This is dedicate to Curls:

                                     SAWYER BANK ROBBERY

Were there only five or was there a sixth man who pulled off the bullet riddled 1906 Sawyer bank robber?

It was a cold Octobor morning when a gang broke into Brassett and Lund's hardware store to grab guns and ammunition.  Then they pillaged the Sererstrom store for general merchandise.  After these successful heists, the now brazen bunch moseyed over to crack the safe at t Sawyer's bank.

Dynomite was put in place to blow the safe door.  Although the first charge awolke William Hodges who lived across the street in the post office bulding, it wasn't powerful enough to crack the safe.

Another charge was set off, then another.  It wan't untill eight charges were set that the safe's dooor cracked open.

All this commotion awoke most of the town.  Several locals grabbed rifles and shotguns and joined Hodges in the post office's second story.  However, this fortification didn't go unnoticed.  Three of the bandits , armed with Winchester rifles, stood guard outside the bank shooting at everthing that moved.  After several rounds of volley, a multitude of holes dotted the side of the post office building.  The barrage of bullets was so intense that others still en rout to the scene were forced back to cover.  Those in the building were pinned to the floor.

Oddly enough, no one was killed even though a piece of the safe's door was blown 250 feet across the street where it made a two-foot hole in the post office's second story wall.

On the way out of town, the gang which some say had five members while others say six, left another barrage of fire.  Shortly after,  a possse was organized to head S/W alont the Soo Line tracks.

Checking at every farm yard, they finally met a farmer who had talked with the desperadoes.  He gave the first clear count of the men in the group that he suspected were hoboes.  He said there were five.

After resting at his farm, three of them headed off to the S/W again while the other two headed  N/W. 

The two N/W bound fugitives, Jack Hayes and Charles Sullivan, were found sleeping in a haystack.  They peacefully surrendered.

THe other three , Mike "Dad" Duffy, E.G. Robinson, and Bert Conroy, were spotted walking the Soo Line tracks to Max.   When ordered to stop, they took off.  Robinson was brought down by a shot that broke his ankle.  Conroy immediately surrendered by throwing up his hands sending money in all directions.

By jumping into a nearby swamp and only suracing briefly for air, Dad Duffy eluded capture for another hour.

All five were sentenced to the state pen to serve terms of 14 years, 10 months to 20 years.  Duffy never made it to the big house though.  While in the Ward County Jail, he passed out from what he called one of his spells and died 15 minutes later.

After impressing the judge about his feelings on contrition, Robinson recieved the lesser sentence.  As it turned out, he was the only one of the four convicts who tried to escape from the pen.  All four were released after serving seven to nine years.

What about that sixth man?  Had there been another bandit who took off on his own ?  Those who said they saw six bandits, not five, leave town point to one more interesting fact.  While housed in the Ward County jail, someone on the outside tried to saw through the bar windows of the gang's cell.  Was this the sixth bandit ?  That remains one of the North Dakota's unsolved mysteries. 

Curles, yep that would be the hill  I  thought it was 23 but the 19 looks familiar cause thats about how fast I drive that road, and it crosses 23 and goes to benidict.  You are correct got my highways mixed up which always explains why  i get lost out there.

Thanks for the information . 

The forum has been a little to enlightening for my sensory perception of treatment of others on this forum and am leaveing , I remembered our talk from last night and √ checked back. 

To you i would like to say goodbye, and who knows we live semi close together I am sure we will see each other at times to time, and I hope I  put a smile on your face when we pass.   T/c and god bless you and your husband.

The Skinner hill I was talking about is the hill that goes straight south on county rd 19.  It is a good paved road that goes south from what used to be Johns Cafe and garage.  the highway goes to Benedict, ND.  Are we talking about the same Skinner Hill?

As for the bank robbery in Sawyer, there are photos in the archives of the Ward County Historical Society.  The bank buildings are still standing.  They are on the corners of main street and are two old brick buildings.  One has been a cafe for years.  The other is now a bar.  I have a copy of the story written by Violet Ballentyne in 1962.  I got it at the all school reunion last summer.  I don't know how I would ever get you a copy.   You are welcome to it though.  I sure wish we could contact people with a private message on this board.  It would be conveinent sometimes.   I spose it is for safety sake. 

