Dakota Datebook: Recent Episodes
Prairie Public
Sitting Bull to Phil Jackson, cattle to prairie dogs, knoefla to lefse. In partnership with the Historical Society of North Dakota, and funded by the North Dakota Humanities Council, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily reflect those of the North Dakota Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
On this date in 1936, state and federal officials had evidence against some criminals. After a yearlong investigation, the story broke. Newspapers across the country reported on a celebrity extortion plot hatched in a North Dakota penitentiary. Two convicts were put in solitary confinement. A former prison guard was arrested, and an outside accomplice was identified.
The Vietnam War was a polarizing and traumatic event in American history. Should we stand strong against the spread of Communism or should we allow others to chart their own course? While many Americans signed up to serve in the United States Armed Forces, other Americans marched in the streets to protest the war.
Great legacies can have small beginnings. This includes varsity hockey at the University of North Dakota. On this date in 1908, the University of North Dakota's student newspaper, The Student, asked, “How would you like to have at your disposal, morning, noon, and night, an open-air rink, 200 by 150 feet, in good condition, where you could play hockey or just have a good time?"
Ann Alquist visits with the Head of Reference Services, Sarah Walker, at the Heritage Center in Bismarck to learn more about two veterans she interviewed as part of an oral history project: Nathan Goodiron and Thelma Saxby.
In 1937, one of the world’s greatest musicians came to North Dakota. Sergei Rachmaninoff quietly arrived in Grand Forks and Fargo, and presented his recitals at the piano in each city before sweeping off quietly to his next far-off performances.
The United States nearly doubled in size with the Louisiana Purchase. The staggering purchase price of fifteen million dollars was actually a bargain, as it amounted to about four cents per acre. Once the purchase was finalized, the next question was: what did the United States actually buy? President Thomas Jefferson tasked Meriwether Lewis with exploring the land west of the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis chose William Clark as his co-leader. The Corps of Discovery set off from Camp Dubois, outside of St. Louis, Missouri, on May 14, 1804. It would be two years before they returned.
On this date in 1941, poultry were in the news in various ways. During World War II, poultry played a crucial role in the “Food for Freedom” program, which aimed to boost food production with the slogan "food will win the war." In 1942, farmers were tasked with producing a minimum of 4 billion dozen eggs, an 18 percent increase from the previous year.
When the Civil War ended, Ulysses S. Grant was a national hero and a logical candidate for president. He won the election of 1868. On this date in 1872, he won a second term in an election that had major ramifications for Dakota Territory.
The Oliver family settled near central Dakota Territory in the 1880s. Large game was disappearing, but wildfowl remained plentiful. While it was easy to shoot most wildfowl, getting close enough to wary cranes was challenging, even when they landed to feed.
On this date in 1912, the Bismarck paper reported that the jail in Steele was under heavy guard to prevent a man from being lynched. The incident stemmed from a senseless murder that left the community speculating about the life and career of George Baker. The previous day, Baker had killed his wife, Myrtle, and father-in-law, T.E. Glass, a wealthy retired farmer and civil war veteran.
October is Archives Month, where archives around the country celebrate the records in their holdings and recognize the archivists who assess, collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to information of lasting value. The North Dakota State Archives is part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
Fires were a menace to frontier towns, with many towns burning to the ground, often more than once. Buildings were heated with fireplaces and coal stoves and lit by candles and oil lamps. With wooden structures standing close together, disaster was always just around the corner, and all it took was one careless mistake.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear from Sidney Bird, enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, telling his birth story.
Skuli Skulason was born on the northwest shore of Lake Winnipeg in 1877, the first member of his Icelandic family born in North America. In spring 1880, two-year-old Skuli rode the family’s only cow while the rest of the family hiked from Lake Winnipeg to Mountain, North Dakota. Fifteen years later, he sold a cow he had raised from a calf to finance his education at the University of North Dakota (UND).
As the Eighteenth Century faded into the rearview mirror, things were changing at a mind-boggling pace. Americans began to take to the roads in automobiles. Horse-drawn streetcars were giving way to electric vehicles. Visitors to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis marveled at flying machines and electric coffee makers and dishwashers. The world was on the verge of a new age.
The first official offices of the State Historical Society were located in the basement of the original Capitol building. The rooms were described as “small” and filled with various “mementoes and records of early days, souvenirs of the pioneer and other curios,” all “compressed” into limited space. These items were referred to as “records of inestimable value…stacked in heaps in places around the state house, where they were constantly exposed to the danger of destruction by fire.” This was especially concerning since many people smoked freely in the capitol building at that time.
Valley City, established in 1874, was originally known as Worthington, named for George Worthington, a strong promoter of the settlement. The name was changed to Valley City in 1878. The city is known as the "City of Bridges" due to the many bridges across the Sheyenne River, including the Hi-Line Railroad Bridge. The first census in Valley City in 1880 recorded three hundred twenty residents. By 1890, the population had grown to over a thousand, and Valley City continued to expand from there.
As World War I raged, urgent pleas for help came from Jews in Eastern Europe. They were suffering not only from food shortages but also from discrimination and oppression. An estimated two million Jews were entirely dependent on charity. In response, the Orthodox Union in the United States established a relief committee in 1914. When fundraising efforts fell short, they asked President Wilson to designate Jewish War Relief Day. Wilson approved the measure in 1916, noting in his proclamation that Americans “have learned with sorrow of this terrible plight of millions of human beings and have most generously responded to the cry for help whenever such an appeal has reached them.”
Bud Grant, the legendary coach of the Minnesota Vikings, was always an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting and fishing. One of the places where he hunted waterfowl was Kenmare, in Ward County.
Black patriots played an important role in the American Revolution, with about five thousand African Americans serving the cause of independence. From the first shot at Lexington and Concord to the final shot at Yorktown, Black recruits fought side by side with their white comrades. By the time of the Civil War, the American military was segregated, with nearly 200,000 African Americans serving in the Union Army and Navy.
When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, suspicion fell on German Americans. Anti-German sentiment led to the prohibition of teaching German in schools, the closure of many German-language newspapers, and persecution for speaking German in public or on the phone.
October is Archives Month, during which archives across the country celebrate their records and recognize the archivists who assess, collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to information of lasting value. The North Dakota State Archives is part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
President Franklin Roosevelt was on the move in the fall of 1937, embarking on a cross-country railroad trip to assess the needs of the nation. Scheduled to make several speeches during his trip, his staff described the journey as “more intake than outage.” Roosevelt aimed to meet local officials and assess the needs of the American people as the Great Depression persisted.
1902 saw the introduction of a new sport in the United States when a turtle race took place in Chicago. This so-called sport became very popular in the 1920s. Gangster Al Capone took note of the popularity and realized he could introduce them into his speakeasies as an indoor betting event. In 1930, he bought 5,000 racing turtles for his saloons.
Lisbon, located in the beautiful Sheyenne River Valley of southeastern North Dakota, is home to a historic post office building built in 1939. Within that history is the story of a lost sculpture.
In the early morning of Sunday, December 28th, 1930, the North Dakota State Capitol building burned down. People capture this historic and momentous event on film and in photos. Newspapers across the state reported on it.
The University of North Dakota's 1912 Dacotah yearbook reported that president Edward Robertson of Wesley College envisioned Sayre Hall, the men’s dormitory, as a place “where tossing, stretching, room stacking, and other relics of barbarism intended to strike terror into freshmen … would have no place, for the founder had high ideals.” The yearbook continued, “The knowing ones shook their heads and murmured: ‘Wait and see, time will tell.’”
