Peerless

The Madoc School became the center of the community and continued to educate the local youth, split into two classrooms. The “little” room served grades 1-4 and the “big” room was for students from fifth to eighth grades. After eighth grade graduation, students were bussed into Scobey. Christmas programs were a highlight when the whole school transformed and practices consumed those cold wintery days. The youth had a local 4-H group called the Madoc Merry Makers and the basketball team was the Madoc Mustangs! The cheerleaders could be heard yelling, “Minne-Minneapolis, south Saint Paul, teeny weeny Madoc beats them all!" The community ladies had a very active Home Demonstration Club, as well.

Madoc's final demise took place with the closing of the school in May 1962 followed in March 1963 by the closing of the post office which had been housed at Louise Morrison’s and finally at Patricia Morrison’s. There was a period of community revitalization when Ramon Trower re-opened the Daniels County Farmers Elevator in about 1960 and maintained a booming business, including Behlen building sales, until his death in 1985. Charlie and Tammy (Brenden) Cahill continue to keep Madoc on the map with their Cahill Seeds business.

The elevators and school still stand in proud tribute of what was once “the Hub City”. These landmarks can be seen off to the north as drivers pass by on Highway 5. Now, as you walk down Madoc’s Main Street, you can only close your eyes and imagine what it must have been like, this bustling little boom town with horses and wagons and Model T’s parked up and down the busy street. If you stop and listen really closely, you can still hear the yelling and laughing of the children playing in the grassy school yard!

MIDDLE FORK

by Kent Drury

The middle fork of the Poplar River enters Daniels County from Canada in the Halverson- Humbert area on the north and continues southeast near Scobey and leaves the county south of the old Tong-Ralph Susag place.

The early families, around 1901, that settled in the middle fork area were John Manternach, Mansfield Daniels, Jacob Timmons, Woodleys, August Jevnager, Frank Marlenee, Joe Bonnes, Leo VonKuster, Tom and Al Larson, Silas and Frank Merrill and the Humberts. The Tande family arrived in 1902. In 1904 the Jake Davis family came. The Hughes family also arrived in 1904 and settled 2 1/2 miles northwest of the present day Scobey. Then Orr Burgett arrived in 1909, and the area he homesteaded in was known as Hoosier Hill because of the many Indiana families who settled there. Other families to settle up and down the middle fork were the Watts, Pittengers, Ferguson, Herd, Helton, Pense, Grant, Fenimore, Wolff, England, Eikenberry, Montgomery, Miller, LaPierre, Drummond, Handy, Brasen, Fadness, Wang, Tjugum, Hansen, Robinson, CK Han...