 In an election held on March 11 that year, voters approved a bond issue of $50,000 () to be used for a new jail and courthouse.Although two saloon owners from Shevlin challenged the legality of the bond election, a judge dismissed their case on June 7, 1902, and construction of the new courthouse began.At the time, Beltrami County already owned all of the land in Block Seven, between Sixth and Seventh Streets, which was only a few blocks north of the old courthouse.