He patented the land in 1905 and sold half of it to the Tri-State Land Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1908. The Tri-State Land Company then resold the land to other immigrant families from Norway, Sweden, Russia and Germany. The custom in those days was for the first homesteader to name the town. Anton Bokovoy named the town after his birthplace, Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine. Due to an e
rror in spelling it became Kief. Kief officially became a village in 1918. at that time there were approximately 300 people. Through the years there were quite a few businesses established: four general stores, one lumber yard, four grain elevators, one bank, one drug store, one photography studio, two blacksmiths, one livery stable, five churches, one post office, one outdoor theater, one Chevrolet dealer, one farm implement dealer, three gas stations and repair garages, one cream station, one shoemaker’s shop, one saloon, one grinding mill, one hotel, one café, one barbershop, one pool hall, one bowling alley, one general repair shop, one auto body shop and one green house. The school house was built in 1910. At that time there were about 128 high school and grade school students and four teachers. In the earlier years the school colors were purple and gold and were known as the “Kieftains”. Later they changed their name to the “Pilots” and the school colors were royal blue and gold. Due to declining enrollment , the school closed in 1959 and has since been torn down. As of August of 2011 there are three businesses. Krueger's Standard Grocery since 1982, a long haul trucking company since 2003
Currently there are 9 residents. Note: The spelling of Kiev is now Kyiv.
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The Drake Telegram
Drake, North Dakota
Thursday, August 6, 1908
KIEF
The New Town Starts Out and Has Good Future
George Shattun bought a lot for a blacksmith shop. Schmidt Brothers of Anamoose will erect a general store. Anton Bokovoy contemplates building an elevator in time for this year's crop. The best lot in Kief was purchased by Schmidt and Gulack of Anamoose who will build a bank thereon. There are twenty applications for elevator sites. Kief will be one of the heaviest grain shipping points in the state. Townsite Agent Campbell of the Tri-State Land Company started the new town of Kief today by selling lots. Three car loads of lumber are now on the side track at Kief for the Schmidt and Gulack elevator. Two more car loads are at Drake. Kief will soon be a regular stopping place for all trains. As soon as Mr. Campbell gets back to Minneapolis he will report his new town and an order for trains to stop will follow. The sale was delayed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. as Mr. Campbell failed to appear until that time. His gasoline railroad speeder played out and he had to push the car from Ruso to Dogden and from that point Banker Ross brought him and State Game Warden Smith in his new Buick runabout. Kief is at Mile Post No. 428, being just one mile futher from Minneapolis than Balfour is. It is almost half-way from Drake to Dogden. It is in the midst of a fertile and prosperous farming country and the territory south will reach out 18 miles from the place. Banker Ross, Barney Persons and R. Hoemsch of Dogden, Banker Lombard, Attorney Kremer, Cashier Schregge, Editor Cowell, A. Kiefer, Mr. Manning, Ole Otterholm, O. P. Overholser and others of Balfour, Bankers Schmidt, Gulack and Ebert and others of Anamoose and Messrs. Weiss and Muss of Drake were present at the sale; also a large number of Russians living in the neighborhood. H. Johnson was on the field with his wheeled house. This house has a kitchen and bedroom and is built to withstand the severest cold weather. It was hauled on the townsite this morning, together with Johnson's carpenter tools. Johnson was under the weather. He ate a lot of fresh, raw cucumbers at Thomas Marton's the night before and the dose of cholera morbus that followed kept Johnson in keen misery all night and in bed on the day of the sale. The writer together with Mr. Gulack were invited to dine at the home of Mr. Anton Bokovoy, and did so. Bokovoy is half owner of the townsite of Kief. He farms on a large scale. His barn looks like a livery stable. He has 19 houses. Nearby is a wind mill that is at work all the time pumping water. The water is pumped into a water trough for the stock, and near the top of the trough the water is piped to a pond near the house. In this pond ducks and geese disport themselves with glee. Running close to the pond is a large grove of thrifty trees and in these trees native birds sing peons of joy and then skim over the surface of the pond and back to the trees again, while some of them bathed in the cool water and reveled in the picturesque scene.
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UKRAINE TODAY
Ukraine is not Russia just as Canada is not United States, and Scotland is not England. The first thing a Ukrainian will say is, “We are not Russians.”
Keep in mind whatever Ukraine may be it is not Russia, but is intertwining of the two histories and cultures that make Ukraine such a fascinating place. There is an old saying among Ukrainians:
“When two Ukrainians meet, we have the start of another choir.”
Ukrainians are Eastern European and belong to the family of Slavs. Their land, Ukraine, is located in the southeastern corner of Europe, bordering the Black and Azov Seas. Natural resources make Ukraine one of the richest country in Europe. The almost limitless fields of grain grown on fertile black, rich soil have earned her the distinctive name, “The Bread Basket Of Europe.”
Ukraine got its independence from Russia in 1991 and changes took place at a fast pace, statues of communist heroes were toppled and religious monuments restored. Streets, squares, and avenues were renamed and the spelling of Kiev was returned to Kyiv. The Ukrainian language is now the official state language. Ukraine enjoys 98% literacy rate and the people enjoy reading. Ukraine is also a land of advanced culture with her own highly modulated language, characteristic customs and traditions, rich literature, songs and dances. It is a land of deep spiritual longings, of firmly rooted democratic ideals, and a heroic struggle for freedom. In the sixteen or so centuries that Kyiv’s (Kiev’s) been around, the city’s been blown up, burned down, flooded, shelled and occupied so many times that historians have lost count. Kyiv is a survivor. The people have stepped up to the challenge of renovating, remodeling or rebuilding their precious historical and cultural sites that were damaged or destroyed. The art and architecture of Kyiv are world treasures. It is a city of many Golden Dome Cathedrals, well planned parks, and beautiful open areas within the city boundaries. Its cultural life includes an Opera House, many museums, theaters performing many dramas. Kyiv, a scenic city of close to 3 million people situated on the Dnipr River (knee pr), is the bustling capital of Ukraine. The Dnipr River is the largest river and important commercial waterway. The river is host to several floating restaurants. Kyvi is a modern city with a cosmopolitan flair equal to many of the other great European cities. A BEAUTIFUL CITY!
