Golf
Organized golfing got its start in Dickinson when a group of nine people met and formed the Dickinson Town and Country Club, May 6, 1913. Dr. V.H . Stickney was elected president and other officers were W.F. Burnett, vice president; John Reuter, secretary, and Guy Hunter, treasurer.
The club leased 70 acres from James C. Young and later bought the land. It is easily identified on present city maps as the "Golf Course Addition," a housing development bounded by 13th Avenue West and Empire Road on the west and north and Young's (Rocky Butte) Park and the Hagen Junior High School football field on the east. Early construction on the course was done by volunteers. In 1917, a new 56' x 66' clubhouse was constructed where "Peppermint Park" (Optimist Park) is now located, just northeast of the Dickinson State College campus. This replaced a 16' x 40' clubhouse that had been used previously.
During the dry, hard times of the 1930s, the golf club went into debt, largely for taxes, and went to the city for help. In about 1938, the golf course land was deeded to the city for payment of back taxes and other debts. The agreement said that the land would be used for a golf course; if sold, the city would have to provide for another course.
The old club was dissolved and reorganized into the Dickinson Country Club in 1952, the first step in working for a new golf course. In 1954, plans were drawn up for a new course on the Heart River and by March 3, 1955, the club showed its interest in having the old course developed as a housing subdivision. The city however, had dropped the idea for the rest of that year.
The question of creating a housing area out of the golf course was put on a ballot in 1956, with the country club members backing the drive as the only way to get a new course. The measure passed, but then the city found it could not legally go into the real estate business. A non-profit corporation, known as the Dickinson Development Corporation, was formed to sell the lots. The land for the present golf course was acquired by long-term lease to the city from the Northern Pacific Railway and the Bureau of Land Management.
The old clubhouse was moved to the new course in 1957 and land leveling and construction of bridges in the new course was done that year. The course opened May 30, 1958. By 1961, the club was looking at a new clubhouse. With funding from the city and club members, the new building took the place of the original structure. The old clubhouse was moved off by Gilbert Saxowsky. In about 1967, the golf club had expressed interest in adding 104 acres of Bureau of Reclamation Land south of the Dickinson Dam for course expansion, and a committee was formed. Much of the funds for the addition came from a Bureau of Outdoor Recreation grant, with matching funds provided by the city, the club and individuals.
The city leased land originally owned by William Kesting for the proposed addition. Kesting's land had been condemned by the Bureau of Reclamation for development of the Heart River water resources, specifically below the flood level. An additional 3.2 acres needed for the golf course was condemned after the Park Board stepped in.
In 1973, the grant was approved and a preliminary plan was submitted by a Minneapolis architect. The master plan for 18 holes was done by a Colorado company and construction started in 1974. But in 1977, construction was halted as the city began to work on installing bascule gates on the dam and the Bureau of Reclamation decided there was need for an auxiliary spillway. Construction of the auxiliary spillway took parts of 1979 and 1980 and the bascule gates work started in 1981. Some course work was done while the construction was going on.
In 1980, the name of the golf course was changed from Dickinson Country Club to the Heart River Golf Course to reflect the fact that the course is municipally operated.
In the summer of 1982, the remaining 25 percent or so of the work on the new nine holes was to be completed and may be played in the 1983 season. (Centennial Roundup)