05/25/2026
MANFREDMONDAY!!!
Railroad Companies Help Draw Settlers to the USA
The railroad companies had advertised extensively in Europe to encourage people to immigrate to the USA,
and many answered that call. Among them was P. B. Anderson who immigrated to the USA in 1880, first living
in Wisconsin where he met and married Anna Johnson in 1886. P. B. and Anna moved that year to Eddy County
in North Dakota. P. B. wrote of those years, “Had a very hard struggle to make both ends meet. We had 30
miles to the nearest market. If we were lucky enough to raise a crop, the expenses of threshing and marketing
took nearly all the profit so there was nothing left. The settlement composed of half a dozen families were all
equally poor.” To add to this, the region experienced drought in the early 1890s resulting of little or no crops.
1892 – Railroad Bed Under Construction
P. B. continued, “With the coming of the Soo Line Railroad through North Dakota, land for settlers close
to the railroad became available. In the spring of 1892, T. K. Rogne, Nels Hovey and I struck out looking for a place
to start a new life. Having been hampered with long distances to market, we agreed not to go more than three
miles from the railroad survey. After looking over our field notes of the different descriptions taken down, T. K.
Rogne and I agreed to file on Section 20 and 29 (in Manfred Township), taking some of each section. This location
is halfway between Fessenden and Harvey, so we figured we could not miss getting close to a town. Going back
(home), we stopped at Sykeston and made application for filing with Webster Sanford, Clerk of Court at that time.
In July that same year, T. K. Rogne, L. O. Burkum, and I came back and brought a load of lumber with us and put
up a shanty 12 feet by 16 feet. We also put up about 25 tons of hay. After completing our haying, we went home
again. Late in the fall, I came back out here again. This time I had C. O. Roble along with me. He filed on Section
20. On his land, part of the village of Manfred is located. At this time, the railroad graders were at work
and the grade was nearly finished.
1893 – Rails Completed and Soo Line Train Begins to Operate
The next spring, I loaded my worldly possessions in a wagon drawn by three oxen with two cows following behind
and started out for what I expected to be the Promised Land. The first day I was overtaken by a snowstorm, so I
had to stay with a farmer about 10 miles east of New Rockford. The next day, I managed to get into New Rockford.
Bright and early the next morning, I left New Rockford. Every low place was filled with water, so I had quite a time
in coming through. Crossed the James River on a bridge at the John Goss place. Coming three or four miles west,
I met a farmer who informed me that it would be impossible to cross the river at the next crossing as there was no
bridge. Stopped that night out on the prairies. The next morning, I went back and re-crossed the bridge at the
Goss place and followed the south side of the river. This was Sunday and a very beautiful day with bright sunshine.
About three miles east of the claim I was overtaken by my brother-in-law, my wife, and my three husky boys
ranging in age from three to six years. They drove a horse and buggy. Coming out to the claim, we found the shanty
was plumb full of snow, but as we had a small tent we were not so bad off after all. The next day, we cleared the
snow out, moved the shack on a dry spot and before night we were domiciled in our new home. This was April 21,
1893. Two or three weeks after our arrival, T. K. Rogne and family came out and built their shanty about 30 rods
from ours. From then on, things commenced to move very fast. In the last part of May, the rails were laid,
and trains commenced to run. New settlers came in thick and fast (to file) and all land subject to homestead was gobbled up in short order.
