Also, does anyone know if copies of the 1982 Centennial Book “Prairies Past and Mountain Memories” is still available for sale at the Log House in Dunseith.  Any of you who don’t have it may like to get one.  There is an invaluable amount of history in there and many wonderful pictures.
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I would like to put in a “plug” for the Rolette County Historical
Society and the County Museum located in St. John, ND. This Saturday
night, April 19, we are hosting an old time music jamboree at the Senior
Citizens hall in St. John. There are several groups and bands that will
be performing throughout the evening. This is a fund raiser for the
museum and is a very fun night for those of you who appreciate this type
of music. The are several kinds of music that will be done by local
performers . Those who attend will enjoy it . Hope to see you there!
Thanks Gary for posting this for me.

Dick

PS .  GOT A FEW DONATIONS FOR RIVERSIDE CEMETERY  WOULD LIKE TO THANK

THE PEOPLE FOR DONATING.                ROD MEDRUD

Most of us will remember the old Dunseith City Hall. The basketball
games were held there until the new high school gym was built in 1963,
as was almost every school or community function. The building was built
during the depression [1930s] as a WPA project. This stands for Work
Projects Administration and was similar to the CCC’s which was the
Civilian Conservation Corps, the group of workers that did most of the
work on the Peace Garden in the early days. There was a brass plaque on
the wall by the main entrance which gave the information about the WPA
etc. Now for the story of her last day! I believe it was June of 1968
but I’m not sure of the exact date, we still lived in town in the house
by Leonards and Egberts. It was early in the morning and while I was
getting ready for the day, I happened to look out the south window of
our kitchen and there was black smoke billowing into the air uptown! Dad
was out of town so just Mom and I were home. The first thing that came
to mind was that the bakery was on fire and this was what I yelled to my
mother. We both ran out to my car and headed uptown. When I got to main
street I could see that the smoke was coming from the city hall. I got
there just as Red Kester did and we started the fire siren and got the
fire truck out. This was when the people really started showing up from
all over. Red sent me to the east side to spray water on McLeods house
as it was to late to save the hall already. From the east side I saw
through the window into the American Legion room in the basement, where
the drill rifles were burning right in their stand! McLeods house was
covered in asphalt siding and the tar was actually running out of the
siding from the heat. I remember it steamed when I sprayed the water on
it, it was that hot! The poor old siren was wailing away on top of the
city hall and nobody had time to turn it off. I remember it making this
weird mournful sound as it fell into the fire as the roof collapsed. The
west wall fell outward and Terry Martinson was nearly blown over by the
huge blast of air that came out from under the wall when it hit the
ground! He had been helping on the west side. We had to evacuate Mrs.
Kolberg {sp} from her house as the big chimney started to lean to the
north! It didn’t fall over but the guys from the Rural Electric used a
bucket truck to go up and tie a cable around the chimney and then pull
it over into the basement. It was a sad day and it took only a couple
hours for that huge old building to “slip beneath the waves”. When
things were under control, we decided to head home and Red and some of
the older firemen were watching the last of the flames. When I got back
to my car, my mom was sitting there IN HER PAJAMAS with no way to leave
because I took my keys by force of habit. The only thing hotter than
the fire was probably  my mother!
The picture is of Darrell Fassett in front of the City Hall in 1946,
when he was a junior at DHS. Thanks to Gary for this site!!

Dick