“Crosby, N.D. a community of 1,201 people, is the county seat of Divide County, the northwestern most county in the state of North Dakota. It was settled in 1904 as a commerce center to serve homesteaders, primarily from Scandinavia.” (https://www.crosbynd.com/).
I’m amazed every visit we make to Crosby at the hospitality we receive from all the locals. A lot of folks ask, “so WHY Crosby, ND… you know, South Dakota also has pheasants to hunt! Couldn’t you have found a place a little closer to the South?” Well… yes we could have, but you just can’t beat the small town atmosphere of Crosby. I step back into time for 2 weeks every year that we visit. Crosby has one of everything– one grocery store, one gas station/ service station, one motel, one school district, one pizza joint, one hospital, one dentist, one… ok, ok. You get my drift. Oh… and every day you instantly know when it is time for lunch and when it is time to be settling in for bed. At 12pm and 10pm they sound an alarm throughout the community, which freaked me OUT the first time I heard it because it made me think we were under a nuclear attack.
We’ve had some neat experiences here. We have been a part of restoring a house for handicapped hunters. Gary Peters, a friend of ours from SC is working in cooperation with the Wheelin’ Sportsmen, a division of the NWTF, and has purchased a home in Crosby that was damaged by fire. It will soon be revamped and handicap accessable– ready for all the excited hunters!
We were buzzed by a border patrol plane while we were out duck hunting with our ar-15 rifles. We literally were about 5 ft from the USA/ Canada border. We could have easily driven into Canada through the wheat field… BUT… can’t escape those heat sensors. Here is a pic… the road and land behind the monument is Canada.
We were invited into the home of The Thompsons for coffee and sweets. How cool is that?!? I mean, come on… who does this anymore these days? I felt like I was being invited in my ma Ingalls for hot, homemade bread and coffee.
Dried Beef… mmm, mmm, good! That was a first for me. Straight from Westby, MT.
Last year we visited the Ingalls’ Homestead in De Smet, South Dakota. Being that Little House on the Prairie is one of my all-time favorite tv shows, this was very neat to me. We were able to see the barn, ma’s house, and the outhouse. Pa Ingalls’ Cottonwood trees were still present on the homestead too.
Here are some of the sights I saw for the first time! I tried to get pics of them all! It was awesome to see the droves of migrating geese and ducks– here are some SNOW geese. How beautiful!
OH… and tumbleweeds!!! I was so excited to actually see one… or, how about a bunch caught in the fence along with some spectacular cotton candy clouds!
And of course, pheasants! They are such a beautiful bird; and so fun to hunt, not to mention very tasty!
Oil rigs are popping up EVERYWHERE out there. The locals don’t mind though because it is bringing more business to their little towns.
We were able to visit the North Dakota badlands– Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This was VERY cool being that my husband is a Soil Scientist and I also am very intrigued by soil formation.
And I can’t leave out these clouds; Neat-o, huh? Those are some serious snow clouds!
Lastly, the rolling, never-ending fields of corn, wheat, and sunflowers were a first as well!! I wish I could see those sunflowers in full bloom one year, but since it doesn’t coordinate with hunting season, I don’t think we’ll ever see that :O(
I’m sure I’ll think of more exciting stories of Crosby, and if I do, I’ll keep “you guys” posted! Ya.
Looks like you had tons of fun! And the Ingall’s house! How neat! Love the bird shots!
Charlotte, those were fantastic pictures! The accompanying dialouge was awesome as well. Chisolm has been out there and I wish sometime to see it, too.