“Among the early settlers in the Ross community were Florenz Lins, coming in 1886 with J.W. Durham.  Other early settlers in the neighborhood were Edward Erickson, who came with his folks in 1889; John Krog, 1890; and Lars Odegaard, 1895. Mr. Lins came to what is now Roseau County in 1886 with George Davis, driving a team and following Indian trails.  George Davis homesteaded here, and later served as county commissioner, defeating Mr. Skagen

“Mr. Lins moved from southern Minnesota to North Dakota, then to Roseau County.  On their inspection visit to this community Mr. Lins and Mr. Davis stayed two weeks.  There were few “settlers” in the Roseau Valley at the time.  Mr. Lins mentioned Ryder, the fur trader who was located on the Roseau River about two miles north of Pelcher’s Crossing (where the dam site is located at Roseau).  A Mr. Woods was at the Crossing but had not been there long.  Jim Jester was also located nearby.  The few settlers lived by trapping in the winter and picking snake root in the summer.  Mr. Lins reported there were seven families at the Ross Indian Village when he first visited it.  This included Billy McGillis and an Indian lady, he estimated there about fifty in the band.  They traveled from one hunting ground to another with travois and home-made carts with wooden wheels, which running without grease, shrieked most horribly.  The water table was high, and Badger Creek was hard to cross at times. Settlers used many routes to reach the Roseau River.  One of these was an Indian trail which left the ridge near the range line by Badger, went through the old Doc Davis’ place, and angled across Skunk Creek.  Lins stated that in 1885 Lon Irish, his wife and two sons were living in the vicinity of the Smith place on the rivers between Ross and Duxby.  Frank Irish, the first teacher in the valley, taught at the first school, which was located north of Roseau, in 1887.  A cousin Grant Irish was also in the valley at that time. 

Lins returned to his farm near Nash, North Dakota and put in the spring crops, then returning with George Davis and Martin Dieter in late May and putting up hay.  Roswell Waterman had bought out Woods at Pelcher’s Crossing and had set up a hotel on the banks of the Roseau River, Mr. Waterman was the father of Mrs. John Dieter.  Mr Sutton came later and establisher a store,.  Jadis (later called Roseau) was named after the county auditor of Kittson County. Mr. Jadis was the financial backer of Sutton, and probably had a bearing on the Post Office being called Jadis.  In the fall of 1887 Lins returned to North Dakota (for the) threshing season after establishing a place west of his present location.  His parents and brothers settled along the rivers bank to the east.  (to be continued)

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