Have you ever been to some of the old cemetary's around Minot area?  I like to look at them and read the stones.  My grandfather homesteaded about 5 miles southwest of Sawyer back in the early 1900's.  I have very little information on the area other then the report from the Sawyer bank robbery. 

All good stuff

The Skinner family was one of the first familys up here.  I believe they were involved in the fur trade.  Highway 52 and 23, the old 52 highway is still there.  The cemetary is fenced with a gate, I was there and the only grave stone I could make out was a Joseph Skinner born in 1837 i believe and died in 1909.

The story I heard is the family was masacred  by Indians in that spot.  Skinner hill is still a good place to find arrowheads.   It is in a nice spot out of site from the highway .  I dont know why the story is not told and I dont know why it is not a tourist attraction.  I am sure the story is facinating if anyone knows?

  I took this pic in 2008 and went back but did not see the stone, and looks like it was toppled.  Its an easy walk .  If you increase the size of your screen you maybe able to make it out.  Lighting was terrible.

This is kind of an example where the North Dakota tourism misses the mark.  Sure missle sites are interesting, but are many storys untold , that can be just as interesting.

This letter i have somewhere , if i ever find it tells of a story of Sully masacred a village of Indians, there is a mass burial grave of women, children, and dogs.  The braves were off hunting or indian wars. 

Berthold had  an indian war but do not know much other than that. Indian wars were faught tribe against tribe. There is a place they still find artifacts.

Curles, pleased to know more about you.  It is funny you mention Sawyer Bank Robbery and do not believe it is showen in my book and a quick check on the internet didn come up with anything.  I have been looking for a 15 page letter written to my mother in the year 2000 from a 99 year old man who's father was her grandfathers best friend.  In the letter he explains in detail what it was like in the early 1900s.  I will have to continue looking for my copy.

I am also trying to find the story of the 1895 Estavan bank robber of over million dollars of gold bullion.  The story goes he hightaled his illegal treasue across the border near crosby.  There are stories about a cave where horse theives used to hide stolen horses and run across the border at night.  I do not know of a cave back then on the US side other than the Noonan coal mines.  On the Canadian side I do not know. 

THe bank robber was caught in the foot hills south of lignite and was in jail when he died under interigation.  The most they got out of this outlaw was that he had hidden the gold in a cave.  ?

If you have a story post it ,  I would like to learn more of the Skinner family.

KX, 

It is not that I don't like Custer history, it is that it is more to read then I have time to read.  I have many tasks since I am married to a person who can do nothing physical.  I am a busy lady.  I try to work here and there as well and then of course I love to spoil a group of 3  grandchildren in Fargo. 

I have been to the Custer house in Mandan and we did go to the battle site for battle of the little big horn in Wyoming.  It was many years ago but I did like it.  I love to watch things like that on the history channel.  In fact not long ago I watched a documentary on the bullistics of the battle of Custer and how the bullets they find are changing what was always beleived to be true.  I like the history channel and watch it a lot.  Not long ago I watched a documentary on the Viet Nam conflict.  Since my sweet hubby served there as a feild medic, I watched it to know what he saw there.  I am interested in lots of history...

Have you ever looked at the history behind the bank robbery in Sawyer, ND back in the late 1800's and the early 1900's?  I just got a paper that was written by a history teacher in the 60's about it.  I am a native of Sawyer so I found that to really peak my interest. 

One thing I would love to do is go to Washington DC and see all the history there.  I like to learn about the civil war and find the time leading up to it to be a very romantic time in history.  I think I have a jaded veiw because I liked the book Gone With the Wind and that got me started.  When I visited New Orleans back in the 80's I did some looking at history as it pertained to the war.  It is a facinating place to go to look at history.  I expected Rhett Butler to come out of the nearest cat house at any minuete.  :)

      IF YOU ARE IN JAIL ASK FOR A KNIFE AND A RAILROAD SPIKE.

Ed Canfield and George Arnott made a dramatic escape from the state pen in 1929.  For several weeks, they painstakingly chippped away the mortar between the bricks of a wall in one of their cells with a knife and a rail road spike. There work was undetected because at the end of each day, they replaced the bricks.

