Heber Mansfield Creel was an American soldier, surveyor, politician, and newspaper publisher. He served as Adjutant General of North Dakota from 1905 to 1907. Creel was born in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in the 1850s. Some sources indicate he was born in 1851 and others claim 1855. Creel later attended West Point in 1873 and graduated in 1877 as

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in 8th U.S. Cavalry. Shortly afterward, he was promoted and transferred to the 7th Cavalry. Over the next few years, he was stationed at several different military forts, most of them being in Dakota Territory (eventually

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

). He was stationed at

Fort Abraham Lincoln Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is a North Dakota state park located south of Mandan, North Dakota, United States. The park is home to the replica Mandan On-A-Slant Indian Village and reconstructed military buildings including the Custer House. ...

Fort Rice Fort Rice (Lakota: ''Psíŋ Otȟúŋwahe''; "Wild Rice Village") was a frontier military fort in the 19th century named for American Civil War General James Clay Rice in what was then Dakota Territory and what is now North Dakota. The 50th Wisconsi ...

Fort Buford Fort Buford was a United States Army Post at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers in Dakota Territory, present day North Dakota, and the site of Sitting Bull's surrender in 1881.Ewers, John C. (1988): "When Sitting Bull Surrendere ...

, and Fort Totten. While there, he created detailed maps of the shores of Devils Lake and the reservation (Spirit Lake). In 1882, Creel resigned his commission and surveyed a townsite. He named it Creelsburg (or Creelsburgh). In 1883, the town's name was changed to Creel City. A year later when the town was incorporated, and after the railroad had arrived, the name was changed again to Devils Lake. Creel became a prominent citizen of the town he had established. He served as postmaster and owned a local newspaper, the ''Devils Lake Pioneer Press''. Creel ran for mayor in 1885, but he was defeated by his rival

Henry C. Hansbrough Henry Clay Hansbrough (January 30, 1848November 16, 1933) was a United States politician who served as the first United States Representative from North Dakota, as well as a Senator from North Dakota. Biography Henry Clay Hansbrough was born ...

. In 1891, Creel was promoted to a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

North Dakota National Guard The North Dakota National Guard consists of the: *North Dakota Army National Guard *North Dakota Air National Guard It is part of the North Dakota Office of the Adjutant General. The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services and North Dakota W ...

. Creel was appointed Adjutant General of North Dakota by Governor Elmore Sarles, and he served in this role from 1905 to 1907. At the time of his retirement, Creel was a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the North Dakota National Guard. Heber M. Creel died in 1932 in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

References

See also