spelling. Fork - This was a farm post office established December 2, 1879 with Even Larson as Postmaster at his home in Section 12-146-52, Mayville Township seventeen miles east-northeast of Finley. It was located at the fork of the Goose River and its north branch, hence the name, and closed March 16, 1881 with mail to Mayville. Frog Point - Became Belmont. This settlement was founded in 1871 in the northeast quarter of section 22-148-49, Belmont Township as a Red River port and the site of a Hudson's Bay Company trading post. The county's namesake, Walter J. S. Traill, was in charge of the trading post, and when a post office was established March 6, 1872, Mr. Traill was appointed as Postmaster. Folklore says the name can be traced to 1860, when Samuel Painter was leading a group of 300 soldiers through the area. The party encountered frogs so thick at this point that they could not avoid stepping on them as they watered their horses. Mr. Painter erected a wooden sign with "Frog Point" painted on it, and this sign was found by the first settlers in 1871. The town declined in 1875 when it lost the county seat battle to Caledonia, and the post office closed June 21, 1875. It reopened June 4, 1877 with David Ray as Postmaster, and on August 20, 1879 changed its name to BELLMONT. Galesburg - See Galesburg Page. Goosenland - This was a rural community founded in 1871 by a colony of mostly Norwegian settlers. Rev. Jonas Ostlund, a Swede, led the group and settled in the northeast quarter of section 33-146-51. Among the others were Olaf Varnson, who settled in the southeast quarter of section 34-146-51, Anders Johnson, who settled in the southeast quarter of section 36-146-51, Ole Hovde, and Lars Hovde. They named their new home with a coined word noting the nearby Goose River. It was later renamed NORWAY for its township, and when Rev. Ostlund started a post office in 1877, he called it STONY POINT, and later BLOOMFIELD. Goose Rapids - Some accounts refer to the pioneer settlement of GOOSE RIVER as GOOSE RAPIDS, said to note the rapids of the Goose River as it flows into the Red River. It appears that Asa Sargeant, who became Postmaster in 1872, did in fact try to change the name, but government records indicate that the official name was always GOOSE RIVER. Goose River - This was the first settlement in Traill County, founded in 1870 in the northwest quarter of section 14-146-49, Caledonia Township by Asa Sargeant and Chester M. Clark. George E. Weston (1832-1903) ran the Hudson's Bay Company post here, and became the Postmaster when the post office was established November 2, 1871. The settlement's name noted its location near the mouth of the Goose River, named Aux Outardes by early French explorers to note the flocks of geese that fed and nested here. When Traill County organized February 23, 1875, GOOSE RIVER was chosen as the county seat, with Mr. Clark as Sheriff, and Mr. Weston as Register of Deeds, but on August 19, 1875 the court house and post office were relocated one mile southwest to the new townsite of CALEDONIA, and GOOSE RIVER soon became a ghost town. Grandin (Cass County Border Town). Grandin - See Grandin Page. Grant River - An 1890 guide to North Dakota lists this place as being in Traill County. No other information known. Greenfield - This was a Great Northern Railroad station built in 1881 in the west half of section 24 & the east half of section 23-144-52, Greenfield Township six miles south of Blanchard. It was named for its township, which seems to have been given a name descriptive of the locale. A post office called WEIBLE operated at the site 1883-1909. A population of 10 was reported in 1930, and a count of 4 was made in 1940. The site is still shown on detailed county maps. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Green River - An 1890 guide to North Dakota lists this place as being in Traill County. No other information known. Gundin Farm - This was a Great Northern Railroad station in the southeast quarter of section 18-146-50, Eldorado Township between Hillsboro and Cummings. It appears in a state guide published by Rand, McNally & Co. in 1890, with the notation that it was served by the Fargo post office. An 1892 county atlas shows the siding, but it is unnamed. It is thought that the 1890 guide's name was in error, and was referring to the Grandin interests, which spread across Cass and Traill Counties at the time. A 1904 map shows the site as CLARKE, and beginning about 1910 the name is given as TAFT, which