The Emigrant Train to Dakota

The first settlers started moving to this area around 1835, and by 1855 they had established several villages. Of course, by 1855 they were ready to establish the city of Morrison, but you know that story. By 1871 Morrison contained just over 100 business establishments. The countryside was filled with farms and people. The same pioneer spirit that had brought people here was now making them restless.

There were new opportunities elsewhere: lands to homestead or buy cheaply and places to establish businesses. The advancement of the railroad meant people could go wherever the tracks went. Railroad companies were more than willing to build those tracks to any new territory. Each new territory that developed meant new income for them.

People had left the Morrison area during the 1840’s to get rich in the western Gold Rush. Most found trouble instead of gold. The story of the Blue brothers from Clyde Township, who became lost and starved to death, is well known.

It was in the late 1870’s and early 1880’s that new land was really opening up, west of the Mississippi. The pioneer spirit kicked in again. There was still fighting in the Western Plains as settlers continued to take over the hunting grounds of the Indian nations.

The Whiteside Sentinel told of families and businessmen that were moving to near Kearney and Unadilla, Nebraska, in the 1870’s and 80’s, so they could find new wealth. These people had made the Morrison area into something special, and they wanted to do the same with this new frontier. Clark County, Dakota Territory was also one of the areas that attracted the attention of folks from this area. It was their new challenge.

Clark County was created in 1873 by an act of the territorial legislature. Not surprisingly, it was named for a territorial legislator, Newton Clark. On June 27, 1878, the first white settlers arrived in Clark County, and by 1879 there were enough settlers to petition for organization. In 1881 Clark became an official county. Not long after that the news reached Morrison, but how or why, I haven’t yet come across. Somebody must have spread the word of this new frontier.

The Sentinel gives hints to what must have been going on. In May of 1882 Woods and Ferguson Grocery ran an ad that said, “Don’t Fool Away Your Time by Going to Dakota! But Remain in Morrison! Where you can always buy groceries of all kinds.” The same firm sold farm machinery in Morrison and Coleta. Their ad proclaimed DAKOTA in big letters, informing the buyers that all the machinery they sold was warranted in Morrison and Dakota. If Woods and Ferguson couldn’t keep their customers from moving, at least they could sell them provisions and equipment to do so!

An advertisement also ran for several weeks by Frank Hoskins of Clark. It announced that he would locate land for parties who desired to preempt, homestead, or select tree claims. It stated a number of people from Morrison and vicinity had located land, and more would probably follow.

This came to pass on March 19, 1883, when the “emigrant” train that had been put together in Morrison, Illinois, arrived at Clark, Dakota Territory. The special train contained 56 carloads of livestock, farming implements, and household goods, along with 60 passengers, all who were to settle in Clark and surrounding towns. More settlers would soon follow to start a new life in the West.

My story started when Morrison’s Judy Manchester, a Clark County native, loaned me a book titled My Seventeen Years with the Pioneers—Thistles and Hay Needles by Earle Hubbard. Hubbard was a member of one of the families that left Morrison on the emigrant train to Clark in 1883. His book told that when they arrived, they moved into a 14x24’ sod shanty. The ceiling was 6’ high with a 1/3 pitch shingled roof. The living room was 14’ square, and it had two bedrooms that were 7’ by 10’. This was quite a change from Morrison, Illinois!

Next month, I will try to finish the story as I gather more information. These people were all from the Morrison area; they undoubtedly left family and relatives behind. If you have any information concerning this story, or if your ancestors where part of the emigrant group, I would certainly appreciate hearing from you.

Was Clark the paradise that it was advertised to be? Remember, home is where the heart is, and their hearts settled in Clark.

(by Orville Goodenough, Guest Columnist)