In the early days of the 20th century, Beulah was a raw prairie town with a little coal mining and a great deal of farming.  By 1879, Catholic immigrants, mostly Germans from Russia, began to arrive.  The shortage of priests, along with hazardous travel conditions, made the development of the church slow.  During the horse and buggy days, Benedictine priests from Bismarck and Richardton served Beulah as a mission  of Halliday, ND. 

The first priest to arrive in the vicinity was Father Bonaventure Goebel, OSB.  He served from 1914-1916.  Mass was seldom celebrated more than once a month.  In 1915, Pearl S. Chaffee donated $500 and a piece of land to establish a church.   A grant by the Catholic Extension Society and substantial donations from parishioners saw the completion of a small frame church.  The bishop approved the church on July 18, 1916, and it was dedicated to St. Joseph.  Following WWI, Bishop Wehrle asked the Precious Blood Community of Ohio to staff the Mandan to Killdeer rail route with priests, so the German-speaking people would not lose touch with the Church.   

The congregation increased beyond capacity early in the 1930s.  The Altar Society held many fund-raisers until finally, with another Extension Society grant and a loan from the bishop's aid fund, there was enough money to begin building a new structure.  This church was completed in 1938.

After WWII, the Catholic population in the area warranted a resident priest.  Father Ray Guiillozet C.PP.S, became pastor in 1948.  With the building of the Garrison Dam in 1952, Beulah began to feel the impact of the energy industry.  In the 1970's huge new coal fired electric generating plants rose near town, as well as the nation's first synthetic fuels plant.  All of this changed the character of the town and parish.  The parish became more diverse, and grew significantly.  The most dramatic growth took place in the decade 1973-1983.  In 1973 there were 140 families, and in 1983 there were no less than 373 families.   The difficult side of energy growth, however, is that it tends to fluctuate.  Institutions must build for the greatest expansion, but this is often followed by declining numbers.

Father Harold Roth was pastor of St. Joseph's from 1970 to 1981.  By 1977, he could see that a new church building was imperative.  A 500-seat steel building with a stone-like front was planned and built, with the debt paid off by 1984.  The first Mass in the new church was celebated April 16, 1978.  The Precious Blood Fathers were withdrawn in 1984 after 63 years of service, and the parish was reassigned to the Bismarck Diocese with Father Edwin Volk as pastor.

There were Catholics in Mercer County as early as 1882, but they were so few that area priests could visit them only occasionally until 1914.  After the Keeley Opera House was built in the new town of Hazen, Catholic Mass was held there the first Sunday of every month.  Father Goebel, OSB came from Bismarck and was pastor until 1919.    In 1915, a new frame church was built.  The original Catholic Church was dedicated on May 2, 1915 by Bishop Wehrle, who preached in both German and English.  It sttood on a property donated by Michael and Alice Keeley, and on which the present church also stands.  All of the priests who served until 1921 lived in Bismarck.

In 1921, the Precious Blood Fathers assumed pastoral responsibilities for all churches along Highway 7 (now Highway 200).   Father Evaristus Olberding was the first resident pastor of St. Martin's living in a house purchased by the parish.  

Work on the present church started in 1962.  It was completed in August, 1963.  In 2000, work started on building a new addition which includes extra seating for Mass, a new fellowship hall and kitchen, restrooms and handicapped accessibility.  St. Martin is served by St. Joseph, Beulah.