During the late 1870s, a great settlement boom was happening across the northern tier of Dakota Territory. The majority of the immigrants were homesteaders, looking to stake a claim and live off the rich farmland. These settlers had made their way here from all over the world, including Scandinavians and Germans. Some traveled a shorter distance, crossing the Canadian border in order to find a place to call home. That is how the story of Drayton, North Dakota began.

In 1878, a group of individuals from north of the border in Drayton, Ontario gathered together to plan their migration south. A.W. McCrea was one of the men looking to homestead. He, along with others, departed Canada in the spring, and traveled by wagon and steamboat through the Red River Valley. On April 26, 1878, McCrea chose this particular spot as the site of a new settlement, one that would become known as Drayton, after their hometown.

Within weeks at least three cabins had been erected and the prairie was broken to begin farming on each of the claims selected by members of the little colony. The population was augmented by the arrival of other individuals attracted by letters from their settler friends. In 1887, the Northern Pacific Railroad was stretching west across Dakota Territory to the Missouri River. Luckily for Drayton, the tracks passed right through town, a fact that all but guaranteed young settlements would survive. Drayton was incorporated as a village in the fall 1889, right before North Dakota statehood, and officially became a city on March 12, 1896.

Even before the iron horse arrived, this area had been a critical part of international transportation and trade. The ox cart trails had been screeching through the Drayton area since 1820. Navigation on the Red River began in 1859 with steamboats, which became an important means of transportation as well. In its early years, Drayton became an important river boat landing on the Red because it was located on the highest point between Grand Forks, North Dakota and Winnipeg, Manitoba. A steel drawbridge built in 1911 connected downtown Drayon with Minnesota and eliminated the need for dangerous wintertime crossings on the ice. As the years went on, the ox cart trails became obsolete and steamboat traffic died, though, to this day, Drayton remains a critical thoroughfare as it is situated next to Interstate 29 and serves as an agricultural hub due to its rich, black farmland.

For recreation, citizens of Drayton had many options from catfishing to curling. Over 120 years ago, the sport of curling was introduced to Drayton residents by Dr. H.M. Waldren, Sr. On December 23, 1901, North Dakota’s first curling club was organized with 20 charter members. The first rink was built two years later and the present rink was constructed in the 1950s. While times have certainly changed in Drayton, the heartbeat of the small town remains thanks to generations of citizens who celebrate and remember its beloved history.