Beginning in a field near Wing, Apple Creek meanders 65 miles before flowing into the Missouri River near the University of Mary in Bismarck. In 1885, residents considered the creek a recreational spot, although it could often be dangerous. Some declared that crossing the Apple Creek bridge after dark, or with a shy team of horses by daylight could be perilous. Others called the bridge “inadequate and insufficient” because it was too narrow for farm machinery.
In June 1917, fourteen steamships and three Navy transports gathered in New York Harbor. They were accompanied by four cruisers, thirteen destroyers, two armed yachts, and two fuel tankers. By the end of the month, the flotilla had reached France, delivering fourteen thousand fresh American troops to join the Allied forces in World War I.
Ever since the establishment of the Minot Air Force Base and the Grand Forks Air Force Base in 1957, North Dakota has been considered a potential target for enemy nuclear weapons. This knowledge created anxiety among some of North Dakota’s citizens. One response has been to build fallout shelters in backyards or basements.
On this date in 1971, the University of North Dakota's student newspaper, the Dakota Student, announced an upcoming visit by Congressman Arthur Link to UND. He represented North Dakota's western district at a time when North Dakota had two congressional districts.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear from Kevin Locke, enrolled member of the Standing Rock Nation, in part three of Hinhan Kaga and the Milky Way.
Frank O’Brien was born in 1892 in Fargo. At 18, he began working at the Fargo Mercantile Company, a wholesale grocer. Like many young men of his time, Frank was drafted after the United States declared war on Germany in 1917. He was among the first draftees from Fargo and was inducted in September 1917. After arriving at Camp Dodge, Iowa, Frank wrote a letter to his former colleagues at the Fargo Mercantile Company, describing his training as a member of an infantry supply company.
On this date in 1957, newspapers across the country reported on Louis Armstrong's recent remarks during an appearance at Grand Forks Central High School, where he expressed outrage over the crisis at Little Rock High School.
The Homestead Act of 1862 placed land in the hands of men and women willing to work hard to realize their American dream. Any qualified person who lived on the claim for five years and improved it could claim 160 acres for a small filing fee. The Act applied to "any person," meaning women and freed slaves were eligible. At the end of five years, the claimant could pay the sum of eighteen dollars to earn ownership of the 160 acres.
On September 17, 1787, one hundred and two years before statehood, the North Dakota area was part of British and Spanish territories. The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, marking the beginning of the ratification process. Called Constitution Day, the anniversary would be commemorated by North Dakota governors, well before it was federally recognized.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear from Kevin Locke, enrolled member of the Standing Rock Nation, in part two of “Hinhan Kaga and the Milky Way.”
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear from Kevin Locke, enrolled member of the Standing Rock Nation, in part one of “Hinhan Kaga and The Milky Way.”
An epidemic of bank robberies and safecracking swept across North Dakota in the early 20th century. In 1907, the Bismarck Daily Tribune reported that “Yeggmen are still committing depredations over the state.” “Yeggmen” was a colloquial term for safecrackers.
In 1921, the Independent Voters Association (IVA) was urging the recall of Governor Lynn Frazier, Attorney General William Lemke, and Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor John Hagen—all Nonpartisan League (NPL) officials – in a vote scheduled for October 28th.
Durum wheat was imported from Russia and first cultivated in North Dakota in the 1890s. The North Dakota Experimental Station recognized the benefits of durum and encouraged farmers to plant more of it. Durum wheat yields more bushels per acre and is more resistant to drought compared to other types. It’s also the hardest of all wheats, which means it has a high protein content and strong gluten, making it the preferred choice for premium pasta.
On this date in 1971, the University of North Dakota's student newspaper, The Dakota Student, reported on remarks made by visiting speaker Lucy Komisar at the Memorial Union the previous day. Komisar, now a political radical, feminist, theater critic, and author known for her praise of Julian Assange, was in 1971 serving as the vice president for public relations at the National Organization for Women.
In the early 1900s, Frank Slatky served as one of Minot’s street commissioners. Some of the details of his job were noted in local reports. He initiated a night patrol to check the town’s electric lights and ensure they were working properly. During flooding, he helped construct a passageway across the Mouse River. An article in the Ward County Independent praised his “very good work” on the road leading to the Minot Flouring Mill.
When the North Dakota Agricultural College opened, the need for a quality academic library became apparent. In 1904, NDAC President John Worst wrote to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and asked if he would build a library on the campus. Carnegie donated $17,400 dollars. Worst raised another $4,500 dollars and the library was underway.
On July 15, 1864, Captain James Fisk led ninety-seven wagons out of Fort Ridgley, Minnesota, bound for the gold fields of Montana. Fisk planned to avoid the most dangerous territory by following a shorter, unmapped and untried route. Unfortunately, he failed to consider the increased hostility on the part of indigenous tribes in the wake of the US-Dakota War. He was confident as the wagon train left Fort Rice. He thought a large force of soldiers under General Sully was traveling ahead of him, but eighty miles west of Fort Rice, Fisk learned that Sully veered north and the expedition was now protected by the small number of soldiers with the train.
In the 1950s and 60s, as environmental concerns grew in the United States, there was increasing recognition that the National Park and National Forest systems were inadequate to safeguard wilderness areas from commercial interests. Conservationists, alarmed by the encroachment on these natural spaces, lobbied Congress for more robust protections. This movement culminated in the signing of the Wilderness Act into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on this date in 1964.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear from Janet Claymore-Ross, enrolled member of the Sisseton, Wahpeton, Oyate, in Part Two of “Iktomi and the Ducks.”
Farm kids have always had fears peculiar to growing up in the country and were taught to keep safe on the farmstead; to be alert to the dangers. The fears were real – fear of machinery accidents; fear of lightning storms and bad weather; fear of stepping on a rusty nail; fear of the barn burning down; fears of rabid-skunks; fear of a bull; and fears of a close relative dying.
Competition for the Great Plains was intense, as the United States, France, Spain, and Great Britain all sought its resources. Much of the early contact between the Native people and the early explorers was peaceful. The Natives brought furs to the trading posts and exchanged them for guns, tools, and food. The traders then sold the valuable furs to the European markets. The fur trade between the indigenous inhabitants and the newcomers proved to be lucrative.
In 1912, political fervor and interest swept the country over the presidential election. President Taft sought the Republican nomination, challenged by former President Theodore Roosevelt, who unexpectedly entered the race. Senator Robert LaFollette was yet another contender for the nomination.
As the 19th century turned into the twentieth, German immigrants found a promising home in the United States. Many of them moved to the Great Plains where they broke ground and established farms. They found a comfortable and stable home where opportunities abounded. Many German Americans rose to positions of influence. Others became successful businessmen. That changed when the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, entering World War I.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear from Janet Claymore-Ross, enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, in Part One of her story of Iktomi and the Ducks.
On this date in 1989, The Bismarck Tribune reported that Dick Gerlach of Bismarck was taking advantage of the sudden popularity of potpourri. The 80-year-old Mr. Gerlach harvested the petals from his 87 rose bushes to make potpourri, which he sold at the downtown Bismarck giftshop The Plum Tree.
According to LaMoure County officials, the murder of Hans Bjone was one of the strangest crimes in the county’s history. Bjone was a bank official. On the afternoon of February 28, 1927, someone came into the bank, murdered Bjone, emptied the vault, and disappeared. Over three thousand dollars had gone missing. The killer left no clues, and the authorities were at a loss, but suspicion quickly fell on Francis Tucker.
In western movies and TV shows, traveling by horseback across the plains seems romantic. In reality, it was not all that pleasant. The average horse travels about five miles an hour. Travel by horse and buggy or buckboard wagon was even slower at about three miles an hour. At that rate, going from the homestead into town for supplies could be an all-day affair.