grew into a small settlement on US Highway 81. Hague - A map published approximately 1905 shows the Hague post office as well as this place, a station on a railroad spur east of Alton Junction. The site, northeast quarter of section 17-144-49, Elm River Township near the confluence of the Elm River and its north branch, never saw any development, and this place must be considered either a cartographer's error, or an anticipated development that failed to materialize. Hague Rural Post Office - This was a rural post office established March 31, 1882 with John A. Hague as Postmaster. He was also the manager 1876-1883 of the Grandin Brothers Bonanza Farm, which at 40,000 acres was the largest wheat farm in the world. The post office existed primarily to serve this farming enterprise, and was located in the northwest quarter of section 25-145-49, Herberg Township seven miles south of Caledonia. It closed December 31, 1900 with mail to Halstad, Minnesota. Hartsland - This was a farm post office established May 20, 1879 with Ole N. Sunby as Postmaster. It was located in the southwest quarter of section 14-146-52, Mayville Township four miles southeast of Mayville, and closed April 5, 1880 with mail to Bloomfield. The origin of the name is unknown. Hatton - See Hatton Page Hill City - This settlement in the northwest quarter of section 5-145-50, Hillsboro Township was founded as COMSTOCK, but when it was platted in September 1880, the same month that the Great Northern Railroad arrived at the site, it was renamed HILL CITY to honor Great Northern Railroad President James J. Hill, "The Empire Builder. Others insist that it was named to note its location on a hill. Because a Hill City already existed in the Black Hills, the name was changed to HILLSBORO on August 12, 1881. Hillsboro - See Hillsboro Page Junction - This is the junction of the Great Northern Railroad lines running through Mayville and Portland. Located in the southeast quarter of section 11-147-53, Viking Township four miles north of Portland, this name appears on maps of the 1890's, and was later renamed PORTLAND JUNCTION. Kelso - This Great Northern Railroad station was founded in 1880 in the northeast quarter of section 5-144-50, Kelso Township and named SAFFORD. On February 1, 1882 Postmaster Augustus L. Wentworth, who came here from Maine in 1879, changed the name to KELSO for its township, which was named for Kelso, Missouri, which was named for Kelso, Scotland, a city on the Tweed River. Some say it was named for a Great Northern Railroad official. The site never experienced a boom, with a peak population of just 50 in 1890. The post office closed October 6, 1967 with mail to Hillsboro. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Little Chicago - This was a speculative pioneer settlement founded in 1879 just south of present-day Mayville in anticipation of the Great Northern Railroad. Albert F. Anderson, who settled in the southwest quarter of section 18-146-52, Mayville Township in 1878, operated a business called The Chicago Store, and the town took its name from this venture. The exact location of LITTLE CHICAGO is the subject of debate, with some sources placing it in Section 8-146-52, one mile northeast of the Anderson land. When Mayville was founded in 1881, LITTLE CHICAGO soon disappeared. May - This was a pioneer settlement developed around the Hudson's Bay Company trading post called ARNOLD'S POST. It was started by Alvin L. Arnold in 1871 in Section 31-147-52, Lindaas Township just west of present-day Mayville, and named for Mr. Arnold's daughter, May, who is said to have been the first white child born in the area. Mayville - See Mayville Page. Midway - A map in the 1881 annual report of the Northern Pacific Railroad shows a station called MIDWAY, approximately midway between Mayville and Blanchard, both of which were themselves quite newly-settled townsites at the time. The actual midway point between these two townsites would be in the southern part of Mayville Township (146-52), near what would become Murray. MIDWAY, as conceived in 1881, failed to develop.See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Murray - This name was approved, for unknown reasons, as a name change for the ALHALSTEAD post office and Great Northern Railroad station in the southwest quarter of section 27-146-52, Mayville Township five miles southeast of Mayville, on December 23, 1897. The post office closed April 14, 1898, and the name change was rescinded for official purposes only on April 