The History of Baldur

A look back at the beginning...

Throughout the 1880s, the Municipality of Argyle became populated with homesteaders. These pioneers experienced many hardships and difficulties, common to the absence of market and railway facilities. Then one day came the assurance that the Northern Pacific Railway was to put a line through the district. This brought great relief to the farmers, as it would release them from the drudgery of long wheat hauls and would open up avenues for commerce and trade.

In 1889, surveyors came, grading was commenced, giving work to farmers and their teams. Ties were put down, rails were laid and town sites chosen. Greenway and Belmont were placed, but the farmers in the Otenaw district and to the north and south of the present town, were not satisfied. They felt a station should be placed between Greenway and Belmont. A.W, Playfair protested by word and. pen against the placing of Greenway, as he wanted a station placed in the Otenaw district.

Finally, the railroad town site officials consented to placing another station between Greenway and Belmont. They chose a site, three miles west of the present town. Then came a tug-of-war. Jesse Chester, who farmed SE 14-5-14, Reeve Peter Strang and Sigurdur Christopherson led in the protest against this site, as they felt it was unsuitable in every respect. Their choice was the present townsite. An engineer was sent out again, with instructions to survey a piece of land one mile west of the present town site. But Mr. Chester was determined to have his way, and he induced the engineer to survey the present site, and he hauled the surveyors equipment to the ground.

Finally, in the spring of 1890, the site was promised and the land was purchased from Mr. M.T. Creamer and Mr. Taggart, for $7.00 an acre. Before the title had even been obtained for this site, lots were being selected and buildings in the course of erection.

Then came the decision of naming the town. One of the railway officials, Mr. Cleghorn, suggested the town be named Chesterville, after Jesse Chester. Sigurdur Christopherson, "father" of the Icelandic pioneers, wished to name the town after a pretty flower ( Baldr's Brow). So he suggested the name of a beautiful Nordic god, the pure radiant god of innocence and summer sun, namely "Baldur". Baldur was the son of Odin the supreme god and creator, the son of Grigga, goddess of married love and of the hearth. After many arguments and a decision made by vote, the name "Baldur" was adopted for the town, which was about to become the leading center of a rapidly growing municipality.

In the fall of 1889, Mr. G.W. Playfair had undertaken grain buying for the Bawlf Grain Co., first at Greenway, later building a spur at the track on the land soon to become the town site of Baldur. He had a building moved from his farm, which he used as an office beside the spur. Here he handled business for his winter grain buying, (The grain was brought in by sleigh). After the town site question was fully settled, Mr. Playfair moved the office building to the front street of the town and opened up in the lumber, furniture and coal business.

During the building of the railway, the workers frequently went to Chesters for meals and farm produce; they persuaded Jesse Chester to build a boarding house commonly known thereafter as the Chester House.

Other pioneer businessmen in Baldur in 1890 were: Sigurdur Christopherson, who was the Icelandic Immigration officer and who built an office; William McKnight, who built a carriage and blacksmith shop; Thomas E. Poole, hardware merchant and tinsmith, who erected a hardware store; A,E, Cramer, who built a two-story building which was used as a saddlery shop by C.W. Watson; G.W. Cramer, who built a blacksmith shop, operated by Harry Goodman.

Each year, as more settlers came into the district, the growth of the town was steady. By 1898, Baldur had a population of 400 and had the following business houses and other requirements: four general stores, one hardware store, three fruit and confectionery stores, one butcher shop, three general blacksmiths, one machinist, one bake shop, one banking institution, two financial and real estate offices, two implement agencies, three bicycle agents, two hotels, two lumber merchants, one furniture and undertaking store, one bookbinder, one shoemaker, contractors and builders, one newspaper, two doctors, one veterinary surgeon, two livery and feed stables, two sewing machine agents, one society hall, one private school, three elevators, one grist mill, municipal office, one constable, two justices of the peace, one piano and organ agent, two churches, and a skating and curling rink.

In 1898, Frank Schultz, a real estate agent, purchased the town site from the Northern Pacific Railway.

This is how Baldur came to be. More information on Baldur's past can be obtained in the book "Come into our Heritage R.M. of Argyle 1882 - 1982". This book can be found at the Baldur library and has the entire history of the R.M. of Argyle area. This book also contains Family Histories of all the families that lived in this area going back over a century.

- Compiled and written by Anne Gudnason