Editing Watford City, North Dakota (section)

==History==
In 1913, a few prospective businessmen located on the townsite of the future Watford City in anticipation of the arrival of the first [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railroad]] train from [[Fairview, Montana]]. The Northern Land and Townsite Company, a division of the Great Northern, platted the town and sold lots in June 1914. Building began immediately, and many businesses and homes were moved from [[Schafer, North Dakota|Schafer]], which eventually became a ghost town. Watford was incorporated in June 1915, and was named by Vaughan G. Morris (1879–1940) for his hometown of [[Watford, Ontario]].<ref name=diamond>{{cite book |title=Watford City diamond jubilee, Watford City, North Dakota: 75 years of progress |publisher= The Committee |location=Watford City, ND |year=1989 |oclc=23135720}}</ref><ref>After graduating from [[Wayne State University]], Morris first homesteaded near [[Schafer, North Dakota|Schafer]] and then became Watford City's first doctor. Eventually Morris moved to [[Beach, North Dakota|Beach]].  He is buried in a cemetery between Watford City and Schafer.</ref> A year later the town added "City" to its name to differentiate itself from [[Wolford, North Dakota|Wolford]] in [[Pierce County, North Dakota|Pierce County]].<ref name=wick>{{cite book |author= Wick, Douglas A. |title= North Dakota Place Names |year= 1988 |publisher= Hedemarken Collectibles |location= [[Bismarck, North Dakota]] |isbn=0-9620968-0-6 |oclc=191277027}}</ref>

The Great Northern planned to extend its line to [[New Rockford, North Dakota|New Rockford]] and in 1914 began building the "Madson Grade," one of the longest dirt filled railroad grades in the country about a mile west of town.  Two years later the grade was ninety feet high and nearly a mile long, but the project was abandoned shortly before the United States entered [[World War I]].<ref name=diamond/>

Village officers were elected in 1915, and they concerned themselves with such tasks as impounding stray horses and cattle, prohibiting swine and chickens from town, locating hitching posts, and removing hay stacks from Main Street.<ref name=diamond/> The town had a band and baseball team from its founding.  A school and several churches were also constructed almost immediately.  During the [[Great Depression]], a water and sanitary system was completed using labor mostly paid by the [[Public Works Administration]].<ref name=diamond/>

In 1940, Watford City won a hotly contested campaign for county seat, defeating [[Alexander, North Dakota|Alexander]] and [[Arnegard, North Dakota|Arnegard]] and taking the prize from [[Schafer, North Dakota|Schafer]]. At first there was difficulty finding suitable office space, and a recently constructed hospital was sold to the county for use as a courthouse.  A new hospital was dedicated in 1952.<ref name=diamond/>  [[Watford City Air Force Station]] (formally Alexander) was opened nearby in 1979. [[Burlington Northern Railroad]] abandoned the branch line from Fairview to Watford City in 1992.<ref>https://www.abandonedrails.com/fairview-to-watford-city</ref>