Almont North Dakota
1906 Centennial 2006
Almont Museum & Historical Society
The following history of the Almont Historical Society was written by Marge Peterson with some minor changes made by the web site author.
The Almont Historical Society was organized on June 15, 1977
with 16 interested persons present. Then Ben Ramsland offered to donate
an old building on Main Street if the organization would fix it up and
display many of the artifacts he had accumulated over the years. Several
years earlier the Commercial Club had moved several buildings into town
on the vacant land that held the old jail and named it 'Heritage Park'.
The above events stimulated the formation
of the Historical Society which would assume the responsibility and upkeep
of the buildings and artifacts. The first meeting was held on July 27, 1977
with the following elected officers: Sig Peterson President, Hazel Hoovestol,
Vice President, and Cassie Ritz secretary-treasure.
The village gave them a small building on
Main Street where Almont’s first newspaper, the Almont Arena, had
been published until 1914. The New Salem Journal purchased the Arena in
1914 and took the printing equipment to New Salem. When the Society took
over the building the New Salem Journal donated some of the old equipment
back to them and it may well have been some of the original equipment. After
the Arena closed, Frank X. Todt had a barbershop in the building and finally
the Village stored its firefighting equipment in the building. The building
was last used by farmers who left their cream cans there to be picked up
for market.
In 1982 the Society bought the old Town Hall
(SW corner of Main Street) from Fred Ramsland for $300.00. It was torn down
and some of the lumber was sold. It was built in 1907 by Ole Jacobsen and
Ted Peterson. Over the years it had been used as Town Hall, gymnasium, butcher
shop, cream buying business, gas station, welding shop and a beer parlor.
It had been vacant for several years.
In 1983 Thorleiv Peterson and Valborg Fisher
bought the old Ben Olson building for the Society. Ben had a cream buying
station and a shoe shop with living quarters in the back and up stairs.
The building was remodeled into a gift shop where local items were consigned
and sold for a 10% commission. Lillian Peterson managed the popular Country
Store until her death in 2000.
The museum on Main Street soon became too
small for all the items that were being donated to the Historical Society.
In 1985 it was decided to build a larger museum. A sizable donation to fund
the project was made by Thorleiv Peterson, Valborg Fisher, Harvey and Wilma
Thorson and Sig and Marge Peterson.
In 1986 a 99 year lease from the Village was
given to the Almont Historical Society to carry on it's project in Block
1 of the Village. The lease was signed by Claude Ritz, then mayor of Almont.
The buildings in Heritage Park were rearranged. Bids were let for the project
and Ron Groninger's bid for $26,000 was accepted as the lowest bid. The
project included a 40 X 80 cement block structure with 12 foot walls, to
include water, sewer and rest rooms. The total cost came to $29,000.
In 1987 The Almont Museum was accepted as
Almont’s State Centennial project. A Memorial Plaque was started for
Memorials for the Museum. The Society received $4,000 from the county mill
levy.
The Museum was completed in 1988. A ribbon
cutting ceremony with program and demonstrations was held on Memorial Day.
Buckshot Hoffmer, State Centennial leader, was guest speaker and in charge
of the ribbon cutting. School children and others took part in the program,
and plaques were given to Toby Ramsland, Thorleiv Peterson, Valborg Fisher,
Harvey and Wilma Thorson and Marge and Sig Peterson.
In 1989 the Society recognized that the museum
was too small so the building was extended another 30 feet at a cost of
$8,000.00. Valborg Fisher donated $10,000 for the addition. The executive
board was increased to 11 and included the Almont Mayor. In November an
Annual Meeting was held with a dinner and business meeting followed by home
talent entertainment. In 1990 an insulated suspended ceiling and fans were
added.
Artifacts continued to be added. Show cases
were received from the State Historical Society. Teri Nelson and Janet Esser
assisted Sig and Marge Peterson in the arrangement and layout of the Museum.
This made it very interesting and unique.
In 1993 Clarence Lippert of Bismarck gave
the Society a house on his property in the Curlew area. The house had been
built by Olous Christianson in about 1920. It was moved to Heritage Park
by Weiss House movers of Bismarck at a cost of $3,500.00. Chuck Bahm of
New salem donated the bridge timbers. The main floor of the house has been
restored and furnished with articles of furniture and decor from the ‘50’s.
