Where was Dogtooth North Dakota?
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"Hurrah for Dogtooth, it has a great out look
for a thriving metropolis..."
Mandan Pioneer 11/26/1909
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The Locations of Dogtooth and Raleigh
So where exactly was Dogtooth in relation to Raleigh? A 2/28/1911 letter from the Post Office Dept is addressed to the postmaster at "Raleigh, formerly Dogtooth". Postmaster C.C. Leonard's 3/4/1911 reply places Raleigh in the NE quarter of 12-133-85 (again, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Township_and_range to explain this cryptic notation) of what is now Grant County. As we'll see below, Dogtooth had been one section to the west of this. 1/29/1900 Post Office Department Location Paper signed by Robt. Pierce (proposed post master), places Dogtooth in the NW quarter of 11-133-85 or about two miles west of where Raleigh would be 11 years later. The location hadn't changed seven years later according to the application for a post office at Esther submitted by George D. Miles and received in Washington 5/13/1907. On the second page of this application, Mr. Miles drew a map indicating the location of the proposed new post office at 34-133-86 which also showed Dogtooth, the nearest existing office, at 11-133-85.
The Railroad
As in so many other locations, the coming of the railroad drove the decision of where to locate or re-locate Dogtooth/Raleigh.
"Hurrah for Dogtooth, it has a great out look for a thriving metropolis as the Milwaukee have surveyed a town near where Dogtooth now stands and are now doing the necessary surveying of the location of the coal chutes, etc. This part of the country is settled with people who will do all in their power to make it a good town as they will certainly appreciate so near a town after having to haul their grain fifty and sixty miles to a railroad." Mandan Pioneer 11/26/1909In the same article Leipzig, Bently and Mott are identified as townsites that would be moved to the new location on the railroad. The fact that Dogtooth isn't mentioned in this same light is curious. Perhaps there wasn't much in Dogtooth other than the post office & the blacksmith.
"C.C. Leonard took possession [from Harry W. Fogelsong] of the Dogtooth store the last of the week. We all wish Mr. Leonard success in this new line of business. The Dogtooth blacksmith certainly is doing a rushing business. He shod thirty six horses in three days. He has a gold metal from Denmark. A contractor, who has a fifty mile grade on the Milwaukee Railroad intends to winter ninety mules at Dogtooth, and is paying four dollars a ton for hay now." Mandan Pioneer 12/3/1909
Two parties intend to put two general stores at Dogtooth just as soon as the city is platted out. Dogtooth has a great future. The Dogtooth blacksmith is building an addition to his shop. Mandan Pioneer 12/24/1909
In late 1909 the assumption seems to have been that the new town would retain the name Dogtooth. Evidently railroad officials thought otherwise.
"The first town on the new Cannon Ball branch of the Milwaukee road is Raliegh [sic], on section 1-133-85 [section 12, identified as Raleigh's location in the post office document, borders section 1 on the south] . This is at the crossing of the old Bismarck trail to the Black Hills. A few buildings have already been built, including a store and blacksmith shop. The population is mixed, largely Scandinavian. ..." Mandan Pioneer 4/8/1910 (full article)A brief item from the 1/12/1911 Carson Press highlights perhaps the last straw for Dogtooth.
"C.C. Leonard has moved his store and postoffice to Raleigh. This puts the finishing touches on Dogtooth."It was this move in January, 1911 that prompted the letter from the Post Office Department in February. Four months later, Dogtooth and Raleigh were still separate in at least some minds. The legal notices from that issue of the Carson Press list T.J. Snyder from Raleigh but Alice Williams, C.C. Leonard, C.J. Wilbur, John Leach and Anna Cummings from Dogtooth. A recurring advertisement for auctioneer William Nultemeier continued with a Dogtooth address for nearly a year.
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Who Cares?
In the end, does it really matter? The graphic below (click here for a larger view) shows quite a few whose descendents just might care. Some of the folks who homesteaded between Raleigh and Brisbane are likely to have identified Dogtooth as their residence. I'd very much like to hear from anyone with connections to Dogtooth, especially Shanes, Tomlinsons, Gronvolds & Bunns. Please let me know if you notice any mistakes in what I've said, if you have anything to add or if you'd just like to chat. Since I live in Maryland it'll be a while before I have the pleasure of visiting Grant County for the first time to follow up on some of the leads I've found remotely. I'd love to hear from anyone who lives in the area & might be willing to send pictures or other information in the mean time (I'd especially like to get copies of other township maps like the ones below).
If you enjoyed reading the old newspaper items, be sure to browse through my larger list of old newspaper items. The ND State Historical Society's website does a wonderful job with its listings of newspapers available on microfiche (Grant County listings). You can borrow these rolls through the Inter-Library Loan system and view them in your local library. I've spent many hours doing that and have an 8-inch stack of paper to show for my labors. I'd like to transcribe more of the local news sections for inclusion in my old newspaper items section. If you'd be willing to lend your typing skills to this project, your help would be most welcome! We need to get more of these valuable & colorful examples of local history on the web where they'll be available for researchers.
Email & let me know what you think.
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