Town of the Week, February 28, 1998

Take a visit to Napoleon, North Dakota; just listen in.

Napoleon, North Dakota

Some of North Dakota's best ranching and farming land is found 100 miles southeast of Bismarck, near Beaver Lake. This area was organized in 1884 into a townsite named for storekeeper Napoleon Goodsill. He was just 45 when he died, and his widow, Marion, is credited with keeping the Logan County seat in Napoleon when other towns tried to take it away. In 1886, a group of 100 people from Pennsylvania, know as "The Pennsylvania Colony," were brought here to establish roots. Because of winter temperatures which dropped to 47 below, bringing a blizzard a day for 100 days, and summer temperatures that soared to 118 degrees, the Colony vanished. Despite these temperature swings, the Soo Line railroad tracks arrived in 1898, and the town became a city in 1947. Its a small town of 950 people, with grain elevators and farm implement businesses. Its also the home of the High School Imperials. Our Town of the Week, Napoleon, North Dakota.

. . . Willie O'Donnell of Napoleon bought a Brush auto in 1910. He hung a mattress in the garage to absorb the shock when he would hit the wall while driving in . . . in 1908 Napoleon druggist Mork announced that he would operate an ice cream parlor (a first) at the drug store during the summer . . . in Napoleon, the all-time high temp was set on July 16, 1936 when it was 118ºF. It was reported that ducks left the lake bed and waddled into town. . . . the N.D. hightest and lowest recorded temperature both occurred in 1936: -60ºF on February 15, and 121ºF on July 6 -- a difference of 181 degrees! . . . total land area of North Dakota is 44,351,724. Total land used for farming is: 40,336,869 . . . 10,000 years ago, the state's eastern edge was a vast glacial lake bed . . . the total state population is 638,800 (1990 census). The number of people per square mile is 9.3 . . . in a 1990 national survey, North Dakota 8th grade students ranked first nationally in math tests

North Dakota Tourism Liberty Memorial Building 604 East Boulevard Bismark, N.D. 58505-0825 Phone: 1-800-HELLO-ND Website: http://www.ndtourism.com/

Motto: "Liberty and union now and forever, one and inseparable" Statehood: November 2, 1889 Bird: western meadowlark Fish: northern pike Flower: wild prarie rose Song: "North Dakota Hymn" Tree: American elm Grass: Western wheatgrass Fossil: toredo-bored petrified wood Beverage: Milk

Info for "D'ja Know?" and "Fun Facts" compiled from the North Dakota Tourism web site and the History of Napoleon by Jay A. Bryant.

Care Center King and Queen
King Andy Anderson and Queen Vieno Seppanen reined (sic.) over festivities during the Napoleon Care Center annual Valentines (sic.) Ball on Monday evening, February 9. Live music was furnished by West River Band (Leo Schmidt, Leo Jahner and Albert Kiemele).

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