On this date in 1892, the Fargo society column of the Wisconsin Afro-American wrote, “The AFRO-AMERICAN man is always wide awake and never neglects anything that will benefit the colored people of Fargo. Every colored citizen should subscribe for this paper.”
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll be listening to Oliver Gourd, enrolled member of Spirit Lake Nation, talking about two types of education.
During a cholera epidemic in the Dakota region in 1851, rumors among the indigenous population blamed the epidemic on drawings by Swiss artist Rudolph Kurz.
As each year goes by since Merriweather Lewis and William Clark led an expedition to the west coast from 1804-1806, Americans find new and different ways to honor their legacy and acknowledge the impact of their journey.
The Industrial Revolution brought sweeping economic changes in the Nineteenth Century. It began in Great Britain and spread to the rest of the world. Ordinary people saw factory owners becoming wealthy while the workers lived in poverty.
John Conrad Berkey is probably the best-known science fiction artist on the planet. His artwork appears on the covers of books, calendars and movie posters. His bold vision defined science fiction art. Berkey was born in Edgeley, North Dakota on this date in 1932. His family moved around, and as a child he lived in South Dakota, Montana, and Minnesota. He studied at the Minneapolis School of Art.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll be listening to Demus McDonald, enrolled member of Spirit Lake Nation, talking about the lesson of bad medicine on the tongue.
After Congress established the US mint in 1792, the penny became one of the first circulating coins. The first penny was larger than a modern quarter, with an image of “Liberty” on one side and a chain of 15 links on the obverse. This coin underwent multiple changes over the years.
The Badlands of western North Dakota offer awe-inspiring views, but there’s a reason for the name: The Badlands are difficult to cross. And that’s putting it mildly.
In his book about the Great Plains, Ian Frazier wrote, “A nuclear missile silo is one of the quintessential Great Plains objects: to the eye, it is almost nothing…but to the imagination, it is the end of the world.”
In 1917, there were still North Dakota veterans who remembered serving in the Civil War. Their sons had stepped up in 1898 when the 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry set off to serve in the Philippines during the Spanish American War. Now, with America’s entrance into World War I, it was again time for North Dakotans to serve their country. A number of them had seen service in the Philippines and volunteered again.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll be listening to Leander Russ McDonald, enrolled member of Spirit Lake Nation, in part two of Storytelling and Humor.
Over 250,000 Native Americans lived on the Great Plains in the 19th Century. While white settlers focused on taming the frontier, the indigenous inhabitants sought to maintain their hold on land they had lived on for centuries. In the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, the United States recognized the Black Hills as the Great Sioux Reservation, promising to prosecute any “bad men” who committed wrongs against the Indians.
Twenty years after the Civil War, concerns were growing about the welfare of aging veterans. In 1887, Congress set aside land in states and territories for the construction of homes that would care for Union veterans. And in 1891, the North Dakota legislature authorized the construction of such a home. The facility opened on this date in 1893.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll be listening to Leander Russ McDonald, an enrolled member of Spirit Lake Nation, in part one of storytelling and humor.
On a cold December day in 1990, the Bertsch family of Buchanan went to a neighbor’s farm to help clean turkeys. While the parents were busy working, the three Bertsch siblings, Waylon, Jarrett, and Andrea, played on the banks of the Pipestem River. Five-year-old Andrea walked about 10 feet onto the river ice and fell through. Quick thinking ten-year-old Waylon sent his brother Jarrett to tell their parents as he tried to help his sister.
Ponies diving from great heights into water, a log rolling contest, performances by big brass bands, and performers “leaping the fiery gap” were among the numerous attractions that drew an estimated crowd of 10,000 people to the first day of the Fargo Inter-State Fair on this date in 1907.
Hunter and fur trader Charles Bottineau ventured to the Red River Valley in 1787. His oldest child, Pierre, was born in 1817. Pierre was described as being well over six feet tall, “of manly instincts and gentlemanly deportment, polite, agreeable and of a kindly disposition, and always true to his word."
The rivalry between Grand Forks and Fargo was especially fierce in 1906. An agreement had been reached that the State Fair would alternate between Grand Forks and Fargo, with Fargo scheduled to host the fair for the first time. But there was some annoyance that Grand Forks was holding a Red River Valley Exposition just prior to Fargo’s fair.
Nina Farley and her family were McIntosh County pioneers, having moved from Michigan in 1887. In 1891 she married John Wishek, a lawyer, banker, and politician. He was also a partner in Wishek and Lilly, a land office, which helped pioneers file homesteads. Nina and John came to be known as “Mother” and “Father” Wishek.
Located in Rolette County, St. John is one of the oldest towns in North Dakota, dating back to its 1843 origins as a trading post. The 1880s, saw towns springing up in that region as people gravitated to the area’s trading posts. Dunseith and Belcourt were organized in 1884. And the city of Rolette is a relative latecomer, incorporated on this date in 1930.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Kenneth Jerome Hill, enrolled member of Spirit Lake Nation, talk about how it's important to be proud to be Dakota.
The Metis are an indigenous group whose homeland is in Canada and the northern United States. They trace their heritage to North American tribes and mixed European settlers who were primarily French. The Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 legally recognized the Metis as indigenous people. In the United States, the Metis are considered part of the Chippewa tribe. The Metis developed a distinct culture and language that blended their French and Indian heritage that grew out of the fur trade.
North Dakota’s political history is marked by several people who left their legacy on the state and the nation through years of service in elected office. Quentin Burdick and Mark Andrews are two such examples, but serving between them was Hjalmar Nygaard, whose legacy was cut short before he could achieve similar status.
In America’s westward movement, new towns arose along rivers and railways, and townspeople had great hopes for their newly established communities.
Farmers saw an economic boon during World War I. They bought more acreage and invested in farm machinery. In the aftermath of the war, crop prices collapsed when the sudden decrease in demand resulted in oversupply. Farmers needing government assistance subsequently became an important voting bloc in the 1928 presidential election.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Dusty Olson, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation, talk about essential understandings in our schools.
In this episode, we'll listen to Dusty Olson, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation, talk about essential understandings in our schools.
In the summer of 1919, a United States Army motorized expedition took sixty-two days to travel 3,251 miles from Washington DC to San Francisco. The convoy tested the mobility of the Army as it became increasingly motorized. The official observer for the War Department was a young Lieutenant Colonel named Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Historian Frederick Jackson Turner came to Chicago not for the World’s Fair like thousands of other people, but for the annual conference of the American Historical Association. On this date in 1893, Turner put the finishing touches on his Frontier Thesis, a speech he would give to the conference the following evening. Turner argued that the settlement of the American frontier was the foundation of a uniquely American culture.
On this date in 1919, a front-page article in the Bismarck Tribune explained how the newspaper scored a scoop and obtained a photograph of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, calling it “the most remarkable achievement of modern journalism.”
On this date in 1969, as many North Dakotans were sound asleep, a severe storm ripped through Ramsey county. Approximately six miles wide and nine miles long, the storm’s path of damage started in the Webster area and moved southeast. Hailstones the size of hens eggs ripped through farms, with damage to buildings, equipment, and crops.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Dennis Fox, Jr., enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation in, "We Are Honored and So We Give."
After serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, Colonel Clement Lounsberry moved west. He entered journalism as a writer for the Minneapolis Tribune, but he had something else in mind - establishing a newspaper wherever the Northern Pacific Railroad crossed the Missouri River. That plan became a reality in 1873 when the first issue of the Bismarck Tribune came off the presses.