25, 1898. It is believed that the new name was never used by the post office. The Great Northern Railroad, however, did adopt the name MURRAY as its station name, and the site, consisting of two grain elevators, lasted until about 1940, reporting a population of 10 in 1920.See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Norway - This was a rural settlement founded in 1871 as GOOSENLAND. It later was centered at the John Anderson farm in the southeast quarter of section 27-146-51, three miles northwest of Hillsboro, and was named NORWAY for its township, which was named for the homeland of most area settlers. A post office was established in the area in 1877, but it was first called STONY POINT, and later BLOOMFIELD. Old Mayville - See Mayville Page. Pokerville - This was a highly unofficial, but frequently used name for the south part of early MAYVILLE located in the northwest quarter of section 5-146-52, Mayville Township. The Grandin family, who had owned the northern part of the townsite, did not like saloons and related facilities on their land, so all such enterprises were located in the southern part of town. Locals coined this name for that area, based on the name of the popular card game played in the saloons. Portland - See Portland Page Portland Junction - This is the name of the junction of Great Northern Railroad lines through Portland and Mayville in the southeast quarter of section 11-147-53, Viking Township about four miles north of Portland. A townsite was platted, and an elevator and potato warehouse were built, but little development took place beyond that. The ENGER post office operated here 1910-1912. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Preston - This was a Great Northern Railroad loading station in Section 12-144-52, Greenfield Township about three miles south of Blanchard. The name came from Brown Brothers & Preston, the realtors who owned the site. A projected village here never developed. The only population report was a count of just 2 in 1930. Quincy - See Elm River and Elm River Station - This village developed at the site of the ELM RIVER STATION and post office in the center of Section 26-144-49, Elm River Township in the extreme southeast corner of the county. The post office changed its name from ELM RIVER to QUINCY on February 16, 1880 with George H. F. Johnson as Postmaster, and it is apparent from the postmark used at this time that there was some confusion as to which county it was in. The new name came from Quincy, Illinois, which was named for President John Quincy Adams (1767-1848). Quincy is an Old French/Latin name meaning from the place owned by the fifth son. At first the village thrived, having an estimated population of 200 in 1883, but when it was bypassed by the Great Northern Railroad it began to decline, reporting a population of just 30 in 1890. The post office closed July 15, 1896 with mail to Hendrum, Minnesota. The hotel was torn down in 1920, the church was moved away in 1949, and only a cemetery marks this historic site today. Reynolds - See Reynolds Page Roseville - This was a Great Northern Railroad station five miles south of Portland in the southeast quarter of section 22-146-53, Roseville Township. It was named for its township, which was named by Christian Monson in 1880 to note the many wild prairie roses in bloom at the time. No settlement occurred at the site. Picture at Ghost Towns of North Dakota. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Safford - This Great Northern Railroad station was founded in 1880 in the northeast quarter of section 5-144-50, Kelso Township and named for Larkin S. Safford, who came here in 1875 from Maine and farmed 1,400 acres with his brother-in-law, Augustus L. Wentworth. The post office was established January 3, 1881 with Mr. Wentworth as Postmaster, whose suggested name of Ludlow was rejected by postal officials, and the townsite was platted later that year by A. A. White. On February 1, 1882 the name was changed to KELSO. Scow - This pioneer post office was established October 6, 1879 with Ole G. Hangen as Postmaster, and closed September 14, 1880 with mail to Trysil. The location is unknown, although most references point towards Traill County as the site. It is said to have been named for the Schow family with a modification of the spelling. The Schows came to America in 1867 from Norway, and were among the first pioneers in the Red River valley in 1870. A grandson, Martin Schow (1892-1977), moved to Regent in 1911 where