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Map - Found and researched by Laura Eckstein, Phd Candidate @ U of P. ....Garske is the name of the Jewish colony that was established 1883 in Ramsey County, North Dakota. Schapera was the the early name for the colony’s post office . As can bee seen on later maps (see Collection) it was officially known as “Ben Zion” or “Benzion.” While the name Garske comes from non Jews who lived in the area, the colony/town was named “Garske” and was predominantly Jewish. This is the only map I have found with Garske featured which fits with the the fact that 1895 was around the colony’s peak. The Garske Colony near Devils Lake, North Dakota was settled beginning in 1883. Many of the homesteads, but not all, were owned by Jewish families. Each family occupied its own land, usually a quarter section of 160 acres. The Garske Colony was not the first community to have Jewish settlers, but it was one that succeeded. Eventually 90 Jewish men and women filed claims in Ramsey County for land in this area. By 1912, the Garske Colony was the Northwest's oldest Jewish farming settlement. By the mid-1920s, however, the families had moved away and only the cemetery remained.

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Physical Location

Arc.MS.56, Oversize Box 6, Folder 2