North Dakota has a lively history of local Independence Day celebrations. Here is a sampling of the Fourth of July from way back when.
The Wild West was not nearly as wild as it is portrayed in books, movies, and television. Life on the frontier was hard work, and that in turn created a need for entertainment, and there was no shortage of ways for people to spend their time and money.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Dennis Fox, Jr. Enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation, discuss identity crisis.
On this date in 1966, Bismarck Tribune readers learned of the latest addition to the Peace Garden: a large clock gifted from the Bulova Watch Company. But not just any clock – its face is made of flowers.
Millions of bison once called the Great Plains home. They were an essential element of the ecosystem. They were also essential to Native Americans and frontiersmen for who depended on them for food, shelter, and clothing. The bison became an icon of the west even as railroads began to cross the plains and an influx of hunters nearly wiped them out. The vast herds dwindled, and they faced extinction.
The Homestead Act of 1862 opened the American West to settlement. Newcomers could claim 160 acres after living on it for five years, paying only a small fee for the land. Along with attracting settlers, the promise of nearly free land attracted speculators who gobbled up large tracts of land and then sold it at an inflated price.
Settlers in the Dakotas faced many challenges as they crossed the plains. There were the financial pressures as they attempted to forge a living from the prairie soils, and of course the extreme weather conditions, with a great range in both temperature and weather patterns. The state’s record high and low temps occurred in the same year, 1936. The high, 5th highest in the U.S., was an astounding 121 degrees, and the low was -60, a 181-degree difference.
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding number six is about Native contributions. It states: "Native people continue to contribute to all levels of society, from local to global, in diverse fields, including medicine, science, government, education, economics, art, music, and many more."
On this date in 1913, back when women still gave birth at home and few owned cars, the front-page news that a woman gave birth in a car must have been quite shocking.
The townsite of Beach was established when the Northern Pacific Railroad built a section house there in 1881. However, it wasn’t until 1900 when settlement really started to happen.
At the end of the Civil War, the country began waking up to the realities of recovery. Railroads and bridges had been destroyed. Farms had been wiped out. Disabled veterans were unable to support themselves and widows and orphans had been left behind. President Lincoln had promised to care for “those who have borne the burden, his widow and orphans.” But no one knew how to go about doing that.
The Dakota Territory legislature created Richland County on January 4th, 1873. It was named for Morgan T. Rich. In 1869, Rich settled on the site of what would become the city of Wahpeton. Wahpeton serves as the county seat of Richland County, tucked along the Red River in the southeastern corner of North Dakota.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to JT Shining Oneside, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa Nation, as she shares Frances Cree's story of the sweat lodge.
On this date in 1824, the St. Louis Enquirer reported the latest news about Arikara refugees from the previous year's conflict.
The heart of durum wheat country in the state has been in a 90-mile radius around Devils Lake, which annually produced about 90% of the U.S. total. From durum wheat kernels comes macaroni, egg noodles and spaghetti. Back in 1955, Devils Lake celebrated ‘all things macaroni’ at its Macaroni Festival, and June 13 was the final day of the event.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Debbie Petra, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa Nation, as she talks about the culture of the Turtle Mountain people.
Leading up to the June 11 primary, we've been celebrating democracy in North Dakota history. Today, we learn about Arthur G. Sorlie, of Grand Forks, who was endorsed by the Nonpartisan League to become governor in 1924.
Leading up to the June 11 primary, we're celebrating democracy in North Dakota history. Today, we learn about the Superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction.
Leading up to the June 11 primary, we're celebrating democracy in action from North Dakota history, large and small.
Leading up to the June 11 primary, we're celebrating democracy in action from North Dakota history, large and small.
Leading up to the June 11 primary, we're celebrating democracy in action from North Dakota history, large and small.
Leading up to the June 11 primary, we're celebrating democracy in action from North Dakota history, large and small.
On this date in 1905, The Weekly Student, the University of North Dakota's student newspaper, reported: “One of the most pleasant and successful social functions of the year was the garden party which was given by the A. D. T. society last Monday evening to the other literary societies and the faculty.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Mary Bateman, enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation, as she talks about living off the land.
The American West underwent major changes in the early 1900s. Cities and towns were springing up, railroads crisscrossed the countryside, and fences put land off-limits to public use. The Federal government also established Forest Reserves. Grazing livestock in these areas required a permit. In an effort to avoid paying for permits, some livestock owners moved their herds from place to place in search of grazing and water. This was common for sheepherders.
May is National Historic Preservation Month, and today we hear about another historic structure involved with North Dakota’s transportation infrastructure.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Catherine Froelich, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, in part two of Getting Through Boarding School.
On this date in 1931, an F3 tornado collided with the Empire Builder passenger train, the pride of the Great Northern Railway. The train had just left Fargo, heading east on a hot afternoon. The engineer and several passengers saw a small funnel cloud to the southwest. The funnel bobbed up and down; then the top of a haystack blew apart. Seconds later, the train shook and the windows blew out in several cars.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Katherine Froelich, enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in Part One of "Getting Through Boarding School."
The United States is home to more turtle species than any other country in the world, with almost one hundred species and subspecies. North Dakota has four native species. All four have healthy populations and are classified as “least concern” on the scale of conservation status.
On this date in 1917, the North Dakota attorney general’s office made a shocking announcement. An arrest warrant had been issued for the president of the Soo Line Railroad, Edmund Pennington, for bringing liquor into the state. The assistant attorney general said immense quantities of liquor had been shipped to illegal clubs, blind pigs, and bawdy houses.
On this date in 1927, the Dakota Student, UND’s student newspaper, printed an article about a paradise proposed by the university's dean of engineering.
History is all around us, if only we open our eyes to see it, and sometimes get off the main highways and find it. One such historical gem is in McVille, in Nelson County. It’s the McVille Auditorium, a reminder of the 1930s Great Depression-era.
North Dakota witnessed a rash of local bank robberies during the Depression-era 1930s. Neighboring Minnesota even experienced a robbery that many attributed to Bonnie and Clyde.
May is National Historic Preservation Month, and today we look at another historic structure that relates to North Dakota’s transportation infrastructure.
Located near the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, Williston was founded in 1887. Railroad magnate James J. Hill named the town for his friend, Daniel Willis James. Williston is the county seat of Williams County. At the time of Williston’s founding, Dakota Territory was untamed. Far from population centers like Fargo and Bismarck, Williston quickly developed a reputation as a wild and wooly town.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook we'll listen to JT Shining Oneside, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa Nation, in part two of "A Native Perspective on Sovereignty."
If undisturbed, a poppy seed will lie on the ground for years without producing a plant, and partially for that reason, the poppy has become a symbol of war and remembrance.
In 1902, Indiana seed merchant James A. Everitt organized the American Society of Equity, one of the first organizations formed to improve conditions for American farmers. Everitt believed that if farmers organized, they would become a powerful political force. By 1906, the Society claimed there were almost three thousand local chapters, with almost every state represented.
The website for New England, North Dakota describes the town as “a small, friendly community in the heart of gold wheat fields, shadowed by the raw beauty of the Rainy Buttes.” The first settlement in Hettinger County, New England was founded in 1887. The name of the town reflects the early pioneers that came from the New England states of Vermont, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
May is National Historic Preservation Month. Once a week on Dakota Datebook we’re featuring historic structures and places in North Dakota related to our transportation infrastructure. Today, our topic is the Fairview Lift Bridge.
