Scenic backroads tour along the James River Valley continues...
Grand Rapids was the first organized town in LaMoure County
BY JOY POWERS

In the seventh story of the James River Valley Scenic Back Roads series, we will travel into Grand Rapids, North Dakota, located in the heart of the James River Valley and explore its history and the days gone by.

The town of Grand Rapids was founded when Captain Homer T. Elliot filed the first landowner papers in LaMoure County in March 1880. His buildings were the first to be built between Jamestown and Huron in the Dakota Territory. His next venture was to build an overnight stagecoach stop for the Jamestown and Columbia Stagecoach lines, making access into and out of the Grand Rapids’ area easier.

E.P. Wells, a land agent for the Northern Pacific Railroad, took up the land that later became known as the Cold Spring Farm. With no railroad in this area yet, Captain W. Holcomb rafted five rafts of lumber from Jamestown to the Cold Spring Farm on the James River in May 1880. It was during this time, more and more people began to arrive in the James River Valley, laying claim to the land, and settling here in LaMoure County.

Grand Rapids became the first organized town in LaMoure County on June 17, 1880. It was on October 27, 1881 that Grand Rapids was designated as the county seat. Word was spreading fast about the beautiful James River Valley and new settlers began to arrive. New businesses began to sprout in the town of Grand Rapids.

The board of county commissioners was authorized to construct a county building to be used for county offices and business. On November 8, 1881, they were presented with a bill for the first LaMoure County courthouse, a 24x38x10 foot one room building, costing $550. It didn’t take long and they’d soon outgrown this building and in 1883 they began the plans to construct a more suitable building to house the county offices. It was December of 1883, when they moved the offices into the new courthouse, which had cost $7000 to build, and remained as the county courthouse until 1886 when a General Election vote moved the county seat to LaMoure.

The railroad began to come through Grand Rapids in 1885-1886. To accommodate the growing population, Deisem and Franks built a new brick-faced general store. Other new businesses began to pop up such as the Green Hotel, the Blue Front Tavern that consisted of a pool hall on the first floor and the Woodsmen Lodge and dance floor upstairs, and a new school building.

After the arrival of the railroads and with farming in full swing in the James River Valley, four elevators were constructed along the tracks. P.V. Monarch was the first of the four to be built and the grain elevated to different bins by a blind horse on a power sweep unit. Powers Elevator and Lumber Company was the next one built, followed by Andrews and then the Farmer’s Elevator in 1911. Freight and passenger trains arrived daily in Grand Rapids. Hans Hennings and Carl Neverman were the local stock buyers and shipped many carloads of cattle out of Grand Rapids. Many businessmen came in on the trains, showed their wares, and staved overnight at the Blue Front Tavern (also known as the Green Hotel), before they took the train out again the next day to move on.

The First State Bank was established around 1915 in Grand Rapids. The Post Office was housed in the General Store and usually run by the owners. The new schoolhouse was built in 1916, a two-story building that still stands. It contained four rooms and a basement. The first four grades attended their classes in the east side and the next four grades attended their classes on the west side. The high school students were taught upstairs. The basketball games, school plays, and Christmas programs were all held in Yoeman Hall.

When the United States entered World War II in 1941, many boys from the Grand Rapids area volunteered for war duty. Five of the boys were never to return as they gave their lives for our country. They were Herbert Quast, James Shockman, Ashley Hennings, Fritz Wollerman, and Homer Edwards.

In the early 1900’s Grand Rapids was known to have had a population of approximately 200 people. Its growth began to slow and eventually lessen as the years wore on. The Blue Front Tavern was purchased for $80 and taken down the James River on sleds to LaMoure to be made into the Catholic Church. The First State Bank closed in 1934 and the brick building was tore down and taken to Berlin where the Oasis was built. The High School closed in the mid-1950’s and students were sent to LaMoure for school. The Grand Rapids School closed for good in 1963, with the remaining grades also sent to LaMoure. After having several owners throughout the years, Deisem and Franks closed in 1972. All but the Farmers Elevator have been torn down and the lumber used for farm buildings in the area.

Still standing, however, is a popular recreational spot called Holen’s Hill. Located approximately 1 mile west of Grand Rapids this hill has been a favorite place for people of every age, size, and shape looking for an afternoon or evening of good old fashioned family fun sledding down the hill. The farm has been a part of the Holen family since 1895, when Mr. and Mrs. Nels Holen purchased it. It was later passed onto their son and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Holen and from there onto Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Holen, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Holen, who currently live on the farm.

For as long as anyone can remember sleds have been racing down the hill and at times as many as 100 kids have been out on the hill with their sleds, toboggans, inner tubes, scoop shovels, and sleds of all types. It’s not uncommon to hear the sound of the Holen’s dryer running on these days, as it dries the mittens and other wet clothes while the children warm up with a cup of hot chocolate before going back up the hill to sled some more. Even today if you were to peek into the shed on the farm, you’d find Ralph has approximately 20 sleds, some inner tubes, and all you need except the energy to get back up the hill to slide back down again and your warm clothes! Throughout the years, the hill has claimed a few broken legs or arms and many bumps and bruises but the laughter and the fun endures winter after winter as the Holen’s open the gate and sledders begin to arrive.

Grand Rapids once a booming town with a bank, meat market, the Yoeman Hall, Blue Front Tavern, the Boise Hardware store, a blacksmith shop, two churches, and the courthouse remains steadfast in the James River Valley. The population for Grand Rapids Township now sits at 101. Today as you pass through Grand Rapids you can find Henry’s Café, the Granny Bar, the Edible Bean Elevator and Fertilizer Plant, Grand Rapids Auction, and J&J Catering. Grand Rapids, a town that once boomed, still standing steadfast, never to be forgotten in the history it brought to the James River Valley.