Editing Cavalier County, North Dakota (section)

==History==
The [[Dakota Territory]] legislature created Cavalier County on January 4, 1873, with territory annexed from [[Pembina County, North Dakota|Pembina County]], but did not organize the county government structure at that time. It was named for Charles Cavileer (or Cavalier)<ref>[https://apps.nd.gov/doh/certificates/deathCertSearch.htm ND Certificate of Death for Charles Cavalier, died August 4, 1902 in Pembina County (accessed February 16, 2019)]</ref> of Pembina, an early settler.<ref>Cavaleer or Cavalier was a fur trader, customs agent and postmaster. [{{cite book|last=North Dakota Secretary of State|title=North Dakota Centennial Blue Book|publisher=North Dakota Legislative Assembly|year=1989|location=Bismarck|page=484|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HZKEOgAACAAJ}}] There is no explanation for the difference in the spelling; one placename historian suspects it was an attempt to [[Gallicize]], or make the name appear [[French people|French]].[{{cite book|last=Williams|first=Mary Ann (Barnes)|title=Origins of North Dakota Place Names|publisher=Bismarck Tribune, 1966|location=Bismarck|page=221|year=1966|oclc=431626}}]</ref>

The county organization was effected on July 8, 1884. Its boundaries were altered in 1883 and in 1887.<ref name=dakota/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nd.gov/content.htm?parentCatID=83&id=County%20History|title=County History|work=North Dakota.gov|publisher=The State of North Dakota|access-date=February 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202151843/http://www.nd.gov/content.htm?parentCatID=83&id=County%20History|archive-date=February 2, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After petitioning the Territorial Governor for permission to organize the county, Patrick McHugh, W. Hudson Matthews, and L.C. Noracong met on July 8, 1884. On July 26 the new county officials met for the second time and chose Noracong as chairman of the board with William H. Doyle and Matthews as Commissioners. The first Register of Deeds and County Clerk was McHugh. W.J. Mooney became the first Judge of Probate, Charles B. Nelson was the first Cavalier County Supt. of Schools, and Clarence Hawkes the first sheriff.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} Cavalier took its current form in 1887 after the Territorial Legislature authorized an increase in size by taking a portion from Pembina County. The expansion added 15 new townships to the county.<ref name=dakota>{{cite web|url=http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/North_Dakota/documents/DAKs_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111113432/http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/North_Dakota/documents/DAKs_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 11, 2007|title=Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies|access-date=February 16, 2019|last=Long|first=John H.|year=2006|work=Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries|publisher=The [[Newberry Library]]}}</ref>

A site for a county seat was selected at the second meeting; it was named [[Langdon, North Dakota|Langdon]], for Robert Bruce Langdon of Minnesota, an official with the [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railroad]]. Langdon never visited the town, but reportedly donated a bell for the local school.<ref name=wick>{{cite book|author=Wick, Douglas A.|title=North Dakota Place Names|year=1988| publisher=Hedemarken Collectibles|location=Bismarck|page=109|isbn=0-9620968-0-6|oclc=191277027}}</ref>

The first court house was built in 1884 at a cost of $360.00. It was used briefly and then abandoned for warmer and more centrally located quarters in a downtown bank. A large brick court house was built in 1895 on the present site at a contract cost of $9,099.00. This building served county officials until the current court house was constructed in 1957–58.<ref>[http://cavaliercounty.us/ Cavalier County (website)]</ref>

===Cavalier County Historical Society===
Established after 1969 - The Holy Trinity Church at Dresden, ND became the cornerstone of the County museum. It now houses local historic artifacts and landmarks.

The Holy Trinity Church at Dresden replaced two previous wooden structures that both burned. The present structure was erected in 1936, built out of fieldstone collected by the local parishioners. An architect from Minneapolis, Fabian Redmond, designed the building. A stonemason from Rugby ND, Edroy Patterson, directed volunteer workers.

Assisting in the building of the church were Andrew Bachman-head carpenter, Alphonse Hiltner, Stanley Koehmstedt and William Geisen.