Cannonball Stage Station State Historic Site

UAV video of Cannonball Stage Stop State Historic Site, Grant County, North Dakota - October 17, 2018. The altitude of the quadcopter was 400 feet and wind speeds were 5--7 miles per hour when the flight was made. Surface depressions marking the location of two dugout structures and a barn are visible near the fenced area in this video.

The Cannonball Stage Station was the fifth stop after Bismarck on the Bismarck to Deadwood Stage Trail. For a brief period from 1877 to 1880, a booming stagecoach linked the westernmost stop of the Northern Pacific Railroad at Bismarck to the gold fields of the Black Hills. Built in 1877 by the Northwest Express and Transportation Company, the stage station overlooked the Cannonball River fifteen miles southeast of Carson, Grant County, North Dakota.

When the Northern Pacific Railroad ended its tracks at Bismarck, Dakota Territory in 1873, the town became the collecting point for travelers heading west or south. In 1877 one of the commercial transportation modes was a stagecoach line. The Bismarck-Deadwood stage quickly gained popularity because it ran directly to the gold fields of the Black Hills. By early summer 1877, daily stages were departing to the hills.

Whenever a stage arrived at the Cannonball Station, spent horses were replaced with fresh teams, and passengers stretched their weary bodies and ate the meager fare. Although this station was not as well equipped as the overnight stop at Cedar Creek, there was a barn and a log building. The station also served as a home to one employee.

Visitors stopping at the station today will find the remains of two dugouts (assumed to be the station building and an unknown building) and the rectangular outline of a barn. A quiet park on the east bank of the Cannonball River with a hand-pump water fountain and picnic table continue the tradition of hosting travelers at Cannonball Stage Station State Historic Site.
Music: “Traveling On”, original music composed and performed by Arnold Jordan & Dan Foster, Spring 2016

Видео Cannonball Stage Station State Historic Site канала State Historical Society of North Dakota