Columbia

Grand Hotel in Columbia.

Plat of Columbia City from Brown County Atlas 1911

The area we call Brown County was claimed by France in 1682 as a result of early exploration. Brown County was purchased from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 at a cost of about 3 cents per acre.

The earliest Europeans were explorers and fur traders along the rivers. In about 1822, Colin Campbell is said to have established a trading post by the Elm River, south-west of Frederick. He carried metal knives, cookware, and beads and traded with the Indians for furs.

In 1839 explorers Joseph Nicollet and John Fremont came northward through the James River area, recording their findings. The earliest settlers to stake claims were Clarence Johnson, William Young and his young sister, Hattie who settled in what is now Columbia in the summer of 1877. Johnson was believed to be the first settler in Brown County to break sod.

Because of the good north/south traffic on the James River and the east/west traffic on the Fort Sisseton Road, Byron Smith built a store at an area near their junction and the town of Columbia was begun. The first white child to be born in Brown County was James Linboe, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Linboe, born in a dugout near the Smith store in the summer of 1879.

Columbia School

In the spring of 1880, before Brown County was organized, Columbia was the only town in the area. At that time, the nearest railroad was in Watertown and all land claims had to be filed in Fargo. The town was established in June, 1879 when a party of settlers lead by Byron Smith arrived at the junction of the Elm and James Rivers. They brought two oxen wagon loads of lumber intending to build a store. It is believed that the name for the new town was chosen because of the popularity of the patriotic song, “Hail Columbia”.

When Columbia was platted, it was the Brown County seat, however, after a long on-again, off-again struggle with the citizens of Aberdeen, the county seat was moved there. When Columbia’s future looked bright, plans were made to establish a University there. Citizens thought that the excellent transportation on the James River would make it an ideal spot for the school.

By 1882, the James River dam had been completed, and Lake Columbia was formed. Boating was a popular pastime with the pioneers, and the settlers who lived along the River recognized its value for transportation and communication. In 1881 the side-wheeled steamboat, the Nettie Baldwin, began traveling to LaMoure, ND on a daily basis when weather permitted. Scheduled stops were made in Pectoria, Eaton, and Port Emma.

By 1882, the Nettie Baldwin was joined by another steamer, the stern-wheeled “Fannie L. Peck”. Both made the six hour trip daily with passengers and freight. The one-way ticket was $1.50 and round trip, a dollar more. While traveling, you could treat yourself to ice cream, cake and a sandwich for a quarter. These steamboats operated until 1886 and brought coal, lumber and merchandise to an area where they were badly needed and otherwise unavailable.

Grand Hotel mid 1880’s

Columbia’s Grand Hotel stood four stories high and was built by Charles B. Peck and M.R. Baldwin. The hotel was “luxuriously furnished in mahogany furnishings with 52 bedrooms, spacious parlors and dining rooms and excellent service.” In 1896, the hotel was razed and shipped to Redfield were it was used in the construction of Redfield College.

As you drive into Columbia today, you will notice on all of the welcome signs, it says “First Town in Brown County”.

Member of the Wahl Family throwing the first pitch at the Columbia Ball Diamond Dedication, the summer of 2023.