NAPOLEON, North Dakota

This information was found at:

http://www.notmuch.com/Features/Town/town\_022898.html

Some of North Dakota's best ranching and farming land is found 100 miles southeast of Bismarck, near Beaver Lake. This area was organized in 1884 into a townsite named for storekeeper Napoleon Goodsill. He was just 45 when he died, and his widow, Marion, is credited with keeping the Logan County seat in Napoleon when other towns tried to take it away. In 1886, a group of 100 people from Pennsylvania, know as "The Pennsylvania Colony," were brought here to establish roots. Because of winter temperatures which dropped to 47 below, bringing a blizzard a day for 100 days, and summer temperatures that soared to 118 degrees, the Colony vanished. Despite these temperature swings, the Soo Line railroad tracks arrived in 1898, and the town became a city in 1947. It's a small town of 950 people, with grain elevators and farm implement businesses. It's also the home of the High School Imperials.

Napoleon Facts

. . . Willie O'Donnell of Napoleon bought a Brush auto in 1910. He hung a mattress in the garage to absorb the shock when he would hit the wall while driving in

. . . in 1908 Napoleon druggist Mork announced that he would operate an ice cream parlor (a first) at the drug store during the summer

. . . in Napoleon, the all time high temp was set on July 16, 1936 when it was 118 f. It was reported that ducks left the lake bed and waddled into town.

. . . the N.D. highest and lowest recorded temperature both occurred in 1936: -60 f on February 15 1936, and 121 f on July 16 1936, a difference of 181 degrees!

. . . total land area of North Dakota is 44,351,724. Total land used for farming is: 40,336,869

. . . 10,000 years ago, the state's eastern edge was a vast glacial lake bed

. . . the total state population is 638,800 (1990 census). The number of people per square mile is 9.3

The official Logan County Newspaper

Editor - Jerome Schwartzenberger

E-mail Jerome

NAPOLEON HOMESTEAD 323 MAIN AVE NAPOLEON, ND 58561-7108 phone 701-754-2212

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Last Updated on January 20, 2001 by Ed Gravley

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