The bicycle, so common today, is a relatively cheap method of transportation. It is an efficient means of converting human energy into mobility. The first bicycle was made of wood and the rider propelled it by paddling his feet against the ground.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to JT Shining Oneside, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa Nation, in Part One of "A Native Perspective on Sovereignty."
This week in 1907, the University of North Dakota's student newspaper, The Weekly Student, printed an editorial entitled “The Scoffer.”
Concern about meat production arose in the 1880s when Department of Agriculture chemist Harvey W. Wiley reported on health hazards within the meat industry. Those included the use of unsafe preservatives and coloring agents. Wiley began lobbying for federal legislation governing the packing and purity of food products.
Transportation systems have left an indelible mark on the landscape. The pathways reflect many facets of history in commerce, technology, economics, and more.
There was a writer from Mayville who captured the essence of her town by opening her eyes to the simple beauty around her. Her name was Mary Merilla Hilstad (1889-1973), and her descriptions of her Mayville surroundings are both simple and profound. On this date in 1936, the Traill County Tribune published Mary Hilstad’s impressions of colors in her everyday-life.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Violet Smith, enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation, as she shares about stories from her grandma.
William Lewis Guy was born on September 30th, 1919 in Devils Lake. He graduated from Amenia High School and North Dakota Agricultural College (now North Dakota State University). He earned a master’s from the University of Minnesota. During World War II he served in the Navy.
One of the most inspiring Americans of the 20th century visited Fargo on this date in 1914. Helen Keller, who was left blind and deaf from sickness as a small child, spoke at First Methodist Church with her teacher and longtime companion, Anne Sullivan. They were lifelong friends.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Gladys Hawk, enrolled member of the Standing Rock Nation, as she talks about grandmother's stories.
Yesterday, we told you about Heber Creel’s efforts to gain control of the land on the north shore of Devils Lake as the railway headed in that direction. Creel and his cronies used every tactic, legal or not, to make sure they would make a tidy profit if the railroad bought their claims.
In 1880, Heber Creel was a Second Lieutenant in the Seventh Cavalry stationed at Fort Totten at Devils Lake. There, he created detailed maps of the lake and the adjacent reservation. A year later, he was building a telegraph line to the railhead at Larimore when he was drawn in by increasing speculation about where the railroad was next headed. As interest in the land around Devils Lake increased, the 27-year-old got land fever, resigned his post and bet on the lake’s northern edge.
On this date in 1879, in a Bismarck Tribune ad, the Custer Hotel boasted first class accommodations for reasonable prices. The hotel targeted river men, railroad men, miners, and army people, based on a convenient location.
Fargo and Moorhead were first settled in 1871, and by 1874, the area’s first newspaper debuted: the Fargo Weekly Express. Over the following decades a plethora of newspapers went in and out of publication.
A petticoat is an article of clothing worn under a skirt. It helps to smooth out wrinkles in the skirt. In the days when very full skirts were in fashion, a petticoat of several layers helped the skirt stand out. The petticoat has long been a symbol of modesty and proper feminine behavior. It has also been used as an insult towards women who were deemed to be venturing out of proper feminine behavior. For example, Mary Wollstonecraft, an early advocate for women’s rights, was called “a hyena in petticoats.”
Before the railroad ran to Reynolds, North Dakota, steamboats brought the mail and supplies to nearby Frog Point. Residents traveled there by wagon to deliver their crops for shipping and to pick up supplies and mail. When the railroad arrived, an organized community began to take shape. Roads were laid out and sidewalks were built of pine boards. A town government was organized.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook we'll listen to Gladys Hawk, enrolled member of the Standing Rock Nation, as she talks about language and culture loss.
The United States Constitution empowers Congress to conduct a census every ten years. While every state is allotted two senators, the number of representatives is determined by the population of each state. The census counts the people for an accurate allocation of representatives.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Dr. Twyla Baker, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in part two of “To Us It Wasn't Discovered.”
Home schooling is accepted in North Dakota today, but there was a time when home-schooling was illegal. Compulsory school attendance laws required that children aged 7 to 16 be educated, with public-schools the main providers. However, Catholic schools and other parochial schools had become available as alternatives.
Few critters in North Dakota might be as storied as the black-footed ferret – an endangered and mischievous species. Poisonings targeting prairie dogs led to the ferret’s demise in the early 20th century, and it was thought to be extinct until a small group was found in Wyoming in 1981. The ferret’s comeback through captive breeding has been decades in the making.
After midnight, on this date in 1952, Spike Jones and his City Slickers were still playing their notorious “Musical Depreciation Revue of 1952” for over seven thousand fans at the UND Fieldhouse.
On this date in 1905, the Bismarck Daily Tribune published a list of acts recently passed by the state legislature. Along with authorizing a Board of Embalmers and establishing fees to reimburse witnesses in trials, the legislature addressed the dangers of the pool hall.
On this date in 1968, North Dakota State University's student newspaper, The Spectrum, carried a report about police raiding a keg party, but it very well could have been an April Fool’s joke.
Until the early 1900s, people traveled by real horsepower – the kind fueled by hay. Then the automobile began changing American life. In those early days, driving was something of a free-for-all. There were no stop signs, traffic lights, proper lanes, brake lights, crosswalks, or speed limits. No driver’s license was necessary. Pedestrians crossing the street had to dodge any passing cars. One account stated: “Screaming pedestrians were scattered like ninepins. Some were bowled over or tossed against store fronts.”
The history of the printing industry in the United States was forever changed with the installation of a Linotype typesetting machine in June 1886 in the offices of the New York Tribune newspaper. Linotype produces lines of words as a single strip of metal, rather than hand setting type by individual letter. It streamlined the typesetting process making it faster to produce a page of type.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Dr. Twyla Baker, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, in Part One of “To Us It Wasn't Discovered.”
Gambling and the like were a big topic of interest in 1950, with legislation targeting slot machines under consideration in Congress. Slot machines were commonly called “one-armed bandits” because they have one lever and take people’s money.
The 1930s were a turbulent time in North Dakota’s state government. Political chaos meant several offices were a revolving door, including governor and tax commissioner.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Arlene Wadsworth, enrolled member of Spirit Lake Dakota Nation, talk about how jokes are funnier in Sioux.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Aileen Little Ghost, Lakota Elder, talk about hope, faith, forgiveness, and unity.
World War I made a shambles of the European economy. Starvation was a real threat as farms became battlefields and agricultural workers became soldiers. When the United States entered the war in 1917, the country became an active partner with the allies, and Americans faced shortages of their own.
The War of 1823, often known as “The Arikara War,” forcibly opened the Upper Missouri River to trade. It also established Anglo-American military supremacy over the Upper Missouri River. This victory would be cemented by an Indian Peace Commission, an integral part of a military expedition led by General Atkinson in 1825. This commission was responsible for a series of unequal treaties throughout the region recognizing Anglo-American supremacy.
The Powder River Battles were a series of skirmishes and battles fought between U.S. troops and the Lakota, Arapaho, and Cheyenne tribes. They lasted from September 1-15, 1865.
By this date in 1823, troops of the United States Sixth Infantry were back in their barracks after a punitive expedition against the Arikaras. A generation of tensions had led to the conflict. St. Louis fur traders felt entitled to go anywhere they wanted on the Missouri River, while the Arikara felt entitled to control their own territory.
Anne Frank’s diary became available in public libraries with the publication of an English-language version around this date in 1952. A Bismarck Tribune librarian columnist described the book as “a poignant diary kept by a young Jewish girl hiding out from the Gestapo….”
Steamboats and ships were an important means of transportation in early years, and newspapers frequently reported on the shipping activity. In 1911, Williston papers published a number of interesting reports. For example, there was a note about R. C. Foster leaving to take charge of a two-deck steamer called the Henrietta, which would be making regular trips from Bakers’ Ferry to Williston with passengers and freight.
