Bellegard and Mariadahl, Pottawatomie County

Bellegard and Mariadahl, Pottawatomie County

The Detective Story of Bellegard/Mariadahl:
The Case of the Two Towns with One Face

Against all hopes, Bellegard, the Swedish farming oasis, never truly became a town. But in symbiosis with Mariadahl, both “towns” persisted for approximately 30 years before Bellegard dissolved. Their union was the only thing that kept either town alive. Bellegard was home to the famous “cutting edge security” post office and a school. From a single scrap of evidence, our two man investigative force pieced together a riveting story of this one town with two faces, which we know as Bellegard and Mariadahl.

Alexander Doll and
Mark Manbeck

The Chapman Center for Rural STudies

Fall 2012

The Chapman Center for Rural Studies

Kansas State University, Department of History

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