One of the first homesteaders in Leonard Township was Andrew Ross who settled on Section 2 in 1877. Others to follow were: Mary Hewitt, Nick Seil, Edgerton Watts and Charley Roberts, who all came in 1881. The present townsite of Leonard was included in the claim originally filed by Mary Hewitt. Later, she and Edgerton Watts were married and the village plots were sold to the settlers. The early settlers were impressed by the lush grass, good drainage, easy to work soil, good water and an abundance of wild game.

The coming of the railroad came about through the efforts of Charley Roberts. He made a trip to New York to contact eastern capital under the pretense of starting a private railroad called the "Fargo and Southwestern." This brought action by the Northern Pacific Railroad, who bought him out and began laying their rails from Moorhead in the summer of 1882. The line was completed in 1883. The first trains ran for a short time during the summer of 1883, but stopped with the coming of winter. They started operating again in the spring of 1884 with a passenger train each way and several freight trains. The first rail bus, known as the B-l or the "Galloping Goose," made its initial run in the early twenties followed by larger rail buses later on. Sam Rustad was the first caretaker and Al Airth was the first railroad telegraph agent. I. P. Fenne came in 1921, leaving for a time, and returning in 1927. He was an agent in Leonard for 30 years.

The first business in the township was a boarding house established by John Boos in 1881. He boarded the section men who were in the process of building and laying new rails. This boarding house was located one-half mile southwest of Leonard in the SW corner of the SE quarter of Section 28. The first building in the village was a claim shanty erected by Edgerton Watts in 1881. The first business in the village was a general store established by Sam Rustad. A grocery store was established in 1883 with Edgerton Watts as proprietor. The post office was housed here also. Later business enterprises to spring up in the village were the John Boos Hotel, grocery and general store, the Henry Schummer Hotel and the Lei Hardware Store. Jack Shane started the first livery barn; Charlie Schroeder, the first harness shop; Albert Porter, a bicycle and watch repair shop; Michael Toussaint, a restaurant which later became the Seelig Hotel. Three grain elevators were soon constructed in the village. They were known as the D and D Elevator, the NP Elevator and the North Dakota Elevator.

The first Leonard Township meeting was held April 26, 1884. The supervisors were Michael Leonard, James Ross and Amos Searles, chairman; Sam Rustad was elected treasurer with Q. R. Gibson as clerk and W. T. Andrews as assessor. C. W. Cottoen and D. S. Weaver were elected justices of the peace, with George White and Henry Biever as the elected constables. Judges were D. S. Weaver, W. P. Andrews and John Grest.

The townsite was platted in the year of 1885. John Duryea, Jr., was the surveyor who platted the village. With this start, Leonard developed into a modern progressive village, which was incorporated in 1951. Today, the appearance of the city of Leonard has changed. Means of transportation, from oxen to horses, passenger trains to bicycle, automobile to public busses to airplane has helped to make this change.

Improved roads and the building of highways have made travel pleasant and efficient. Leonard is bordered by State Highway No. 18 on the east which was built in 1918 and by State Highway 46 on the south which was built in 1935. Leonard is 17 miles south of 194. No grain elevators remain in Leonard. Trucks and transports are now being used. The stockyards, which were built in 1909, were removed in 1943. The livery barn was removed in 1912. No passenger train stops at Leonard and the depot was moved away. Messages by telegraph were sent from this depot before the telephone was operating. In 1901, the first rural telephone line was started. It was known as the "Leonard Rural Telephone Company." Leonard served as a central office for the surrounding territory until 1947 when the dial system was installed by Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. No hotel remains in Leonard. The cream stations have stopped operating. The last one was operated by O. J. Landsem. No doctor serves Leonard. Dr. Huntley practiced there from 1909-1935. He then moved to Kindred and maintained an office in Leonard for a few years.

With progress comes change. These are only some of the changes which have taken place over the years. Leonard is still looked upon as an ideal place to live and currently houses around 250 residents. From the early settlers to the residents that call Leonard home today, hard work and being a good neighbor are the values that have formed the strong community that Leonard, North Dakota is today.

How Leonard Was Named

The Centennial History Committee searched for information as to how "Leonard got its name." Many different stories were gathered. Quite by accident, a letter was received by the Leonard Post Office. (See letter) The postmistress, Lois Vangsness, notified the committee. They corresponded with Roy Stiles the only living child of Leonard Stiles, (whose name was used in some of the stories). A copy of the biography of Leonard Stiles from the State Historical Society of Pierre, S.D., was received. It stated that Leonard was named in his honor because he circulated the petition to establish a post office. Also received, was the certificate of appointment to Leonard Stiles as the first postmaster in Leonard, December 19,1881 and signed by U.S. Postmaster General, Timothy 0. Howe, (items printed) The land description of the soldiers claim filed by Leonard Stiles is the N.W. Va of Section 32, Leonard Township. On October 14, 1980, the History Committee, Corinne Larson, Alice Dittmer and Anna Powers, drove to Britton, S.D., to meet and talk to Roy Stiles. They received the picture of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Stiles and more information. With this documentation, the committee feels Leonard was named in honor of Leonard Stiles.

April 11, 1980

Dear Postmaster or Mistress:

In case you or anyone else is interested in how Leonard got its name, here are the facts. I am Roy Stiles the 86 year old son of Leonard C. Stiles. I have his appointment certificate signed by Timothy O. Howe, the Postmaster General at that time. I would enjoy hearing from someone in Leonard.

Sincerely,
Roy 0. Stiles

Images and content provided by the North Dakota State University Archives Library and Digital Horizons.
Book Title: Leonard centennial, 1881-1981: Leonard, North Dakota, July 3-4-5, 1981