They chose to make their escape on Sunday because the roll call was not taken untill noon.  So, between 5:30 and 6:00 that morning while other inmates were making noise en route to the dining room, Arnott and Canfield enlared their hole.  Once it was big enough for them to slip through, they used a rope they had made by braiding strips of sheets to lower themselves 4 floors to the ground.

Because their cell wall was the outside wall of the prison, the 2 inmates stepped on free soil as soon as their feet touched the ground.  True to their calculations, they were not noticed missing untill noon roll call.  That meant they had several hours head start.

They alluded capture for several days.  The December cold finally forced them to seek shelter where they were discovered and turned over to authorities.  This was Arnott's sencond jail break.  Before he was sent to the penitentiary, he attempted to bust out of the Ward County jail.  Eleven years later, he attempted to get out of jail permanently by slashing his wrists.

Curls, books and the internet.   I just cant understand why you dont like history on Custer? its interesting.  

Interesting reading is relaxing, just type in your seach box here or in google and type in your subject, and click away.  The knowlege is out there , however there are bias groups also , so i just read.  If I learn something it was worth it.

a web-site sounds too much like work.

I am not sure if you want comment on this thread or not but...anyway....I have read some of this ND history.  Have you ever thought of putting together a web site (or maybe you have) with all the information you have gathered?  It is interesting and I think it would be a great thing for the arkives of North Dakotans. 

I have not read it all because of time but will continue to work at it.  thank you for the info.  Just curious, where do you find it all?

                                         JAIL ESCAPE

If awards were givin for the most fantastic jail break it would go to Weldon Shore and Marcus Hilstad for their 1951  sneaky escape from the Bismarck pen.

For up to 12 hours one night and the next morning they fooled guards into thinking they were sleeping by putting dummies in their beds.  The dummies were made by stuffing garments with toilet paper. 

The prisoners actually sewed stockings onto the trousers fo add an authentic touch.  To top off their clones, they made heads out of stuffed underwear.  Then they covered their doubles with bed sheets.

The got out of their cells by using smuggled tools to cut the bars which they replaced with chewing gum.  They knocked a hole in a wall which led them to a vacant cell.  Here they pried open a steel plate on the ceiling and knocked a hole in the concrete.  Entering this hole, they crawled in the attic until they gained access to the roof.  From there they lowered themselves 50 feet to the ground using a rope that was braided out of quarter-to-half- inch pieces of string that Hilstad smuggled from the prison twine plant.

The inept gaurds were marking down the two escapees as in their bunks thoughout the night, but it would seem they had been shurking their duties, by playing cards, and sleeping most of that time.  When they were missed at breakfast, again the new shift of guards missed the head count by marking the 2 freedom seekers as sleeping in.  At noon that day one of the guards actually opened the cell and realized they had all been duped.

Despite all this planning, both convicts were caught before the end of the year.  Hilstad was captured less than 2 months later in Yakima, Washington.  Shore was captured in Minneapolis that December.

                   GOLD ?

The first gold found here in North Dakota was near Ft. Ransom in 1862.  While working on a railroad survey crew, Henry Griswold's compass showed unusual readings suggesting mineral deposits.  This resulted in the 1884 gold rush in that area.  The Griswold Mine operated for 2 years then closed because it cost more to process the trace amounts of gold than the metal was worth.  It is believed this gold came via glacial actions into this area from South Dakota.

Gold was discovered 3 miles east of Denbigh in 1908 which resulted in the oening of the Eldorado Gold Mining Company and other operations.  Again, all of these ventures were short lived.  It is believed this gold worked its way down from Canada via glacier.

Potentially, half an ounce of gold a day could be extracted from the sands of the Little Missouri River near the Chaloner Ferry south of Watford City.  At least that was the claim made by oldtimers in 1926. Most noted of those washing up there at that time was an old prospector named Thorn.  It is said the gold he found in the sands of the Little Missouri was a flour-like quality that washed down the waters from the Black Hills.  Although Thorn was not actually finding a half an ounce of gold a day, he said he could if he had the right equipment.

In 1931 came a report ou of Chicago that gold nuggets had been taken from the crops of turkeys grown near Denbigh.  Prospectors decended on the area, for the 2nd time, hoping to get rich quick. No one did, though because , again, the quantities were limited.  A piece of gold about the size of 2 grrains of wheat was found during this rush making it the larest nugget ever found in the state.