W. H. Horton, owner of the Horton Motor Co., sold Cadillacs at his dealerships in Devils Lake and Fargo, distributing the cars all across the state and into eastern Montana. He was such a believer in the superiority of Cadillacs that he made an unusual offer in the spring of 1913. Horton challenged any owner or dealer of six-cylinder cars to race him from Fargo to Minot and back, with the winner getting $100. Horton would drive a four-cylinder stock Cadillac.
School cafeterias have become legendary, both for good and for bad. The lunches can be legendarily good. For instance, what could be better than pizza or spaghetti?
In this episode of Dakota Datebook. We'll listen to Dr. Twyla Baker, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, talk about building a better society.
For many years, Dakota tribes honed their practices of hunting bison. Besides being a food source, the tribes used bison for clothing, shelter, and tools. White settlers and soldiers were attracted to the bison as well, but possessed none of the knowledge the Dakota people had accumulated over millennia.
On this date in 1916, citizens of Fargo were reading about an attempted escape from the Cass County jail. According to the local papers, "Only the eternal vigilance of Sheriff John Ross and his force of deputies" prevented the escape from happening.
If you were a North Dakota farmer in 1912, you were having a pretty good year. The harvest promised to be good, especially if you were growing wheat. And if you had one of those newfangled binding machines, the harvest would be a snap. The machines bound the wheat into bundles as soon as it was cut. Labor costs were cut dramatically, and it was just be a matter of taking the money to the bank.
Can you imagine being the only person living in town? No traffic on your way to work or loud neighbors late at night? On this date in 1970, the readers of the Minot Daily News read a story of one such man in Lincoln Valley in Sheridan County.
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll be admonished to wake up with your hero every day by Pam Belgarde, enrolled member of Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
On this date in 1930, the body of Vernon Squires, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, laid in state at the University of North Dakota.
It was 2:00am on Sunday, March 11, 1951, and LeRoy Earl Githens, of Minot, was running in the crisp spring air carrying 30 freshly-stolen dollars from the Cut Rate grocery store. It wasn’t long before police captain Morris B. Nelson caught up with him. Morris fired 3 warning shots, but the suspect continued to flee.
On this date in 1930, Vernon Squires, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of North Dakota, died after a long illness.
On this date in 1823, Joshua Pilcher's men burned Arikara villages to the ground. This was directly against the express orders of Colonel Leavenworth.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Joseph White Mountain, enrolled member of the Standing Rock Nation, talk about the importance of teaching the language.
Today, Lake Johnson sees few visitors. Yet, strategically located along the communication and supply lines between US military forts and the immigrant trail to Montana, Lake Johnson was an important watering hole on the plains of Dakota Territory for much of the 19th century.
This date in 1823 saw the second day of combat in “The Arikara War.” That morning, Colonel Leavenworth's Sixth Infantry bombarded the upper and lower villages of the Arikara in the vicinity of what is now Mobridge, South Dakota. His howitzers attacking the upper village mostly fell into the Missouri River or onto the river sands. By noon, his artillery ran out of ammunition.
In early August in 1930, a group of armed, unmasked men robbed the Dakota National Bank and Trust Co. in Bismarck. They walked in around 2:30pm on August 7, forced customers and staff in the bank to lie on the floor, and then looted the vault. They locked the employees and customers in the vault, then left. After a few minutes, the employees liberated themselves and their patrons.
Crossing the Missouri River could be a daunting task before the construction of bridges. In the earliest days of westward expansion, travelers had to ford the river. This was easier at times of low water, although the river is known as the “Big Muddy” for a reason. Wagons could easily get bogged down in the mud of the river bottom.
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll learn about the importance of respect for all things from Spirit Lake Dakota Elder Violet Smith.
On this date in 1910, visitors were already arriving in Williston for a conference that promised to be big. It was for North Dakota newspaper editors.
One might wonder how such a beautiful place came to be known as the Badlands. That name came about before the marked hiking trails, onsite bathrooms, and water pumps. For white settlers and soldiers going west, the landscape was dry and difficult for travel. Looking back on records from General Alfred Sully’s expeditions, we can hear firsthand why they hated this land.
Today is another story in the life of a young Lutheran preacher called to McKenzie County from St. Louis a century ago, but a murky one shrouded in mystery – complete with a cave, skeletons and Buffalo Bill Cody!
North Dakota has produced several acclaimed journalists, including Velva native Eric Sevareid, who was a CBS Evening News correspondent and commentator. Among his earliest writings is his account of a canoe adventure as a young man.
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Five is about tribal policies, treaties, and sovereignty. It states, “Native people practice self-determination, developing tribal policies, and practicing political activism. Despite a history of US policies and treaties that have often been detrimental, native people are members of sovereign nations that predate the US Government."
Patent medicines were wildly popular in America during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They were non-prescription preparations protected by a trademark and advertised with a trade name.
Perhaps the most whimsical room in the North Dakota Capitol is the “monkey room.” The room is a small hallway that serves as a private entrance for the Secretary of State to his or her office on the first floor. A Grand Forks carpenter built the room in 1933 using a method called bookmatching, which mirrors two surfaces. He was paid 80 cents an hour for his work.
America’s rural roads left a great deal to be desired in the early 20th Century. They were constructed of gravel or dirt, made muddy in rainy weather, dusty in dry weather, and impossible during heavy snow. Cities fared better, with roads much more likely to be paved.
If you are of a certain age, you remember the talents of Jack Benny (1894-1974), the famous comedian and violin-player who started out in vaudeville and then became successful in movies, radio, television, and nightclubs.
In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear about the importance of the circle of life from Spirit Lake Dakota Elder Catherine Howard.
On this date in 2000, sculptor Tom Neary installed a 14-foot-tall stainless steel sign at the intersection of highways 83 and 200 in Washburn. The sign, which weighs almost a ton, reads “Historic Washburn” above a scene of Lewis, Clark, and Sakakawea. The giant sign was commissioned by the Washburn Civic Club and gave Tom Neary a chance to put his mark on the town he lived in and loved.
The First Presbyterian Church in Fargo is remarkable for its Scottish Gothic Revival architecture. Lining the sanctuary are numerous stained-glass windows depicting Biblical figures and scenes. The first window, installed in the chancel in 1939, is a bit different from the others. Its symbolic design and personal motifs are in memory of Helen Huntoon and her newborn son.
In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Vincent Grant, Sr., enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Nation, talk about bows and rifles.
North Dakota has a rich baseball history. Legends of the game, including Roger Maris and Satchel Paige, have a connection to the state.
On this date in 1946, alumni of the University of North Dakota's secret society called “Iron Mask” held a reunion.
On this date in 1917 a call was put out to the women of Fargo to donate jars of jelly to the Fargo Day Nursery. Sadie Barrett, the superintendent of the nursery, proclaimed that the little children who spent their days at the nursery were sad to be without jelly and bread. Only the good women of Fargo could rectify this situation by donating a jar of homemade jelly. In fact, it was only through charitable donations from the people of Fargo that the day nursery even existed.
Watford City was roiled by embezzlement charges against its town treasurer a century ago in a case that reached the governor’s office. Treasurer O.L. Cassidy was accused in February 1922 of embezzling $7,600 of Watford City funds during a period of two years. Adjusted for inflation, that would be more than $136,000 today.
