Louis B. Hanna

You may recall the name Loius Hanna from point one on this tour. He owned land in Riverside Cemetery and was Treasurer of the Cemetery Association. Hanna, originally from Pennsylvania, was also a successful businessman and a man of politics.

In 1910 as a congressman, he would work with the European settlers of Plaza, just north of Fort Berthold. As Plaza grew, so did the need for farm land. Hanna, as a member of House of Representatives Committee on Indian Affairs, would work to open tribal land to settlers. To succeed, he worked to raise the amount of payment to the Arikara, Hidatsa, and Mandan for the land; however, the money paid went to the U.S. Treasury. Congress had control of the money to appropriate for education, support, and “civilization” on the reservation. (1)

Later, as North Dakota's 11th Governor, Hanna would travel to Norway in 1914 with Smith Stimmel to present and dedicate the Abraham Lincoln statue in Christiania (Oslo), Norway. Later in WWI he served in France and captian of the American Red Cross.

Sources:

1. “Section 5: Opening the Reservation | North Dakota Studies.” Accessed December 2, 2016. http://ndstudies.gov/gr8/content/unit-iii-waves-development-1861-1920/lesson-1-changing-landscapes/topic-4-reservation-boundaries/section-5-opening-reservation.

2. “Louis B. Hanna - North Dakota Governors Online Exhibit - Exhibits - State Historical Society of North Dakota.” Accessed December 2, 2016. http://www.history.nd.gov/exhibits/governors/governors11.html.