Lambert History

In the fall of 1909 an influx of people came to the Fox Lake area to homestead on government land. This required living on the land for a period of three years. Many of these were bachelors while others had come with their families.

Some of these early settlers had come by covered wagon, with later arrivals coming by rail to Glendive, Montana on the Northern Pacific line, or MonDak, farther north on the Great Northern.

They staked out claims and fenced them, slowly pushing back the cattlemen. Whenever these newcomers squatted upon land already claimed by the big ranchers, they were given the name of “honyockers”.

There were many miles between the rude homes these settlers built. Many women came to this area and did not see another woman for as much as two years.

Before coming here, settlers had been told of the severe winters they could expect. Finding little timber available, they dug cave-like shelters in hillsides and cutbanks. They thought they would freeze to death if they were not underground. These dugouts were covered with sod fronts and roofs. The inside walls were sometimes whitewashed. Floors usually were dirt, sometimes with rugs or burlap sacks or other course material, or even hay or straw.

Cooking and washing were done the hard way. Water and fuel were usually scarce and had to be brought from a distance.

Recreation was a family affair, usually centered around a fiddle or banjo played by members of the family or neighbors. Harmonicas or Jew’s harps were other instruments easily carried.

Moving from dugout to sod house was a big step in the life of many pioneers. Native sod upturned by a horse-drawn sulky or gang plow was cut into pieces and placed like bricks to form the sod walls.

Excitement in the family hit a new high when the first wagon load of lumber, doors and real windows arrived safely after a 70-mile trip from the nearest lumber yard at MonDak or Newlon. Freighters would bring the lumber across the frozen river. Two shacks were built on every section of land. The shacks were only one-room, roofed structures.

In 1910 there was only one piano in the vicinity; it was at the DuMond home. Neighbors gathered there to have community singing. Other amusements were basket socials, horseback riding, picnics, Fourth of July celebrations, rodeos, throwing horseshoes, hunting and dancing. These were family affairs and usually lasted until morning so there would be daylight for the trip home.

The post office of Fox Lake was established in 1911 in the home of L.C. Cummings who had come from Wisconsin in 1910. Before the post office could be established, the settlers were required to haul the mail without pay for three months from Enid Post Office. After that in 1911, the mail arrived in Glendive and MonDak by train. It was brought by horseback or wagon from these two places to Tokna, now known as Burns, three times a week. George Fillis and Lee Brown delivered it from there to Enid, first by saddle horse and later by wagon. Mrs. Cummings was the post mistress and the office was in their home. The mail boxes were made from orange crates and they cut pigeon holes in them.

Mrs. L.C. Cummings was instrumental in opening the first school with Florence Cravath as teacher, followed by Mrs. Sarah Kittleson.

A store also was started at Fox Lake, just west of the Cummings house. Carney and Canty of Ray, North Dakota owned the store and put “Colonel Bronson” in charge of it. He moved the post office into his store. It was at this time that buildings were springing up all around the Cummings place. Backes Restaurant, Petersen’s store, a bank, a hardware store and a newspaper office were established. Homes sprang up across the street.

As the number of settlers increased with the opening of more land to homesteading, more and more prairie grass was turned under and the acreage planted to wheat grew rapidly. A town became a necessity, so did a railroad and when both arrived the boom was on.

It was in 1913 a site was surveyed for the town of Lambert. In the fall of the year many of the buildings of Fox Lake community were moved to the present townsite of Lambert. It was built up over the winter months and was a full-fledged town by the spring of 1914.

November 1, 1914 was a red-letter day for the young town of Lambert; at 10 a.m. the Great Northern Railway Company laid the steel into the townsite. The key to the city was presented to the construction workers, and it must have been a large key as the workers cut quite a swath. The bars and restaurants were open all that night and did a thriving business.

The town of Lambert was named after an official of the railroad company. It was a railhead for a number of years thereafter, and during that period became the world’s largest grain shipping point, with four elevators and a number of track buyers. In the year of 1915, Lambert with its three mammoth elevators received approximately 800,000 bushels of grain. These figures increased from year to year as the land was developed, considering the fact that the best tillable land tributary to Lambert was not yet more than one-third under cultivation.

The wheat boom lasted into the 1920s and although this Richland County town about 20 miles west of Sidney never reached 1,000 population, was at one time about four times its present population of 120.

A remembered daily passenger train known as the “Galloping Goose,” operated between Williston, North Dakota, Fairview and Richey, Montana, made its final run February 20, 1959 after 27 years of service.

It was quite a feat to build the Great Northern Railway across the lake proper to Richey. It took a total of two years to complete the short distance across the water of the lake. Grading was done by mules and horses, hauling ballast, rocks and soil. Tons of material were hauled by wagon and mules to finish the job.

The first grain elevator built in Lambert was constructed by the Occident Elevator Company in the spring of 1914. The material was freighted from Sidney with farm wagons so the building might be ready for the season’s grain harvest.

Ed Peterson, who was employed at the Jess Connor ranch on Dunlap Creek, was hired as grain buyer, and opened the elevator the fore part of September of that year. By the time the rails arrived the elevator was partially filled with grain. Grain was hauled from as far west as Circle, Montana north from the Missouri River, and east and south of the townsite.

Richland County was founded from Dawson County in 1914. A spirited election and hotly contested battle followed to decide on the county seat. Lambert lost the county seat to Sidney. The results of the votes were: Sidney, 848, Lambert, 425, and Enid, 168 Among the first county clerk; Dr. G.E. Armour, county coroner; and J.A. Storner, public administrator.

After Richland County was organized a fellow by the name of Kronkright was elected county commissioner. He was instrumental in building the cement jailhouse that still stands in slough east of Lambert.

Fourth of July celebrations were really gala occasions. Everyone declared a holiday and dressed in their best, left home early to travel by wagon or horseback to Lambert. Usually the festivities included a parade, led by a band comprised of businessmen and big rodeo at the stockyards.