R.H. Dickinson, Pioneer Resident of Region Tells Something About How the Town Came About Being Established; Town had population Of About 250 at Height of Its Existence; Tom Elliott Established First Sawmill; Turtle Lake Townsite Platted by James Cyr

The history of Buena Vista, how it came to be established, its founder and considerable valuable data regarding this "ghost town" of Beltrami county were brought out during an interview of R. H. Dickinson by one of the workers of WPA Historical Project No. 3769 recently, in which Mr. Dickinson recalled facts which if not new are nevertheless of enough interest to bear repetition.

According to Mr. Dickinson, the town of Buena Vista was established by his father-in-law J.W. Speelman, who established a post. office on his homestead claim and called it Buena Vista, which is a Spanish phrase meaning "beautiful to behold," a name which he selected because of the natural beauty of that place. For a time he operated a stopping place for the wayfarers that might to be in need of a place to spend the night before resuming the trek to their destination. Later, when added business warranted enlarged facilities, Mr.Speelman erected a two-story building and called it the "Summit Hotel," because of the fact that the structure stood at the summit of the Continental Divide.

Soon other settlers came into that region, and two "stopping places" as well as two saloons a blacksmith and a couple of general stores were established and the town of Buena Vista seemed destined to become a thriving community on the shores of Lake Julia, that body of crystal clear water made famous by the Italian explorer, Count Beltrami. At the high point of its existence the town boasted a population of 250 souls, which was not counting the thousands of transients that visited the town en route to the logging camps or searching for now homes in the lands to the north. Mr. Dickinson was not able to recall the names of all of the business men in the little town, but he does recall the fact that one of the "stopping places" was operated by a Mr. La Bree, while he owned one of the general stores.

For a short time Mr. Speelman published the Beltrami Eagle in Buena Vista, having moved his presses and other equipment from Bemidji when he moved from here. Later he sold his newspaper to his son Clarence Speelman, who was the first clerk of court in this county and who continued to publish the paper for a couple of years before giving up the venture.

The only Industry that amounted to anything in Buena Vista, according to Mr. Dickinson, was a sawmill that was started by Thomas Elliott. It employed only a small crew, however, and did not continue to operate for very long. Mr. Dickinson did mention something concerning the fact that he started a box factory in Buena Vista, but he modestly stated that it wasn't so much of a factory. Shipments of the finished products from this factory, which was located on the shores of Lake Julia, reached the market either by rail over the Minneapolis Red Lake & Manitoba line or were hauled to Bemidji by team, the latter being the less costly method and the favored means of handling shipments.

The town of Buena Vista was never platted, according to Mr. Dickinson, but James Cyr did succeed in platting the townsite of Turtle Lake and for several years was making efforts to dispose of lots and get a town started, but his hopes failed to materialize and the name of Buena Vista remained and was used is the name of the town and the postoffice until both were abandoned. At the present time the name is still in common use as a designation for the region between the two lakes, and today all mail is routed through the Puposky postoffice.

The coming of the railroad was a deciding factor in the future of Buena Vista, for when the Red Lake line was built through it missed the lake completely and the town of Puposky grew up to replace the older town, resulting in the eventual abandonment of Speelman's dream of a thriving community. Mr. Dickinson told of an amusing incident in connection with the building of the railroad to Red Lake, which bears repetition.

When the steel and other equipment was put in, this equipment was brought in overland from Steamboat Landing. It had come up as far as Walker over the Minnesota & International railroad, then placed on rafts and floated to Steamboat Landing and finally hauled by teams northward through Buena Vista. When the cars and locomotive passed through town, Mr. Dickinson stated that the men kept ringing the bell, and the comment was made that "the first locomotive in Beltrami County passed through Buena Vista."

Mr. Dickinson continued to operate his box factory until 1922, when he moved to Bemidji, and soon after established the Dickinson Produce Company, which he still operates.

Written by Lloyd Halseth, WPA Historical Project No. 3769, following an interview of Mr. Dickinson, June 9th, 1938.