Flour gold which is gold dust in the consistency of flour was , also, found not far away in the Bently Lake area near Drake.  Like all the other finds, this one, too, was of no commmercial value.

If you are looking for gold in North Dakota today ?  Don't expect to get rich.  However , there is one report that said the best chance of discovery of gold in North Dakota was between Logan and Minot.

                              THE ENCHANTED HIGHWAY

The Enchanted highway is no longer a dream for sculptor Gary Greff.  His visoion is a reality that includes several giant sized sculptures spanning 32 miles of highway from Gladstone to Regent in the south/western part of the state off I-94.  Begun in 1992, the display includes what are  said to be the largest scrap metal sculptures in the world.

             Deer Family.

             Grass Hopper.

        Fishemen's Dream.

                                               The TIn Family.

                                            The man that put it on the map for your enjoyment,   Gary Greff. 

North Dakota has the longest hang time in the history of golf.

North Dakota is host to the only International golf course in the united states if not the world.

The golfer teees off the 9th hole in Canada.  The ball lands an hour later in the United States. part of the couse is ondaylight savings time and and the other is on standard time. 

Located on the 49th parallel by Portal, North Dakota, and North Portal, Saskatchewan.

Built in 1930, the clubhouse is on American soil, but the next 8 holes are on Canadian property.  Then comes the 9th hole where golfers tee off in Canada but putt in on the green, in this case a sand green, in America.

The 1st hole-in-one on the international hole was made by a 14-year-old George Wegener in 1934. when he sank a hole-in-one on the 9th hole at the Gateway Cities Golf Club.

Wegener was the first to accomplish the feat on the 127-yard-hole.  As it turned out, he did it again in 1958.

The first time Wegener downed his hole-in-one, he was awarded a case of sparkling water and a box of lifesavers.  Although the local residuals were small, his fame spread.  His feat iwas recorded in the 1935 edition of Ripley's Velieve It or Not, and featured in a newsreel shown in movie houses across the nation.

For his 2nd hol-in-one on the 9th hole, Wegener recieved the Dunlop Hole-in-One Award, a trophy with the "international ball" implanted in it.

The 9th hole is a 127 three-par-hole.

The last 30 yards of the green are in the United States.

Angie Dickinson (1931 - ) Famous American actress who is well-known for her role as Seargent Leann "Pepper" Anderson in Police Woman. Born in Kulm, ND

William H. Gass (1924 - ) Writer and philosopher. He wrote Omensetter's Luck and a book of short stories called In the Heart of the Heart of the Country. Born in Fargo, ND (no pic)

Peggy Lee (1920 - 2002) An American Jazz and Traditional Pop singer. She is also an Oscar nominated performer. Born in Jamestown, ND

Louis L'Amour (1908 - 1988) Author known for his vivid descriptions of frontier life. Born in Jamestown, ND

Fort Union.

Fort Union Trading Post was the principal fur-trading depot in the Upper Missouri River region from 1828 to 1867.

Fort Union Trading Post was established in 1828 by the American Fur Company. It was not a government or military post, but a business, established for the specific purpose of doing business with the northern plains tribes. This trade business continued until 1867 making it the longest lasting American fur trading post.

The fort had visits from various people who became well known during the fur trade period. Names like, George Catlin, Karl Bodmer, John James Audubon and prince Maximilian. Tribal leaders came from many of the nations that traded here at Fort Union as well. A variety of jobs by skilled workers made up many of the duties done at here.

The people, places and stories are a large part of the make up when looking at Fort Union during its historic period. With the help of local citizens and agencies, the site was acquired by the National Park Service in 1966. After three archaeological projects, reconstruction of the bourgeois house was completed in 1987, followed by the walls and bastions in 1989 and finishing the trade house in 1991.

Boston Custer served as Forage Master for the 7th Cavalry under his older brother G. Custer. 

On Jun 25th Boston was at the rear with the pack train.  Boston had heard that George Custer had requested ammunition, and for Benteens troops for an impending large battle.  Boston passed by Benteen's troops and joined Custer's main column as they moved in for attack.  If Boston had stayed with the pack train he would have most certainly servived.

Boston was killed on Last Stand Hill.  Like the others a marble marker rests approximately where the body was found.  Later exumed and burried at Woodland Cemetary , Monroe, Michigan.

