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Dan Manning: The Dunn County Rancher Whose Name Marks a County Seat

A Union Army veteran turned stock raiser, banker and first mayor of Dickinson.

Who Was Dan Manning?

Daniel Manning, known as Dan, was a western North Dakota stock raiser who is better documented as a civic builder than as a cattle breeder. The most detailed account of his life is the August 1914 Dickinson Press obituary reproduced by the Dunn County genealogy site, and it does not give herd sizes, breeds or brands.

That limit shapes this profile. The cattle side of his career is described only in outline, and the rest of the record covers his military service, his early western years, his mayoralty and the town that took his name.

From Illinois to the Union Army and the Union Pacific

Manning was born in Kane County, Illinois, on July 2, 1845. He enlisted in the Union army at sixteen and served four years in the Civil War. After the war he spent a year farming in Iowa, then worked for the Union Pacific from 1867 to 1869.

By 1870 he was prospecting near Butte and Helena in Montana. He arrived in Dakota eight years later.

Stock Raising Near Bismarck and in Dunn County

Manning first came to North Dakota in 1878 and settled about ten miles south of present-day Bismarck, where he raised stock. In 1879 he married Kate Donnelly of Bismarck. In 1884 he began ranching in McKenzie County, and in 1885 he moved to Dunn County, where his permanent ranch home was.

The timing places him in the same Little Missouri country where the 1884 roundup brought stockmen together, as noted in the Prairie Public profile of James William Follis. The obituary says he retired from the stock business many years before his death.

The Key to Manning's Success

Manning's success came less from the size of his herd, which is undocumented, than from the way he tied his ranching to the towns that grew around it. The following points come directly from the obituary and the Dickinson Museum Center.

The documents are silent on his finances, any conflicts and the effects of his ranching on neighbors, so this profile offers no judgment on them.

  • He moved west in stages, from Illinois to Iowa to the Union Pacific to Montana prospecting, and arrived in North Dakota in 1878.
  • He moved his ranching west with the range, from near Bismarck to McKenzie County in 1884 and to Dunn County in 1885.
  • He settled his family in Dickinson in the early 1890s.
  • He served 24 years on the board of the first national bank chartered in the territory west of Mandan.
  • He took public office as Dickinson's first mayor and helped organize Dunn County in 1908.
  • He retired from stock raising early, long before his death.

Dickinson's First Mayor and the Bank Board

Manning served as the first mayor of Dickinson from July 1900 to 1908, per the Dickinson Museum Center record. The family had lived in Dickinson since the early 1890s, and he served 24 years on the board of the first national bank chartered in the territory west of Mandan.

Those posts, the bank board and the mayor's office, put a stockman at the center of local credit and city government.

Why Manning, North Dakota, Carries His Name

He played a prominent part in organizing Dunn County in 1908. The Wikipedia entry for Manning, North Dakota, a lead rather than a final authority, says the county seat was founded that year and named for Dan Manning, a pioneer rancher who promoted the area. An earlier proposal to name it Owensville after William P. Owens was dropped when Owens declined.

Manning died the night of August 20, 1914. Services were held at his home, he was buried at St. Patrick's cemetery, and at the mayor's request Dickinson businesses closed during the service. His three sons were William, who died at twelve, Birney, who ranched near Malta, Montana, and Gervase.

Learn More About Western North Dakota Ranching

For the wider story of the region, explore farm.FM's ranching section or read a farm.FM story about North Dakota ranching pioneers.

Timeline

  1. 1845Born July 2 in Kane County, Illinois
  2. 1861Enlists in the Union army at sixteen
  3. 1867-1869Works for the Union Pacific
  4. 1878Settles near Bismarck and begins stock raising
  5. 1879Marries Kate Donnelly of Bismarck
  6. 1885Moves to Dunn County, where his permanent ranch home was
  7. 1900Becomes first mayor of Dickinson; serves until 1908
  8. 1908Helps organize Dunn County; the town of Manning is founded
  9. 1914Dies August 20 and is buried at St. Patrick's cemetery

Frequently asked questions

Who was Dan Manning?

Dan Manning (1845-1914) was a Union Army veteran and North Dakota stock raiser who served as the first mayor of Dickinson and helped organize Dunn County in 1908.

Is the town of Manning, North Dakota, named after Dan Manning?

Yes. Manning, the county seat of Dunn County, was founded in 1908 and named for Dan Manning, a pioneer rancher who promoted the area.

When was Dan Manning mayor of Dickinson?

He was the first mayor of Dickinson, serving from July 1900 to 1908, according to the Dickinson Museum Center and his 1914 obituary.

What cattle did Daniel Manning raise?

The surviving obituary says he engaged in stock raising near Bismarck and in McKenzie and Dunn counties but gives no breeds, brands or herd sizes.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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