Walhalla Trading Post North Dakota

Located in Pembina County in North Dakota, Walhalla is a city that sits on the banks of the Pembina River five miles from the Canadian border. Walhalla was founded in 1871, a few decades after the German hall of fame Walhalla temple in Bavaria, Germany.

The name “Walhalla” is a word borrowed from a Scandinavian myth which signifies “The Paradise of the Gods” or “Happy Home”. Walhalla is the second oldest town in North Dakota. Most of Walhalla’s history revolves around the fur trades along the Red River. Norman Kittson, an American fur company built a trading post in Walhalla to gather the abundant furs provided by the Indians who trapped in the Pembina Hills. Another trading post was built by Antoine Gingras it was located northeast of Walhalla.

Through the 1850s and 1860s, the Indian tribes living in the are fought amongst themselves and later massacred many groups of early settlers and missionaries. One of those who were killed was Alsonzo Bernard and D.B. Spenser who brought the first printing press to the city. The mixing of early french traders and Indians created a new ethnic group called the Metis. The Metis, themselves, have a very colorful history as they struggle from their homeland of Canada as well as their lifestyles. The first black methodist church can also be found here, although currently it is used as a historical site and not a church.

There were 452 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $28,095 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,894. About 9.7% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those aged 65 or over.