​GET TO KNOW GLADSTONE

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History of Gladstone, ND

Gladstone is a small, historic community in southwestern North Dakota, nestled in the fertile Green River valley of Stark County. Founded in the spring of 1882, the town began as Green River Station, a settlement established by approximately 150 pioneers from Ripon, Wisconsin, who were drawn to the area’s rich soils and agricultural promise. Bountiful crops raised on newly turned sod during the first year helped the young community take root.

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Early Frontier Roots

Long before Gladstone was platted, the surrounding valley held deep historical significance. The confluence of the Green and Heart Rivers served as a site for military camps during the Sully Expedition of 1864 and Custer’s Seventh Cavalry in 1876. It was also a stop along the Keogh Trail and a construction camp for the Northern Pacific Railway in 1879. These early activities set the stage for settlement once the railroad arrived. ​In 1882, the town was officially named Gladstone in honor of British statesman William Ewart Gladstone. Early families, including the Birdsalls, Crynes, Konos, Littles, Lawrences, Kitells, Bissells, Scofields, Jopps, Letts, and Turners, built sod houses, opened small businesses, and established the foundations of civic life.

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Growth Along the Railroad

The railroad played a central role in the town’s early development. A depot and section house were built in 1882, and by 1883 Gladstone had a school and the first post office west of Mandan. Its population approached 300 residents. Hotels, stores, grain elevators, churches, newspapers, and banks soon followed, supported by nearby lignite coal deposits that settlers mined at shallow depths for clean-burning fuel. Clay and fertile farmland also helped residents build homes and businesses. ​German-Hungarian immigrants arrived in the 1890s, enriching the community’s culture and establishing their own parishes and social traditions. Gladstone City Hall, built in 1920, became a gathering place for township and business meetings, social events, and dances.

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Challenges and Resilience

Like many rural towns, Gladstone faced hardship during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Severe droughts and dust storms devastated area farms, and major fires in 1933 and 1935 destroyed portions of the business district. Residents rebuilt and continued investing in their community, including the construction of a new high school in 1955. Over the following decades, agricultural consolidation and economic shifts reduced the number of local businesses and led to population decline, but Gladstone remained a steady rural community.