Mapleton Twp. – In 1878, a group of people from Drayton decided to try their luck homesteading in Manitoba.
Their decision to leave April 10 that year is having implications today for the community they left behind.
Mayor John Green told council Aug. 12 that at the warden’s picnic last year, he met the mayor of Minto, North Dakota, John Riskey, and learned about Drayton, North Dakota. The founders of those communities left their Canadian counterparts for more opportunities long ago. Minto has now twinned with its namesake in the United States, and Green indicated there is a chance Drayton will do the same thing in the next few years.
Riskey told Green he knew the mayor of Drayton, North Dakota, and would inform Ardis Olsen of the connection.
Green received correspondence from Olsen recently, and said local officials are invited to Drayton North Dakota for a celebration next year. The city is located 50km from the city of Minto. It is also located on the Red River, in Pembina County, about 50 kilometres from the Canada-United States border, and has a population of about 1,000.
Green said the major industry is sugar beets, and Drayton claims to be the Catfish Capital of the North. It holds a Riverfest every year. He said the invitation is to attend the Catfish Festival.
History of Drayton, ND
Green read council some of the history of the U.S. community that started here.
A group met in Drayton, Ontario, for the purpose of planning migration to Manitoba. The original party consisted of J. Walter Fawcett, his wife and child; Ezra Healy, his wife and child; Albert Wallace; Wesley Patmore; James Healy; Harry Wallace; and George W. Healy. That group was joined en route by Alexander McCrea, and they traveled by rail to a point 12 miles east of Grand Forks, North Dakota.
They then travelled on foot and wagon through the Red River Valley to Pembina County. Impressed, they decided to stay, and A.W. McCrea, as eldest man in the company, was given the right to choose the spot for a new settlement.
He chose the current location of Drayton, which was eventually named for the settlers’ Canadian hometown. Shortly after the arrival of the first settlers, the population was augmented by others attracted by letters from settler friends. Because it is located on the Red River, during the 1870s and 1880s Drayton evolved into an important steamboat stop for barges transporting goods and settlers.
Commerce grew and prospered until the railroad came to town in 1887.
Drayton today
Most of the current transportation in the area takes place by road, as Drayton is located on Interstate 29, a direct trade route between Canada and Mexico; and state Highway 66.
That location makes Drayton an important crossroads for freight movement and tourists.
The area is known for its agricultural products, including a sugar beet industry, and a lot of its residents are employed in manufacturing jobs. Green said the current mayor is the president of the Sugarbeet Union.
But Drayton’s true claim to fame is catfish, as the city bills itself as The Catfish Capital of the North.
Green told council the community wants to grow, and he then cited a brochure from the city that had councillors shaking their heads.
Green quipped that Finance Director Mike Givens was “hyperventilating” at the list of incentives to build a new home on the Anderson Addition in Drayton. Those included:
– a free lot;
– house taxes forgiven up to a value of $75,000 for the first two years;
– $100 from Otter Tail Power;
– 12 months free water, sewage, and garbage;
– 3 months free basic cable;
– high speed internet hook-up from Polar Communications; and
– a one year family swimming pass, one year family golfing pass, one year curling pass, and one year school activity pass.
Green said after he read the list, “Things are done a little differently in the States compared to Canada.”
The internet provided a possible reason why the city is anxious to have some new housing. One Drayton site noted the city has not issued any building permits for single-family dwellings in the last 12 years.