1930 was not kind to North Dakota when it came to the weather. The winter of 1929-1930 was described as long and hard. As of April, it was reported that North Dakota cattle still showed the effects of severe weather. Yard feeding continued as ranchers worked to put weight on their herds. Even when winter was not inflicting snow or sleet on the state, North Dakota suffered with temperatures that plunged to 30 and 40 below zero.
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear about the importance of the North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings in teacher preparation from Dr. Carmelita Lamb, Lipan Apache, and longtime professor at University of Mary.
On this day in 1968, plans by the Democratic Nonpartisan League to build its new party headquarters in Bismarck had run into a speed bump. Its proposed Kennedy Center had been planned as both a memorial to the slain Kennedy brothers and a party headquarters. The day before, the Bismarck Tribune had published this Associated Press article explaining tax problems for such a building.
James J. Hill’s business went beyond his empire-building railroad. In 1904, he entered into the shipping business and contracted for a ship that garnered the attention of North Dakotans. When the Dakota was launched in 1904, nearly five thousand people attended the ceremony at the shipyard in Connecticut.
Last month we heard about the Irish-Canadian artist Paul Kane and the Métis bison hunt he witnessed in 1846 in what is now North Dakota. While the hunt sounded thrilling, Kane’s journey back to Upper Fort Garry near present-day Winnipeg was horrific, with terrible mosquitoes, runaway horses and a gooey trail!
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Five is about tribal policies, treaties, and sovereignty. It states, "Native people practice self-determination, developing tribal policies, and practicing political activism. Despite a history of U.S. policies and treaties that have often been detrimental, native people are members of sovereign nations that predate the U.S. government."
It’s the Fourth of July, and on this date in Minot in 1907, the independence festivities were well underway. It was the midpoint of a five-day horse race, and large crowds were in attendance.
Rodney Kephart was born in Spencer, Iowa, on this date in 1917. He and his family later moved to North Dakota.
This date in 1975 was the last day when homosexuality was illegal in North Dakota, a change that came with little fanfare as North Dakota newspapers focused on other things. A tornado had killed an infant; there was flooding in West Fargo; a civil war in Lebanon; a new adoption law; repeal of the margarine tax, two FBI agents shot dead on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and the old governor's mansion being set for renovation.
Shopping on the frontier was a far different experience than shopping in the cities out east, which could support shops that could specialize in items like shoes, baked goods, cloth, cheese, tea, books, and hats. The bigger cities might also have so called “Cheap Shops,” an early version of the discount store.
One century ago, in June of 1923, Ford, the automaker, was having a heyday of celebrations in the Bismarck/Mandan area. Mandan had a “Ford Day” first, at the beginning of the month. A large throng turned out in the city to celebrate—replete with automobiles. An estimated 800 Ford owners and their vehicles attended, perhaps drawn by the prizes being offered.
The wild oat is a common weed in North Dakota. Wild oats like damp soil and are often found scattered along ditches and at the edge of fields. They are described as “a fierce competitor.”
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear about the importance of interconnectedness from Dr. Teresa Delorme, educator and enrolled member of Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
On this date in 1917 the Fargo Forum announced that Cleon Nash would finally be put on trial. The sensational and tragic story of a murder, a frozen fugitive, and amputated feet had gripped North Dakota since December.
When the battleship Maine blew up in Havana harbor in 1898, Spain was immediately blamed. The United States declared war, and Americans assumed the war would take place in Cuba. So, it was surprising for many to learn that troops would be sent to the Philippines on the other side of the world.
Dr. Steven Fisher was a well-respected physician who practiced medicine in New Salem. On this date in 1928, Fisher’s friends and neighbors were shocked to learn he was wanted for murder. The sheriff arrived in New Salem to arrest Fisher, but the good doctor had disappeared.
Several renowned artists of the 19th century visited what is now North Dakota. Their portraits and paintings depict Native Americans, wildlife and scenery. One such artist was Paul Kane.
North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings Number Four is about sense of humor. It states, "Native people have a rich history of shared sense of humor that includes teaching stories involving Iktomi, Maymaygwisi and Nanabozhoo. These stories and this unique sense of humor continue to support our resiliency and cohesiveness”.
The Red River along the eastern edge of North Dakota was a vital trade route for Native Americans, Metis, fur traders, and then Americans and Canadians. However, by the 1910s, the need for river transportation had been firmly supplanted by trains and automobiles. On this date in 1913, the Fargo Forum announced that one of the last links to the heyday of the river trade was broken. Charles B. Thimens, a former steamboat captain, had died.
What happened in Lisbon, North Dakota, on June 14 in 1944, was almost like the script of a Hollywood movie. The townspeople celebrated what they called “Dr. Patterson Day.”
In the spring of 1873, the Reverend D. C. Lyon arrived by train at the newly established townsite of Bismarck. His purpose was missionary work, to “look after the interest of the Presbyterian Church” at the “end of the track.”
Mrs. E.M. Pierce was a big-hearted woman living outside of Stanley, North Dakota in 1914. She learned of a baby boy who had been abandoned in Grand Forks and made arrangements to adopt him. The question was how to get him to Stanley. But Mrs. Pierce had a solution for that.
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Seven states, "Individual and communal identity is defined and supported by shared native languages, kinship systems, Tiospaye, clan structures, traditional teachings, values, sacred laws, and ceremonies. A continuum of tribal identity unique to each individual, ranges from assimilated to traditional lifestyle. There is no generic American Indian."
Presidential visits to North Dakota have inspired all sorts of welcomes and preparations, great and small. Here’s a sampling.
As the Homestead Act of 1860 began to draw new settlers to the frontier with the promise of free land, politicians and businessmen portrayed Dakota Territory as a farming utopia. Homesteading attracted people who wanted to settle down to a life of farming or ranching. The American West quickly became associated with the cowboy life and vast herds of beef cattle. There were also the Bonanza farms, with huge expanses of wheat.
The first game and fish laws in what would become the state of North Dakota were enacted in 1861. In 1875, the Territorial Legislature placed limits on hunting quail and some water birds.
One of the largest manhunts in North Dakota history was in 1949 for three men who fled Minnesota after killing a policeman after a burglary and abducting a Mandan patrolman during their flight.
In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Dan Jerome, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Nation, talk about flutes and stories.
Adolph Marcus Christianson the Third was born in February of 1944. Known as Marc, he was the grandson of North Dakota Supreme Court Justice, A. M. Christianson, known as the Lincoln of North Dakota; and the son of A. M. Christianson the Second, an Army flight instructor who later founded the Bismarck Zoo.
Snow is a common occurrence in North Dakota, but not in June! That’s what the Seventh Cavalry endured for two cold, wet days, stuck in camp in the Badlands, while marching west from Fort Abraham Lincoln. The expedition was headed into Montana Territory, where Plains Indians would later defeat Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his men at the Battle of Greasy Grass, or Little Bighorn.
Elizabeth Bodine of Velva, North Dakota, was revered within her family and community for her life of devotion to God, husband, and her children. her story spans two continents and eight decades.
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear a story about going to California as part of the US Government's Indian Relocation program from Edna Kavanaugh, Spirit Lake Elder.
This date in 1914 began a two-day pageant at the University of North Dakota. With UND hosting the annual meeting of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, students honored the convocation with their presentation of “A Pageant of the Northwest” at the Bankside Theater along a bend of the English Coulee.
Ranching has been a part of the landscape and economy of western North Dakota since territorial days. Today, family ranching operations still carry on a cowboy culture that traces back to the woolly wild West. One club that is still strong in its 56th year is the “50 Years in the Saddle” club, formed on this date in 1957.
Memorial Day is fast approaching, occurring on or around this date. Here's a sampling of how communities throughout North Dakota have observed the day of military remembrance, from picnics to parades to poppy sales.