Doris Christianson Hickle, who lived with the family in the house at one
time, has given several items that were originally in the house. Much of
the other furniture was donated by Guy Anderson. A set of china dishes from
that era was donated by Audrey Walton. The house has been named “Curlew
House”.
In 1994 Pat and Penny Floral rented the old
museum building on Main St. for their business. the building had to be wired
for electricity. Their business outgrew the building in a few years and
it has been empty since then.
In 1995 Lance Olson of Williston spray painted the Curlew House and
other buildings at Heritage Park and also some buildings on Main Street.
That fall Janet and Church Esser and several others from Bismarck catered
a dinner at the Museum for AMACO employees who were the paying guests.
Local talent provided the entertainment. A $1000.00 check was left for
the Almont Historical Society.
In 1996 Lutheran Brotherhood gave $400.00
towards the deck of the depot., Local men constructed the deck. $313.50
was received from Women’s Life Insurance Society for Curlew House
improvements.
Events in 1997 included the annual Morton
County Historical Society Picnic which was held at the Museum grounds. That
summer 25 members of the NPRR (Northern Pacific Railroad) Historical Society,
headquartered in Minneapolis, visited the Almont Museum and the old depot.
Sig Peterson had spoken to a general meeting of about 200 members the day
before in Bismarck about the early railroad through Sims and Almont. These
members signed up for a tour by Sig following the old road bed with stops
at Sims, Almont and Curlew. All of those present agreed that it was the
highlight of the 3 day meeting in Bismarck. The tour ended with those present
gathered around one of the old pianos singing "I’ve Been Working
On The Railroad" with Marge playing the piano and Sig leading the
singing. They all enjoyed coffee and carmel Rolls provided by Sig and Marge. Roger
Becklund, a former resident, had arranged for Sig to speak to the meeting.
In the spring of 1997, 20 docents from the
State Heritage Center in Bismarck visited our Country School, the Museum
and the other building at Heritage Park. Later that summer, seven Heritage
Center employees visited the Museum and Heritage Park. Both groups were
impressed and had favorable comments.
In 1998, Janet Hanson donated a space heater
for the museum, in memory of her aunt, Ragnhild Feland. That same year a
40x100 pole shed was built to house machinery. Donations for the building
were from Almont Development Assn., Almont Commercial Club, Harvey and Wilma
Thorson, Joel and Donna Johnson, Dorothy Bettencourt, Mark and David Willman
and Sig and Marge Peterson. Lyle Peterson was the contractor.
The museum receives many interesting artifacts
every year. A mounted golden eagle, shot by Herman Hartman in the 1920’s
near the Heart River, was given to the Museum by Condon Hartman of New Salem.
A Ladies side saddle was given by Ernest Blaich of Bismarck. Both donors
were from outside the community.
The Historical Society hosted the Annual Morton
County Historical Society dinner and meeting in October, 2001. It was held
at the Almont Lutheran Fellowship Hall and was very well attended. Vicki
Olson catered the delicious meal. After the business meeting, a program
was presented, emceed by Rodney Nelson, and included music by the Fiddlers,
a solo by Vernon Knutson, two numbers by the Sims Trio, solo with guitar
accompanied by Leland, a hunter from Alabama and a solo and yodeling by
Sig Peterson.
In 2000, our 25th year Lance Olson painted
the Curlew House and Country School. The Museum has many visitors curing
the summer months, the most being on Labor Day. A sing-a-long around the
old grand piano is a popular part of the Labor Day events. Many favorable
remarks are heard and the “tip” jar was overflowing at the end
of the day. The last few years Condon and Sharon Hartman have taken care
of the museum for several hours in the afternoon of Labor Day while the
rest of us are involved in the program at the school.
Our first 25 years have been very interesting
and rewarding. Our accomplishments are far above our expectations. We can
be very proud of our Almont Historical Society.
P. S. Other historical buildings in Heritage
Park include the following. The native rock jail, built in 1908 is on the
property at the site where it was originally built. The Almont Depot, which
had been moved from Almont to North Almont when the Railroad moved in 1947,
was moved back to Almont and Heritage Park. The building was purchased from
NPRR for $1.00. Norman and Nettie Hansen gave a one-room country school
to Heritage Park and a blacksmith shop was brought to the park from the
Oscar Jacobson Farm.