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Grant_Logo

Historical Society

Contact:
Call: (701) 595-4360 - Harold Bruning
Email: grantcounty911em@gmail.com
Calls are gladly accepted. Harold does not have the ability to respond to text messages.
Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 12:00 pm MT and afternoons by appointment.
If you wish to set up a site visit, please contact Harold.

History
The Grant County Historical Society was founded in 1970 as an organization dedicated to preserving, collecting, researching and interpreting Grant County historical information and items. The Society was created with the hope that it could help future generations learn about and understand county history. One of the first acts of the Society was to rent land from the Grant County Fair Board and establish a site which would eventually be known as Pioneer Village. There historic buildings, equipment and memorabilia are preserved and displayed. Pioneer Village is located in Carson just west of the city park. 

Pioneer Village
Buildings preserved at Pioneer Village include a homestead tar paper shack, Carl School from rural Grant County, and a 1910 depot built by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in Raleigh, North Dakota. In addition, a cream station, barber shop, gas station, the Lane building, and Tom's Shoe Shop, all from Carson's past, are on display. Two large steel buildings are used for storing and displaying artifacts and memorabilia. Off site building preservation projects include the Heil School and the Old Stone Church.

With agriculture playing a major role in Grant County's economic development, numerous pieces of antique farm equipment are displayed at Pioneer Village. A 1920 fully operational Rumley Oil Pull tractor is a keystone of the Society's antique implement collection.

Membership
Grant County Historical Society is always looking for new members. Our membership base has diminished recently. We are looking for individuals interested in Grant County and its history with a willingness to preserve it for future generations. Annual dues are $5.00 per year. Meetings are held the second Wednesday in February, May, August, and November at 4:00 PM MT in the Commissioner's Room at the courthouse in Carson. New members are always welcome. 

Available Books
Grant County Historical Society volunteers collect and organize historical information. They also maintain and make available for purchase books that document Grant County's history. Source material used for these books are archived newspapers and various other sources. We are always looking for new source materials to make the history books more comprehensive.

Some of the books or copies currently available are:

  • Carson School Annuals ( missing the following years: 1926-37, 1942, 1943, 1945-50, 1960, 1961, 1963, and 2000).
  • Carson 50th Anniversary
  • Carson 75th Anniversary
  • Carson 100th Anniversary
  • Prairie Pioneers - Grant County History - Issued During the US Bicentennial
  • Shield Book by Carrie Weinhandl
  • Freda Memories
  • New Leipzig 50th Anniversary
  • New Leipzig 75th Anniversary
  • Grant County - 1925
  • Hertz Family
  • Koch History
  • North Dakota 1879-1927
  • Tall Tales and Small Tales by Ralph Katu
  • Lewis and Clark
  • Grant County Courthouse
  • Scrapbook of Photos from when the Grant County Courthouse burned
  • Community Businesses and People (Carson)
  • Community Businesses and People (Elgin)
  • Community Businesses and People (New Leipzig)
  • Community Businesses and People (Grant County)
  • Engagements
  • Weddings
  • Anniversaries and Birthdays
  • Births, Generations, and Reunions
  • Obituaries
  • Veterans
  • Chain of Deeds - City of Carson - Compiled by Rueben Zeller
  • Area Storms
  • Grant County News/Carson Press Clippings
  • Germans from Russia Memories
  • Memorabilia/Collection Inventory - Grant County Historical Society
  • Machinery Inventory - Grant County Historical Society
  • Stevenson Family History
  • Grant County Wildlife Club
  • Elgin School (1925-2000)
  • Carson City Maps
  • 1918 and 2012 Grant County Plat Maps - Taken from County Atlases
  • 1992 Grant County Survey
  • Patrons in Grant County (1918)
  • Grant County Land Patents
  • Grant County Anniversary (25th and 75th)
  • Grant County Post Offices and Communities
  • Birth of Grant County
  • All Grant County Schools
  • Shields History
  • Brisbane History
  • Raleigh History
  • Leith History
  • Various Books on Different Schools in Grant County
  • Grant County Highlights (1908-2018)
  • Centennial Farms
  • Grant County Centennial Book
  • Spicer Family Memories
  • Grant County Commissioners
  • History of the Grant County Fair
  • Grant County Historical Society
  • North Dakota Centenarians
  • Trails, Trains, and Old Towns
  • Elgin Memories (1938-1984)
  • Elgin 100th Anniversary

The above list is not comprehensive and new information is constantly being added.
If you have a question, suggestion, or donation of items of interest, please contact Harold Bruning.

Scroll down for some photos of historic places and things in Grant County.
Color photos by Hannah Diehl. All rights reserved.
1910 Leith
1912 Leith November 12
1938 Grant County Courthouse
Brisbane Boxing
Brisbane Edited 2
Carson to Almont Freight Route 1910s 1
Elgin 1
Elgin 2
Heart Butte Dam under construction 1948
Main Street Shields
Michelson Flour Mill
NP_Grade_Carson_1909-1
S C Lane Land Office 1