Col. William w. McIlvain

The obituary writer for Col. William W. McIlvain found much to remember when he printed a

longer than usual death notice for him. Of course, McIlvain is best remembered as the first

commandant of the North Dakota Soldiers Home, but he had lived a full life prior to that post.

McIlvain’s “Colonel” designation was apparently an honorific much like auctioneers use today

since the only military ranks found in his record were corporal, sergeant, and 1st lieutenant.

We learn that as a younger man he had seen active military service and served his country in the

so-called Border War in Kansas Territory when that population fought bloody skirmishes among

themselves. The issue was trying to decide if they should allow slavery or prohibit it when they

achieved statehood. McIlvain went on to enlist in the Michigan infantry during the Civil War

where he participated in a number of engagements.

Colonel McIlvain first came to the territory of Dakota in 1883 and settled in Fargo where he

worked as a land agent for the government. Among his duties he inspected homesteader claims.

Said to be a hard worker, he was given credit for many pioneers successfully coming here. But

the life of a bureaucrat didn’t interest him enough to make a lifelong career of it, so he came to

Sheldon the following year and started farming two miles west of town. He was practicing what

he preached you might say.

He established an 800 acre operation with his son Frank. In the 1880s it is important to

remember power was furnished entirely by draft animals, i.e. oxen and horses. How much of his

land was tilled, I’m left wondering. If he plowed and seeded a large amount, he must’ve hired a

large number of field hands. We can surmise from an April 7, 1885 item in The Progress that a

good deal of his land was in pasture, too: “We notice that Frank McIlvain has been hauling

barbed wire homewards. Guess there is to be some fencing done on that farm.”

After working hard to turn his virgin sod farm into a successful operation, William turned to the

business world and established an active general merchandise business in Sheldon with his son

Frank. In 1893 McIlvain received the appointment as commandant of the Soldiers Home in

Lisbon and was present when it first opened its doors.

He was present to greet the first veteran who entered the facility on August 2, 1893. He was

George Hutchings, a veteran of the Civil War and a resident of Ransom County. A Hutchings

family narrative appears in the Sheldon history book. Written by Eunice Hutchings Joubert she

states, “The Hutchings family history goes back to the first government, a trading post, in

Shenford Township, run by George Hutchings. He served in the Civil War from Minnesota,

reenlisted and after being involved in Indian troubles in Montana, he was sent to Dakota

Territory. George is now buried in the Soldier’s Cemetery at Lisbon, ND.”