Oelrichs in Dakota Territory began in 1885 after Harry Oelrichs of New York had arrived in 1882 and bought several large cattle ranches totaling 35,000 head of cattle for the Anglo-American Cattle Company, at a time when thousands of Texas Longhorn cattle roamed freely throughout the area. In 1885 the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad was completed through town, and that same year Harry Oelrichs established his headquarters east of the railroad tracks at the former Tan Ranch, bringing culture to the town and helping foster many social activities, with celebrities visiting frequently. Ill health forced him to return to New York in 1887, when the town had over 2,000 people. In 1887 an abattoir was built near the railroad tracks, where cattle and hogs were slaughtered daily and shipped to eastern markets, but it closed in 1889. As settlers fenced their claims, the open range closed and the larger ranches were forced out, and Oelrichs became a farming and ranching community that remains so today.