he was a prominent resident for many years. Stony Point - This was a rural post office established June 20, 1877 with Rev. Jonas Ostlund, a Methodist minister, as Postmaster. It was located in the northeast quarter of section 33-146-51, Norway Township five miles west-northwest of Hillsboro, and named for the nearby prairie landmark, a huge boulder twenty feet in diameter at the edge of ancient Lake Agassiz. Local legends say it dropped from the sky. Rev. Ostlund (1827-1914) came to Chicago, Illinois in 1855 from Sweden, moved to Dakota Territory in the 1860's, and was one of the first county commissioners of Traill County. On March 24, 1879 the name of the post office was changed to BLOOMFIELD. Taft - This is a Great Northern Railroad station in the southwest quarter of section 17 & southeast quarter of section 18-146-50, Eldorado Township between Hillsboro and Cummings. The site is mentioned in an 1890 guide of North Dakota as GUNDIN FARM, and appears on a 1904 map as CLARKE. This name first appeared about 1910, and was selected to honor William Howard Taft (1857-1930), President of the United States 1909-1913, and Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court 1921-1930. He is the only person to have held both positions. A village of about 15 people was here in 1920, and a count of 8 was made in 1960, but the village has never had a post office or developed beyond an elevator and related buildings. See "Pictures of Small North Dakota Towns" above. Traill Centre - This townsite was founded in 1883 in the southeast quarter of section 36-147-53, Viking Township and northeast quarter of section 1-146-53, Roseville Township midway between Mayville and Portland, and was an early example of cooperation between these two rival townsites. The name was borrowed from its county which was named for Walter John Strickland Traill (1847-1938), and "Centre" to note its central position in what was then Traill County. The spelling was in the romantic style in vogue at the time. The purpose of TRAILL CENTRE was to present a unified front in the effort to remove the county seat from Caledonia. TRAILL CENTRE won a special election on April 19, 1883, but court action the following year reversed the outcome due to irregularities. It was technically the county seat for a few months while the litigation was in progress, but the court house never actually left Caledonia, and a change in the county boundary in 1887 eliminated the site's geographic advantage. Caledonia did eventually lose the county seat in 1890, but it went to Hillsboro, and the little development that had occurred at TRAILL CENTRE soon relocated to one of its two more established neighbor cities. Volga - This was a Great Northern Railroad loading station in the northeast quarter of section 11-145-52, Blanchard Township four miles northwest of Blanchard. It was named for Volga, Iowa, which was named for the 2,200 mile long river in Russia. The site included an elevator and a school. It appeared on maps circa 1910-1930. Weible - This was a rural post office established October 29, 1883 with J. S. Weible as Postmaster, serving the GREENFIELD station of the Great Northern Railroad. The post office was located on the east side of the tracks in Section 24-144-52, Greenfield Township six miles south of Blanchard, and closed December 18, 1883 with mail to Hunter. It reopened July 8, 1884 with Bryan L. Hill as Postmaster, operating until November 30, 1909 when mail was sent to Blanchard. GREENFIELD station is still shown on some maps." West Climax - This name is used for residents of Northeast Traill County with telephone prefix 856, part of the exchange in Climax, Minnesota, which was named for Climax Tobacco, a popular product of pioneers days. The word is of Greek origin, meaning the highest point of attainment. West Halstad - This name is used for residents of eastern Traill County with telephone prefix 457, part of the exchange in Halstad, Minnesota, which was named for Ole Halstad, a pioneer settler who came from Norway. West Nielsville - This name is used for residents of eastern Traill County with telephone prefix 942, part of the exchange in Nielsville, Minnesota, which was named by the Great Northern Railroad for one of its officials. West Shelly - This name is used for residents of eastern Traill County with telephone prefix 887, part of the exchange in Shelly, Minnesota, which was named for John Shelly, a pioneer settler, in 1896. Mr. Shelly was later a prominent citizen of Duluth, Minnesota. |
