This photo shows a scenic view at Beaver Lake State Park in North Dakota. A dirt path lined with trees leads down toward the calm waters of Beaver Lake, framed by tall evergreens on the left and golden-leaved trees on the right. Wooden posts border the roadway, and the open sky and distant shoreline create a peaceful prairie lake setting, highlighting the park’s natural beauty and tranquil atmosphere.

This 283 acre park, on the shore of what is locally known as Red Lake, now Beaver Lake, has a colorful and historic history relating to the early settlers of Logan, McIntosh and Emmons counties. One of North Dakota’s first cattle tycoons and serial entrepreneurs, C.P. Burnstad, for whom the ghost town of Burnstad was named, arrived in Logan County around 1906 with ideas of Wild West shows, races, and local cowboys in their fanciest shirts showing off for the girls.

So began one of the best shows around featuring all manner of races and competitive events. At one time, a rodeo featured buckboard races, bronc riding, relay races on horseback, and more. Prizes were awarded for winners in all the events. The first organized gathering to promote a state park and honor the original settlers occurred on July 14, 1929, at Shepherd's Pavilion, located south of the present park site. In August 1930, the land for the park was purchased.

Beaver Creek was dammed in 1933, raising the level of the lake. In 1935, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) crew was assigned to the park to build roads and pathways, construct an earthen dock, and to terrace the picnic area. Old timers remember the days of attending the Old Settlers Picnic at the park. There was a 2-hole golf course and a 1/2 mile horse race track along the oval loop, which is now the campsite loop.

Stand on the edge of the loop and close your eyes. Imagine the excitement of watching local riders holding on for dear life riding horses racing around the track! Can you hear the pounding of the horses’ hooves, the excited shouts of the children as they watched the races and the calls of the mothers extolling their children to stand back and out of the way?

For more local history, visit the Logan County Historical Museum at 708 W. Lake Avenue, in Napoleon.

Funded in part by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for Humanities.