MANDAN Historical Society

Working to Preserve & Promote Mandan's Heritage since 2004

Welcome

Membership

Activities

Ag Stn Centennial

History Harvest

TR-Coe Exhibit

WWII Exhibit

Museum & Office

Area History

Book: "Mantani"

The 1870s

The 1880s

Mandan Rodeo / Fair

School System History

The 1890s

The 1900s

1901 Pan Am Expo

1903 TR Visit to NDak

The 1910s

1910 Spring Flood

1911 Fair & Airplane Demo

1912 TR Whistle-Stop

The 1920s

Prohibition in Mandan

Mail Order Kit Homes

The 1930s

FDR Visit August 1936

The 1940s

The 1950s

1958 Lincoln Stamp FDC

Custer Drama / Trail West

The 1960s

The 1970s

The 1980s

The 1990s

1st of the 21st

2010-Present

Area Landmarks

Cary Bldg - Mandan Drug

CCC Camp Chimney

Christ the King Church

Collins Av Civic Bldg

First Lutheran Church

First National Bank Bldg

First Presbyterian Church

Great Plains Academy

Great Plains Expermt Stn

Lewis & Clark Hotel

2nd Liberty Memr'l Bridge

Mandan Hill

Mandan Theatre

MissValley Grocery Warehs

Methodist Church

NP Beanery

NP "Colonial" RR Depot

NPRR Freighthouse

NP Rail High Bridge

Roughrider Statue

St Joseph Church

Whispering Giant Statue

WWar Memorial Bldg

Youth Correctional Center

Gone Forever

Central School

Collins Ave Courthouse

Cummins Building

Deaconess Hospital

Eielson Field

Emerson Inst/Opera House

First St Federal Building

Havana Club

Hotel Nigey

InterOcean Hotel

Mandan Creamery & Produce

Mandan Flour Mill

Merchants Hotel

ND Memorial Bridge

NP "Queen Anne" Depot

Original Passenger Depot

Palace Theatre

Peoples' Hotel

Red Trail / State Route 3

Rock Haven

Topic Theatre

Young's Tavern

Heritage Homes

Altnow-Smith Home

Dunlap-Harris Home

Ellis-Uden Home

Freeburg-Esser Home

Lyon-Weigel Home

McGillic Home

Olson-Brick Home

Parkin-Cooley Home

Stutsman-Wyatt Home

Swanson-Reichman Home

Welch-Ness Home

Endowment Fund

Genealogy Links

Biographies A-C

J D Allen

Franklin Anders

Richard Baron

James Bellows

George Bingenheimer

Margaret Bingenheimer

Philip Blumenthal

Elijah Boley

Frank Briggs

Leo Broderick

William Broderick

Frank Bunting

Lyman Cary

James Clark

Henry Coe

Viola Boley Coe

Daniel Collins

Elizabeth Custer

George Custer

Biographies D-L

Alice Dahners

Henry Dahners

C E V (Charles) Draper

Esther Davis

Tony Dean

Joseph Devine

Ronald Erhardt

John Forbes

Palma Fristad

Gilbert Furness

Aloysius Galowitsch

Frederic Gerard

Zalmon Gilbert

Charles Grantier

James Hanley Jr

James Hanley Sr

Mary Harris

C Edgar Haupt

Elfriede Trinkler Kuhn

Michael Lang

William Langer

Albert Lanterman

William Lanterman

Richard Longfellow

Rolland Lutz

Hiram Lyon

Biographies M-R

George Marback

Gary Miller

Lee Mohr

Margaret Naylor

John Newton

Anton Ness

John Osterhouse

George Peoples

Arthur Peterson

Nels Romer

Hoy Russell

Walton Russell

Antonie Rybnicek

Ervin Rybnicek

Hynek Rybnicek

Biographies S-Z

Margaret Schaaf

Tilden Selmes Jr

George Shafer

Benjamin Shaw

William Simpson

Anna Knox Stark

Mary Stark

Benjamin Stephenson

J O Sullivan

John Sullivan

Era Bell Thompson

Andrew E Thorberg

Ida Thorberg

C L Timmerman

George Toman

Earle Tostevin

Edwin A Tostevin Sr

Edwin D Tostevin Jr

Walter Tostevin

Felix Vinatieri

A B Welch

Levon West

Frank Wetzstein

Harry Wheeler

Philomena Yunck

View Collections

Artifacts - Miscellanous

Newspapers

Pottery and Glass

Photos - Buildings

Photos - Downtown

Photos - Floods

Photos - People

Photos - Rail and Trains

What's New

William H. Simpson (1851-1929)
William H. Simpson was born in Woodstock, Canada December 11, 1851.  He moved with his parents to Wayne Michigan as a young child and received his education there.

In 1881, he came to Mandan, Dakota Territory while he was working as a conductor of the work train that handled materials for the construction of the Northern Pacific bridge over the Missouri River.

Leaving the railroad in 1884, he went into partnership with Pat McBillic in the grocery and general mercantile business.  This business was dissolved in 1892 when Mr. Simpson established his own store, which he later sold to John Foran.

In 1890 he went back to Wayne Michgan and married Miss Elizabeth Ann Stephens on February 13, 1890.  Elizabeth was the daughter of John H. and Elizabeth (Bishop) Stephens.  She was born April 23, 1865 at Clifton Michigan.  Elizabeth was one of twelve children.  Her father, a mining engineer at the Clifton Cooper Mines died before she was born.  Her mother died in 1874.  She was reared and educated at Wayne Michigan by an uncle William Noble, a minister there.

Mr. Simpson was one of the organizers of the Farmer's and Merchant's State Bank in 1902 and served as vice president and president of the institution.

When Fort Abraham Lincoln was abandoned.  President Grover Cleveland deeded the property to Mr. Simpson.  His daughter, Mrs. Bergenson, has the original deed.

He was ever prominent in public affairs in the early days.  He was Republican legislator and served threee consecutive terms starting in 1903.  In 1904, upon the death of then acting postermaster, Mr. Simpson was given an interim appointment and was appointed postmaster from 1909 to 1913.  He was for many years a member of the State Fair Board and was on of the organizers of the Missouri Slope Agriculture and Fair Association.  He was also active in Mandan's volunteer Fire Company No. 2.  Mr. Simpson was also active in the real estate business and a partner in the cement contracting business with Oscar Edwards.

Mrs. Simpson was a very active woman in the Mandan community.  She was best known for her work in musical circles.  She often appeared as a soloist at the musical programs.  Her home was always a center of musical gatherings.  She was a member of the Mandan Park Board., the Presbyterian Church, the Eastern Star and Mandan Reading Club.  Mrs. Simpson like her husband, was also active in the real estate business and a partner in the cement contacting business with Oscar Edwards.

William and Elizabeth Simpson were the parents of three daughters; Mrs. Genevieve (Thomas J.) Lough of Detroit, MI, Mrs. Evelyn (R. M.) Bergeson of Bismarck and Mrs. Willifred (Harry) West, Laguna Hills, CA.

William H. Simpson died on February 23, 1929.  He is buried in Union Cemetery, Mandan.
 

The MHSoc's museum and office is located at 3827 30th Avenue NW; Mandan, ND 58554
Contact us at info@mandanhistory.org


Last Updated 05/29
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