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<br />History and Background <br /> <br />Sisseton and Wahpeton bands ofthe Sioux Native Americans occupied what is now Cass <br />County. The first European settlers migrating west across North America were fur <br /> <br />bearers. As such, the first settler in Cass County, Peter Goodman in 1866 or 1867, was <br />an employee of the Hudson Bay Company. The new pioneers relied heavily on the areas <br />waterways, settling along the Red, Wild Rice, and Sheyenne rivers for sources of wood, <br /> <br />water, resources, and transportation. (Commission of Cass County and the Cass County <br />Planning Department 1988). <br /> <br />The area now known as Cass County was originally part of Pembina County which <br />included all of northern Dakota Territory east of the Missouri River. As settlement <br />increased in the area, Pembina County was carved into several smaller counties. Cass <br /> <br />County, named after George W. Cass, the President of Northern Pacific Railway, was <br />officially created in 1873, with the first County Commission meeting being held on <br />October 27, 1873 (Commission ofCass County and the Cass County Planning <br />Department 1988). <br /> <br />The expansion ofthe Northern Pacific Railway crossing in 1871 at what now is Fargo <br />marked the beginning of western development into the county. This expansion brought <br />new settlers which combined with the discovery ofthe fertile soils ofthe Red River <br />Valley created large bonanza farming operations. These settlers performed the arduous <br />task of sod busting, exposing the natural soils to seed various small grains; spring wheat <br /> <br />provided the areas first cash crop and its success largely responsible for the increased <br />number of settlers into the region (USDA 1983, 1-2). The intensive farming practices of <br />the bonanza farms contributed to the 1930's Dust Bowls and led to soil conversation <br /> <br />practices used to prevent the erosion ofthe fertile topsoil (Commission ofCass County <br />and the Cass County Planning Department 1988). <br /> <br />The increased utilization of the automobile and the expansion and creation ofa higher <br />quality road network allowed residents to travel longer distance more rapidly and <br /> <br />2 <br />