Editing Casselton, North Dakota (section)

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2017}}

Casselton had its origin in 1873 when the Northern Pacific Railway sent Mike Smith to plant cottonwood and willow trees in the area to serve as windbreaks along the right-of-way. They planned to harvest the trees for lumber to use as railroad ties, but the experiment failed for a number of reasons.

In 1874, Emil Priewe and his wife joined Mike Smith at the station. The Priewe's son, Harry, was born on March 28, 1875, in a sod shanty, the first child born in the developing village. Others came to settle and by 1880, the town had a population of 376, according to the official census. A school was organized in 1876 and the town was incorporated as a village in 1880.

The hamlet was variously called "the Nursery", "Goose Creek" and "Swan Creek", named for the stream that meandered through the area. In 1876, the railroad established a station called Casstown, after George Cass, the railroad president. When the post office was established on August 8, 1876, the name Casselton was designated.

[[File:MarshSelfBinderDTHaynes1877.jpg|thumb|left|Marsh Self Binder at work on the Dalrymple Farm, 1877<ref>{{cite book |last=Nolan |first=Edward W. |title=Northern Pacific views: The railroad photography of [[F. Jay Haynes]], 1876–1905 |publisher=Montana Historical Society Press |location=Helena, MT |year=1983 |isbn=0-917298-11-X |pages=9}}</ref>]]
During the 1870s, George Cass and Peter Cheney traded their railroad stock for {{convert|10000|acre|km2}} of land near Casselton and decided to develop the property as one large farm, rather than dividing the land into small tracts. They employed Oliver Dalrymple, of southern Minnesota, to head the operation. These [[Bonanza farm]]s became highly successful and proved that the prairie was very suitable for agriculture.

Various means were used to attract immigrants from Europe and migrants from the East looking for a piece of land or the chance to become tradesmen and professionals. Casselton's population reached 1,365 in 1885.

The Great Northern Railway had an additional influence in the growth of Casselton. Several branches radiated from the city. The railroad excavated a reservoir to supply water for its steam engines. In 1906 the railway constructed a round house and service center which operated until 1920. In the 1920s, railroad personnel were transferred to other locations, and as a result, the population of Casselton fell 285 persons between 1920 and 1930.

Casselton installed a city water and sewer system in the mid-1920s. Water was pumped from artesian wells, and stored in a standpipe which was located on the east part of town. Today, that site is used as a winter skating rink. Looking like a gigantic culvert, the standpipe was {{convert|110|ft|m}} tall and was kept until 1956.

By 1957, the Great Northern Railway no longer had a need for the Casselton reservoir. They deeded the {{convert|73|acre|m2}} of land, which encompassed that body of water, to the City of Casselton. The reservoir was developed to be used as a municipal water supply until March 1978, when the city's water started to come from the Leonard Phase of the Cass Water Users System. The reservoir area has since been developed into a recreational center with softball diamonds, tennis courts, picnic tables and the like.

[[File:Business men’s baseball game near Casselton, N.D. area, 1895.jpg|thumb|Business men’s baseball game near Casselton, North Dakota, 1895]]

The streets of Casselton were improved through municipal and state efforts. In 1927, the downtown roads were graveled. In 1930, as a US [[Works Progress Administration]] project under the President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] administration during the [[Great Depression]], the federal government paid local workers to pave State Highway No. 18 through the city. After World War II, the business district streets were paved with concrete. Since that time, all streets and avenues have been hard-topped, and a modern storm sewer system was installed at the same time.

The 1996–1997 school year opened with a newly completed, nearly $8 million Central Cass Public School building. It replaced a three-story building on the same site, that was dedicated in 1912 and cost $50,000. The school district covers nearly {{convert|400|sqmi|km2}}, and attracts over 800 students. Because of the continued growth, an addition to the school complex was completed in time for the 2003–2004 school year.

Casselton is known for its population of [[American red squirrel]]s. Central Cass High School uses the squirrel as its mascot.<ref>{{cite web|title=Central Cass Football|url=http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/central-cass-squirrels-(casselton,nd)/football/home.htm|website=maxpreps.com|access-date=July 12, 2017}}</ref>

===2013 train derailment===
On December 30, 2013, a westbound [[BNSF Railway|BNSF]] train carrying [[soybeans]] derailed approximately one mile west of Casselton. An adjacent eastbound BNSF train carrying [[crude oil]] struck wreckage from the westbound train (accident location {{coord|46|54|4.82|N|97|13|59.42|W|type:event}}). The collision ignited the crude oil and caused a chain of large explosions, which were heard and felt several miles away.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/422408/|title=Casselton train crash a 'huge accident' but a coincidence; Inforum; December 31, 2013.|access-date=August 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/northdakota-derailment-idINL2N0K919L20131230|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123191751/http://in.reuters.com/article/northdakota-derailment-idINL2N0K919L20131230|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 23, 2016|title=UPDATE 3-Train collision in North Dakota sets oil rail cars ablaze|first=Alicia|last=Nelson|newspaper=Reuters|date=December 30, 2013|access-date=August 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=As oil train burns, 2,300 residents of Casselton, N.D., told to flee|url= http://www.startribune.com/business/238070771.html?page=1&c=y |date=December 30, 2013|newspaper=Star Tribune}}</ref> The resulting fireball created a massive cloud of black smoke, which prompted authorities to issue a voluntary evacuation of the city and surrounding area as a precaution. The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] conducted an investigation, and in 2017 issued findings of probable cause, starting with a broken [[axle]] on the westbound train.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/PR20170207b.aspx |title=NTSB Issues Probable Cause for Casselton, North Dakota, Crude Oil Train Accident}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/pages/casselton_nd.aspx|title=DCA14MR004|website=www.ntsb.gov|access-date=August 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|ZhraoVIJ1OE|NTSB video}}</ref>

Although no casualties were reported, as the crew of the crude oil train abandoned the lead locomotives before they were engulfed in flames as soon as they had derailed and come to stop in a snowbank,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhraoVIJ1OE|title = BNSF Railway Train Derailment and Subsequent Train Collision|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> the incident occurred in proximity to a populated area and renewed safety concerns regarding the transportation of hazardous materials by rail, especially in the wake of the [[Lac-Mégantic derailment]] in [[Canada]] earlier in the year. Casselton mayor Ed McConnell, acknowledging that the town "dodged a bullet", publicly called on the [[United States government|federal government]] to review the dangers and urged lawmakers to consider [[Pipeline transport|pipelines]] as a safer option.<ref name="abc7">{{cite news|url=http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?id=9376994|title=Train derailment: Mayor says ND town dodged bullet|date=December 31, 2013|publisher=KABC-TV Los Angeles|access-date=December 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101184114/http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?id=9376994|archive-date=January 1, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>