Dickey is a small town nestled along the James River Valley
BY JOY POWERS

Welcome back to our series along the James River Valley as we travel into Dickey, North Dakota. Dickey was platted back in 1881 along the banks of the James River and named after Alfred Dickey of Jamestown, who owned the town site. Dickey is a picturesque little town, nestled in a curve along the James River and sheltered by hills on the east and west side.

The U.S. Government sold this land to the Northern Pacific Railroad to help in the construction of a railroad telegraph line that would run from Lake Superior to Puget Sound on the Pacific Ocean along a northern route. This grant on July 2, 1964 included the land where Dickey is located. The Northern Pacific Railroad sold the west half of a section to E. P. Wells and later Wells sold this land to Alfred Dickey.

Much of the lumber used in the early buildings was brought down from Jamestown by raft on the James River as the pioneers began to settle into the beautiful James River Valley. The Northern Pacific Railroad came through Dickey in 1883.

As the community began to grow, a need for a schoolhouse became apparent and the first one room schoolhouse was built in 1882. This served its purpose until 1903 and as the town grew so did the school. A two-room building was constructed for the school in 1903. This had to be enlarged in 1940 when a new stone addition with a gymnasium and extra schoolrooms was built. In 1970 the last graduating class of Dickey High School marched down the aisle of the old gymnasium. The students of Dickey were scattered amongst various schools in the area such as Marion, LaMoure, Edgeley, and Montpelier. The loss of the school left an empty spot in this community. The old school sat vacant for two years and in 1972 it was sold to a salvage man to be torn down. In 1980 the stone walls came down when a crane was brought in and last of the school was gone in less than a half day.

The people of Dickey began to talk of preserving some part of the old school and finally the Valley Boosters Homemakers Club decided the bell tower should be saved and took on this large, costly project. After receiving donations from past Alumni and residents of Dickey, in 1981 the bell tower was lifted onto a flatbed and sent to the Moorhead Technical School to be restored. Nearly a year later, the bell tower was returned to Dickey and dedicated on June 18, 1982 as a part of Dickey’s 100th birthday in Centennial celebration.

Fourth of July celebrations were very popular in Dickey throughout the years. Baseball games vying against the neighboring towns were well attended. The early pioneers looked forward to the 4th of July celebrations, pioneer picnics, and school picnics. Many of the people went to Searle Grove, (now called LaMoure County Memorial Park) and in later years it was reported that as many as 1500 autos were in the park for these celebrations.

The Dickey State Bank was started in 1905, the first of its kind and locally owned. On October 4, 1907 the entire village was aroused by loud explosions of dynamite and a steady rain of bullets being fired by men on guard in front of the bank. There were a total of 5 explosions. The bank was being robbed. The safe had been literally blown to pieces, with one portion of the door hurling through the ceiling and making a hole large enough for a man to crawl through. Books, papers, and fragments of iron and steel from the safe were scattered everywhere. The robbers got away with $1200.00 in gold and some currency and silver and never captured.

In August of 1909 the Farmers & Merchants State Bank, also locally owned, was started. In 1914, the Dickey State Bank was destroyed by fire and in the spring of 1915, the two banks consolidated under the name Farmers & Merchants State Bank. This bank had the distinction of being the only bank in the county that remained solvent during the depression of the early thirties.

In the early days of Dickey, North Dakota the town was full of booming businesses. The Broadway Store was tore down in 1972; the Hall Company building which was the entertainment center for years had an Opera House upstairs. This building was owned by many different people and served as many uses over the years. A fire on December 22, 1914 destroyed the building. It was rebuilt in 1916 as a one-story building and again continued to serve in many different ways. In 1947 it was remodeled and made into a locker plant and meat market. In 1959 it was remodeled again into a saloon and supper club called The Long Branch. In 1965, it was again destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. The Drug Store remained until 1908 when it was made into a furniture store. In 1924 fire took this building and it was never rebuilt. The Funk brothers owned the Pool Hall in the early years. In 1908 it burned. The Colclough brothers rebuilt it in 1909. After several more owners, this building burned on February 20, 1914. It was then relocated into the Jacobson building until it could be rebuilt. In 1916 they held their grand opening. The upper level was decorated and became the new entertainment center. In 1924 fire destroyed the building again. It was rebuilt as a one-story building. In 1957 it was turned into a café from 1957-1963. In an early morning sleet storm on March 19, 1968 the building burned again. Since that time there has not been another building on this site.

The fall of 1909 brought about the construction of a cement block building for the Hardware Store. The Economy Store changed hands several times over the years, and in April 1924 a gasoline pump was added as a feature. In 1973 the store was sold to Donald Warner and he operated it for a short time until the stock and merchandise was sold off. Dickey was without a grocery and hardware store for the first time in its history. In 1977 Penny and Daniel Pekarski bought the building and established a small grocery store called "Penny’s Place." They continued on with their business for several years as the community struggled to survive. In 1980 the upper part of the old store was taken down and the following year it was completely razed and turned into a parking lot.

The Dickey Reporter was entered on December 9, 1902 in the Post Office of Dickey as a second class matter publication. The Dickey Reporter was published on every Friday with a subscription price of $1.50. Foreign subscriptions were $2,00. In 1922, the Dickey Reported closed.

The cafes came and went through the years. But when the café in Dickey closed in 1987, it was Wayne Lewis that made the statement, "If someone will build a café in Dickey, I’ll donate $10,000." It was then that the talk began and a group of area farmers began checking into costs and the possibility of making it happen. In July of 1987 area farmers and the community began building. Others came forward and donated their time and money and on September 4, 1987, The Farmers’ Café, a community-owned café, opened its doors serving some of the best home-cooked meals around.

Livery Barns, dray lines, blacksmiths, an Implement business, the jail house, the Carpenter Building, the Harness Shop, lumber yards, hotel, boarding house, cream stations, café and lunch counters, bulk gas stations, the gas station, elevator, post office, barbers, the Dickey Bar, and many others are all a part of Dickey’s history. Today as you drive through Dickey, you may not see all these buildings or businesses, but you will see a small rural community that continues on. You will still see the Dickey Bar, the First State Bank, The Farmers’ Café, Carpenter Photography, and the Dickey Station.

Travel with us next time as we venture into the Adrian, North Dakota area!