Steve Bardahl: Sheriff in the Old West (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025 Week 37 theme: "In the News")

My great granduncle Steve Bardahl (1868-1947) was, for a period of time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,  employed in law enforcement in North Dakota. News articles cover some of his cases dealing with bootleggers, con men, forgers, horse thieves, mental health cases, assaults and even a murder. 

The earliest newspaper report about Steve's law enforcement career is from September of 1897. 

Bismarck Tribune 1897-09-21 p.3 from Newspapers.com

Steve was listed as a "constable" in the 1900 US Census, was elected as Sheriff at Langdon, is called "Marshal" in Milton and also often served as Deputy Sheriff to Sheriff Allan Pinkerton in the south end of the county. (It should be pointed out that this is not the famous Pinkerton of Pinkerton Detective Agencies who had died in 1884. It is not known if the two are related.) 

Since the news reports are so numerous, just a couple of his cases will be featured.

First up: the horse thief Thomas McDonald.

Courier Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 25 April 1901 p.1 from Newspapers.com

Although the stolen horses had been recovered, the thief and his ill-gotten gains had disappeared and Bardahl was "on the chase". By the time the above article was published in the Langdon Courier Democrat, McDonald had been captured.

Grand Forks Herald, 24 April 1901, p.5 from Newspapers.com

No mention was made in the Grand Forks article about any involvement of Marshal Bardahl, but the Langdon Courier Democrat soon rectified that.

Courier Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 2 May 1901 from Newspapers.com

Also in 1901 one of the greatest murder scandals in North Dakota history unfolded on Steve's patch. The well-liked local farmer William Barry of Milton was charged with the murder of his equally well-liked hired man Andrew Mellen.

It seems that Mellen was thought to have wronged Barry's sister by not standing by her after getting her pregnant.  Barry initially said he had tried to hang Mellen, but when that failed, he had slit his throat. At the first trial, Barry's lawyers sought to absolve him of responsibility by pleading temporary insanity. 

Bismarck Tribune, Bismarck ND 7 Jan 1901 from Newspapers.com 

The unnamed sheriff pledging his personal responsibility for the defendant in the above news item was probably Steve Bardahl. Although there is no other indication that Steve was involved in the investigation, he was responsible for seeing that Barry was imprisoned after the first trial resulted in a guilty verdict.

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The Bismarck Tribune 29 August 1901 p. 2 from Newspapers.com

This did not end the matter. A second trial was held in 1903.

Sister blamed at Second Trial - Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, ND 19 Nov. 1903 from Newspapers.com

Throwing the blame on his sister did not work but did get his sentence reduced from life down to 10 years.  (The sister had mental health issues and died a few years later in an institution but no report could be found suggesting the birth of any baby.)  The third trial in 1904 resulted in his life sentence at Bismarck's State Prison being reaffirmed. Newspaper coverage was extensive over the years, filling many columns - most far too long to easily share here in readable format. 

Finally, in 1911 William Barry was released from prison putting an end to the case. Still, the community must have remained divided in opinion even after his release. No indication could be found about Steve having had an opinion in the matter, though no doubt he did.

William Barry Released - Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, ND 25 Jan 1911

Even Steve's wife Laura (sister to my grandmother Louise Nelson who had married Steve's half brother John Bardahl) adopted a role at least once -- accompanying a friend who was being sent to the state mental asylum. 

Courier-Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 30 August 1906 from Newspapers.com

By 1907, Steve and Laura had moved to nearby Nekoma as reported by this newspaper item:

Courier-Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 30 May 1907 from Newspapers.com

(Steve was also a terror to his sister-in-law Louise Nelson Bardahl who was certainly no evil doer. She was traumatized -- definitely NOT amused! -- when he locked her in a jail cell as a "joke".)

The final news item for Steve's career is from 1910 as he and Laura planned to leave the area. 

Courier-Democrat (Langdon, N.D.) 18 August 1910

Steve and Laura tried homesteading in Saskatchewan, Canada along with other family members. 

Steve's position as an effective law enforcer was not matched by a happy personal life.  Sadly, the loss of two babies in infancy and Steve's heavy drinking eventually put an end to their marriage and to life in Canada. Steve was living with his widowed mother in Lien, Grant, MN at the time of the 1930 US Census. 

Steve Bardahl believed to be the man on the right in this 1930 photo of his mother Anna Elton Bardahl including her other two  sons Ole and John and their wives Louise and  Anna

Shortly after this, he moved back to the Langdon, N.D. area where he died 24 July 1947. He is buried in an unmarked grave in the Lebanon Cemetery at Milton, N.D.