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by JoAnn Hennum "Donaldson village really is two villages in one, the other being the village of Davis. While the record of incorporation shows the corporate existence of only Donaldson, the plat on file in the Register of Deeds office at the court house in Hallock includes one of Davis, which technically, at least, shows Davis to be a currently existing townsite." So states the 50th anniversary edition of the Kittson County Enterprise dated September 11, 1935. Davis Township takes its name from Edward N. Davis, an early settler. Donaldson is named after Captain Hugh Donaldson, a Civil War officer from the east. The Captain managed the 65,000 acre Ryan bonanza farm. Although the farm interests were more closely related to Kennedy, the Captain was a very dominant figure in Davis-Donaldson. Mr. Davis homesteaded the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 30, Davis Township. That township was organized July 24, 1882. Mr. Davis opened the first store and also was in charge of the mail. The first two dwellings were built by him. The railroad came in 1878, with a station being opened in 1881. The depot closed in the early 1980's. When the school was operating there were about 60 pupils, 3 teachers, and 3 buses transporting them. In 1922 Donaldson's independent basketball team played in a tournament at New Ulm. At one time Donaldson boasted a bank, school, 2 churches, telephone office, fire hall, jail, post office, dressmaker shop, 3 general stores, 2 hardware stores, 2 meat markets, 2 livery barns, saloons, 3 grain elevators, lumberyard, 2 hotels, 2 restaurants, a dance hall and blacksmith shop. There was printing press in one of the hotels which printed the weekly "Donaldson Booster", editor Chester Blomsness. Another pioneer of the area was Martin Hennum. In 1890 he opened a blacksmith shop, later establishing a hardware. It was about 1906 when Andrew Blomsness founded the Blomsness Telephone Company. From 1904 to 1926 banking was conducted in Donaldson. Boardwalk sidewalks were used until the early 1920's when cement sidewalks were put in. Population in the village has never been great - possible peaking around 300 in the late 1920's. As of this writing it is about 60. Active business today include Minn-Dak Growers elevators, Nordic Korner Cafe & Grocery, The Bear's Den and two potato warehouses. The Kittson & Marshall Water Users business office and U.S. Post Office are housed in a building on Highway 11. |