Tom Custer

Tom Custer after the civil war was commishioned to the 7th Cavalry who served under his brother and rode to his death along side his brother George Armstrong Custer at The LIttle Big Horn. . 

Contrary to public belief, George Custer was not mutilated, however he was striped and laid in a semi sitting position with one arm over the top naked body of a stack of naked soldiers..  His hair was not long, to ride on the trail in long hair was more of an inconvenience.  He wore his hair short, and in pictures you can see that George Custer's hairline was recedeing.   It made for a very poor scalp.  It was not out of respect that GC's was not scalped.

Tom however, was mutilated and missing his heart.  It seems Tom himself had arrested "Rain-in-the-Face" for murder back at Ft Lincoln, but Rain-in-the-Face escaped vowing to eat his heart.

They may have died in Montana but the ride started out from here.

                               SITTING BULL'S GRAVES

Fort Yates, North Dakota vs. Mobridge, South Dakota

Sitting Bull was a pain-in-the-butt to the 19th century White Man. Neither North nor South Dakota wanted him while he was alive. However, attitudes have changed, and SB's progeny have acquired property and clout. Now Sitting Bull is prime real estate in the Dakotas, 110 years too late for him to appreciate it.

Two towns on either side of the Dakota border claim to have Sitting Bull's bones. Which to believe?

North Dakota site.

Fort Yates, North Dakota, has the sickle of history on their side. In 1890, Sitting Bull was "accidentally" shot in Fort Yates and he was buried near the spot. However, Fort Yates loses points for presentation. The dirt road leading to the grave site is marked by a sad, hand-painted sign nailed to a wooden post. It lists precariously toward a gully. The grave itself is at the far end of a small, dusty parking area. It's covered by a thick slab of concrete and a big rock. You will be the only one here, guaranteed - - if you can find it.

Is Sitting Bull still in this grave? Not according to the folks downriver in Mobridge, South Dakota.

Mobridge freely admits that they drove to Ft. Yates in 1953 and stole Sitting Bull's bones. They dug up the grave with a backhoe and scurried back across the border before Ft. Yates had finished breakfast. Ft. Yates snorts that all Mobridge got were some horse bones, or maybe the bones of a White Man (chuckle) who was buried on top (Sitting Bull, they say, was buried deep in quicklime so that he would rot quickly). Ft. Yates installed the slab of concrete and the big rock afterward, to ward off any other bonesnatching 'burgs.

Mobridge could care less. Whatever bones they got they encased in a steel vault embedded in a 20-ton block of concrete, then buried the whole thing on top of a very visible bluff overlooking the Missouri River. They built billboards directing tourists to the site and erected a granite pillar over it, topped by a seven-ton bust of Sitting Bull, executed by Mr. Designer Of South Dakota's Big But Will Never Be Finished Crazy Horse Mountain Face Statue Out By Mount Rushmore, Korczak Zoilkowski. Nyah-nyah, North Dakota.

The reason for this squabbling eludes us, since the Mobridge site is just as empty as the one in Fort Yates. But a dead celebrity is a dead celebrity. And the Dakotas ain't Hollywood.The reason for this squabbling eludes us, since the Mobridge site is just as empty as the one in Fort Yates. But a dead celebrity is a dead celebrity. And the Dakotas ain't Hollywood.

 
Sitting Bull's Grave, Mobridge, South Dakota.

A few years ago (5+/-)I was in North Dakota on business and had a Sunday to myself. There wasn't a lot to do in Fargo so I started driving west on interstate 94. I headed north at some point and came upon a very small town called Ayr. (About 20 miles from Fargo) It really was a non descript town and I was just going to turn around and leave. I turned the rental car left onto the next street I came to and thought I'd driven into the Twilight Zone. It was as if I'd entered a turn of the century town. There was an old gas station, one room school house, barber shop, fire station, general store, train station etc.

But they were all restored and in excellent condition. I parked my car and wandered around for a while when an older gentleman named Keith Johnson came out of a house, He had done all of this work himself. He bought the buildings and moved them to Ayr and restored them. It was a hobby for him. I'm guessing that he probably donated these buildings to the Frontier Village in Fargo by now...but if he didn't and they are still there in Ayr it's an amazing site to see. [Ray Gomes, 06/09/1999]