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Rosebud Visitor CenterValley City, North Dakota The Superintendents were in charge of railroad construction and as you all know, the building of the Northern Pacific railroad was responsible for the establishment of our town and the opening of the northern Dakota Territory for settlement. This car was used by S. R. Ainslie, Superintendent of the Yellowstone Division which extended from Glendive to Forsythe, Montana. There were no living accommodations for Mr. Ainslie when he traveled to the western part of his division and he had to sleep on the ground, in old box cars or freight cabooses, so he requested a car to live in. It is said that the Rosebud was one of nine fancy cars that carried dignitaries to the gold spike ceremony at Gold Creek, Montana, which was the celebration of the completion of the Northern Pacific mainline at 5:18 pm on September 8, 1883. At the museum we have a photo of the passenger depot here in town all decorated up for the arrival of NP President Villard’s special train on its way for the celebration. In March 1886 it was assigned to the Idaho Division. The car name was changed to Business Car number 1997 in December 1903. Ten feet were added to the car in 1906 to provide an observation platform. At that time the car was based at Missoula, Montana, where it was assigned to the superintendent of the Rocky Mountain Division. Steam heat was installed in October 1925. In 1929 the car was transferred to the Lake Superior Division until May 1931. At that time, it was assigned to the Dakota Division out of Jamestown. It was considered in such poor condition at that time that after just a few months it was sent to St. Paul, MN, to be decommissioned. Rosebud was purchased in February 1932, by John P. Reeve for $550. Prior to moving to North Dakota, Mr. Reeve had been general manager of the LaCrosse and Southeastern railroad and had obviously acquired an appreciation for the fine old private cars. The car was transported to Beach, North Dakota where Reeve had a ranch where he raised about 300 head of horses and did some farming. Mr. Reeve was active in state politics and was elected to the State legislature in 1910, serving for one year. During the depression, he was appointed by the State Banking Board as liquidator for state banks that closed in the northwestern part of the state. He lived in Minot at this time and continued in this work for almost 20 years, helping to liquidate close to 50 state banks that failed during this difficult time. The Reeves used Rosebud as a vacation home where they entertained many friends and celebrities from across the United States. Some were old time actors such as Fred Wright, Charlie “Shackie” Brewer, Ters Everitt, and wild animal trainer Olga Celeste. Noted statesmen also photographed at the coach included Harr Robinson, John Doyle, Cash White, Fred Miller, Charlie Ward and Martin Ellingson. The coach is also associated with some famous Native Americans in North Dakota. Chief Drags Wolf of the Shell Creek Hidatsas, adopted Clara Reeve as a tribal daughter. A photo of her wearing her war bonnet and the ceremonial party are some of the artifacts included in the purchase of the car. Special thanks must be given to the Reeves and their caretakers, Joe and Florence Pesha, who inherited the car after the Reeves’ deaths, for maintaining the car in such wonderful condition.  On April 10, 2003 groundbreaking ceremonies for the Rosebud Visitor Center were held on the construction site. Construction began 4 days later. Rosebud was moved onto its special foundation within the visitor center on August 4Th and the walls went up around it. Renovation began on September 8Th with the stripping of the asphalt rolled roofing which took a group of volunteers a week to complete. The exterior of the car was then stripped of its paint and rotted wood parts repaired or replaced. The car was in amazing condition for its age and required very little repair. Removal of one of the rotted pieces on the northwest corner revealed a window with original paint that had been covered at some point. The paint removal was done by Mike Bishop, also known as The Wood Doctor. Renovation of the car was done by Daryl Heise of Heise Maintenance Service. The roof was replaced with 40 pound canvas which would have been the material that would have originally been used. The canvas was painted with six coats of a special canvas paint. Originally, it would have received over 40 coats to make it weatherproof. The car then was sanded, primed and painted to match the window that had been discovered earlier. Northern Pacific and the car numbers were then applied to the car using gold leaf. This is real gold which has been hammered to a thickness that is less than tissue paper. After the gold leaf was complete, two coats of varnish were applied. The interior was carefully cleaned and the furniture replaced. It is hoped to get reproduction carpets to replace the old as it is very fragile and is falling apart in some places. Reproduction white glass light shades are also planned as there were only two remaining in the car. The window shades will also need to be reproduced. Two toilet hoppers for the bathrooms, the kitchen range and possibly the copper water tanks which hung from the kitchen ceiling will be manufactured and placed back in the car. Generally, viewing will be through the windows as the hallway is very narrow and is definitely not accessible. The original lighting will be used to highlight the interior for viewing as well as special interpretive exhibits on the history of the Rosebud Superintendents car. The first room is the Observation Room. This is where all the entertaining would have taken place. There are electric lights now, but originally the car would have been lighted by kerosene lamps. There are still marks on the walls to show the location of these lamps. The magnificent chandelier is the only lamp remaining except for the one in the kitchen. There is a berth above the sofa which is a hidden bed that folds down for sleeping. The bar in front of it is for a privacy curtain. The sofa also pulls out into a bed. The upholstery is original in the Northern Pacific snowflake pattern. The wicker chairs also are in this pattern. All of the furniture that you see is original to the car and is marked underneath with the car number. The next room is the Superintendent’s Stateroom. His room is furnished with a full-size bed. He also had his own personal toilet and sink so he didn't’t have to share a bathroom. Next is what we call the Secretary’s Stateroom. It has a special cabinet above the table with cubbyholes for correspondence. This room has a berth and two little sofas that also pull together for a bed, although it is very short. The dining room is next. This room also has a berth and sofas which make into a bed. The table is hooked into two latches attached to the wall and can easily be removed for sleeping on the sofa-bed. The room also features a sliding pass through door from the kitchen with a little folding shelf for serving. The kitchen is the only room which needs much work. The yellow paint will be stripped and the walls returned to the original stain and varnish. The closet in the northwest corner of the kitchen area, which housed the Baker Heater or coal fired boiler, will be restored as will the wall separating the kitchen from the hallway. The kitchen definitely only had room for one cook! When we inventoried the artifacts from the car, the shelves were filled with cooking utensils as well as spices, cleaning products and a box of lime Jello. It also has a very large icebox. On either side of the roof you can see two chimneys. On the south is the chimney for the kitchen range. On the north is the chimney for the Baker Heater. The platforms have been rebuilt using the original beam from the east end as a pattern. The railings are original and were sandblasted and repainted by Quality Auto. The chains could be lowered to allow movement between cars. On the north side, you can see the bathroom or water closet. As you can see, there wasn't’t much space. The toilet hopper was open directly to the tracks. There used to be signs at the depots that prohibited the use of the toilets within a certain distance from the depot. On the east end of the car, the platform has little flip-up doors. When the car was being boarded the doors were up to access the steps which we have reproduced for viewing here. When the car was in motion, the doors were lowered to make a full platform on which to sit or stand. Up above is the box that allows for electrical connection between cars. Three electrical cables would fit into the three slots and the screw tightened to complete the connection. A large 3 inch iron conduit runs the length of the car’s roof which houses the cables. We have powered the car’s lights with a 32 volt system. This is the same way the car was powered for a time at the Reeve Ranch at Beach. The wainscot on the walls here was made from the board and batten taken from the Northern Pacific freight depot which used to stand slightly east of the Visitor Center building in what is now the parking lot. If you noticed the decorative brackets under the eaves of the building as you walked up to the front entry, they were also taken from the freight depot. The handles on the front entry doors were taken from the sliding freight doors and have the NPR initials on them. The freight doors were reproduced applied to the exterior for an added decorative touch on the front and rear of the building. The glass carving on the front entry doors was designed by Carol Wetland of Photo Frame Gallery of Jamestown, ND. The actual glass carving was completed by Kim Bader, KD Limited of Bismarck, ND. The building was designed by Dan Smith Architect to look like a railroad depot building. The freight doors were reproduced as an exterior design element. The decorative windows on the exterior were reproduced from windows in the old Northern Pacific passenger depot which was located where KOVC is now. The interior woodwork is also reproduced from that of the old NP depot. The Valley City signs on either end were actually taken from the original blueprints for the depot building. We hope you enjoy our efforts. The plan calls for railroad related exhibits for the exterior of the building as well. Freight cars and railroad signage will be a part of the display on the exterior to highlight the old Northern Pacific tracks, some of which are dated 1895. According to officials with Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the rails through Valley City were the first charter right-of-way to be sold in the United States. 
The building houses the Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce, Valley City Barnes County Development Corporation, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Scenic Byway, Western Union, Motor Vehicle Branch Office and the North Dakota Winter Show. There are also two conference rooms, one on each floor. As a visitor center, the west end of the building will be used for exhibits and interpretation for the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway, our railroads and their development of the Sheyenne River Valley, the history of the Rosebud itself and the ND Ag Hall of Fame. The building is owned and managed by the Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce.The funding for this project was a $345,000 Transportation Enhancement Grant administered by the ND Department of Transportation. We received $175,000 from the Valley City Food and Beverage Tax Fund. The Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce contributed $5,000. The Valley City/Barnes County Development Corporation provided $85,000 and the Valley City Convention and Visitors Bureau committed $15,000/year for 20 years for construction of the Visitor Center. A donation was received from Bob Beyer and Neil Meyer of Concrete Dakota Inc. for $7,500 worth of concrete for the foundation. Star Enterprises donated $900 for site work. The USDA Forest Service awarded us a $20,000 Rural Community Assistance Grant. We received a $2,845 America the Beautiful Community Challenge grant from the North Dakota Forest Service and we partnered with the Sheyenne Valley Garden Club for a $500 contribution and another $2,000 grant from the Garden Clubs of America to be used for landscaping and installing a sprinkler system on the property. A $3,000 Service & Retail Business Development & Image Enhancement Grant was also received from the City’s one percent sales tax fund. The property itself was a gift from the City of Valley City to the Barnes County Historical Society. We also received $100 from the Red River Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society for renovation of Rosebud. Home Page |
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Valley City, ND 58072 United States Phone: 701-840-0185 © Copyright 2008 - Valley Horizon Enterprises - North Dakota Information Guide Privacy Policy |