The front page of the Fargo Forum on this date in 1918 was covered with news about World War I. On the very bottom was a tiny announcement that two boys from North Dakota were going to enter West Point: Frank Henning Jr. of Lakota and Sidney Hinds of Wahpeton.
Today we take a look back on past concerts in Bismarck. Perhaps you will remember some, or be surprised at who performed in the capital city!
In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Dr. Wayne Fox, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation talk about learning with laughter.
This week in 1969 the Bismarck Tribune ran a fundraising advertisement for the new Kennedy Center, which was under construction at 1902 East Divide Avenue in Bismarck.
The Reverend Eben Saunders of Fargo was not only a minister, but a well-regarded historian of the Red River Valley. In 1918, from May to June, the Reverend Saunders wrote a column in the Fargo Forum in which he wrote brief biographies of North Dakota pioneers.
Air raid sirens filled the air at Minot Air Force Base during a drill on this date in 1965, and weary soldiers sprung into action.
Rumors about Bismarck city treasurer George Reed began circulating on this date in 1887. It was reported that he was thousands of dollars short in his accounts and he was nowhere to be found. It seemed he had departed for parts unknown along with city money.
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear about the traditions for getting ready for winter from Angeline Fourth Iron Road, Elder from Standing Rock.
Wildfires are not new to North Dakota. With the vast expanses of grass, fires can spread easily. On this date in 1900, the Washburn Leader lamented the numerous fires that swept through the western part of the state in recent months. The concern centered around the destruction of farmland and crops, but the flames also struck businesses like the Little Missouri Horse Company barns in March of 1900.
Bismarck was home to a number of historical characters in its early years. One of them was photographer D.F. Barry. He is remembered for his photography of Native Americans, frontier forts, battlefields and military officers. His subjects included Sitting Bull, Gall, Rain-in-the-Face, Red Cloud, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley and General George Crook.
On this date in 1877, there was a great deal of anticipation in Bismarck as a new stagecoach line prepared to set off the following morning. The gold fields of the Black Hills beckoned, but travel to Deadwood was on foot or on horseback.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Demus McDonald, enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation, talk about the medicine wheel.
On this date in 1925, the University of North Dakota's student newspaper, The Dakota Student, ran this article about the university library: “At one time classed as one of the largest collections of its kind in the country, the collection of Scandinavian literature in the University library now consists of 4,500 volumes, and includes all kinds of Norwegian, Icelandic, and Swedish books and magazines, according to A. D. Keator, librarian.”
In August 1907, General Sir Robert S. S. Baden-Powell of England organized the Boy Scout Movement, to motivate, teach skills, and give agency to local boys. It didn’t take long for this idea to spread across the world. In the spring of 1910, a newspaper reported that the Young Men’s Christian association scouts had formed in Springfield, Massachusetts “Clad in khaki suits, golf hose, belts, and rakish slouch hats.”
It was on this date in 1970 that 600 Kent State students gathered to protest having National Guard on campus. Told to “disperse,” activists threw rocks, and guardsmen used tear gas. The protesters still didn’t leave; and the 100 National Guard troops retreated. Feeling threatened, 28 guardsmen fired their rifles, leaving nine protesters wounded and “four dead in Ohio.”
Starkweather gophers beware! Around this time in 1915, the businessmen and farmers of Starkweather North Dakota declared war on their rodent neighbors. Meeting at the Schweitzer hardware store, the group put together a plan to initiate “a vigorous campaign against gophers.”
The four main ingredients in beer are barley, water, hops, and yeast. North Dakota is not known for its hop production, but the United States is the leading producer in the world, with a large percentage grown in the Pacific Northwest.
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll gain some important wisdom about agricultural practices from Mary Bateman, elder and enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara nation.
In Cavalier County, about 17 miles east of Langdon, 43 acres of land are enclosed within four perimeter fences. Hardened remote launch operations exist below the earth, with two concrete ventilation towers above ground, along with sentry stations. The Sprint missile launch area contained 17 launch stations.
Elizabeth Preston Anderson was born in Indiana on this date in 1861. Her father was a Methodist pastor. Her first memory was at the age of two, when she was awakened to say goodbye to her mother as she lay dying. Other early memories were the end of the Civil War and the assassination of President Lincoln.
Although not yet a state during the Civil War, the region that became North Dakota had a great deal riding on the conflict. President Lincoln said the country could not exist half-slave and half-free. It would be one thing or the other.
In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Jessie Taken Alive, enrolled member of Standing Rock, talk about the importance of being thankful for elders.
In 1984, Law enforcement searches of illegal gambling operations led to the first statewide grand jury in North Dakota history. The Legislature had passed a law allowing for statewide grand juries in 1977. Six years later, in December 1983, law enforcement officers searched bookmaking operations in Fargo, Grand Forks and Mayville, the culmination of a yearlong investigation.
Amidst the early immigration to North Dakota were individuals from Syria, in what is today Lebanon. The Syrian-Lebanese formed communities in various counties across the state. Like so many, they were looking for better opportunities and a better life. Together with the rest of the community, they toiled, struggled, and succeeded.
On this date in 1900, a resident from McHenry County claimed there were millions to be made from running skunk farms. H.P. Johnson spoke most earnestly about the profitability of the smelly mammal. Mr. Johnson assured that the animal is “as clean and harmless as a kitten when reared in a proper manner.”
On this date in 1913, The Student, UND's student newspaper, reported on the installation ball of Phi Delta Theta, a new fraternity.
From time immemorial, bison herds owned the plains of North Dakota. Native Americans and Europeans alike held bison in some measure of awe for their inherent power. Tribes believed the Great Spirit had sent the buffalo to them as part of the gift of life.
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear about hopes for the future from Spirit Lake Elder Patricia Christensen.
In July 1928, the Minot Daily Optic ran a brief article about the opening of “the new Hariman Sanitarium” in Grand Forks. A dedication of the building was held, opening it for public inspection. It was three stories high, constructed of brick and concrete. The article reported that: “Modern hospital equipment, including electrical apparatus, has been installed.”
It’s a tale as old as time. The teenagers of Bismarck were bored. Besides watching movies or cruising Main Street, the kids wanted something fun to do after school and on the weekends. On this date in 1992, the front page of the Bismarck Tribune ran a story about an ambitious group of teens called Upbeat that wanted to do what no one else in Bismarck had managed to do: open a successful teen center.
North Dakota is smack dab in the middle of the Central Flyway. It covers more than half the landmass of the continental United States and extends into Central and South America. It’s like an interstate highway for migrating birds. Many different species rely on the diverse marshes and wetlands on their spring and fall journeys.
For decades, North Dakota lawmakers used massive bill books at their desks to read and track legislation. Bill books were heavy and cumbersome and required constant updates for amendments. The process was tedious and involved a blizzard of paper and a lot of time.
In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Scott Davis, enrolled member of the Standing Rock and Turtle Mountain Nations share with us about the importance of unlearning and relearning.
April is National Historic Preservation Month. Today, we recognize one of North Dakota’s listings in the National Register of Historic Places.
Today we continue strolling down memory lane, recalling past concerts in North Dakota. Perhaps you’ll remember some!
As they moved out onto the Great Plains, pioneers were struck by the lack of trees. Trees were taken for granted east of the Mississippi. Trees provided building materials, wind breaks, and fuel. Among those who missed trees was Nebraska newspaper editor J. Sterling Morton. He became a strong advocate for tree planting.
In the times of national Prohibition, considerable quantities of bootleg alcohol flowed around North Dakota despite the illegality of selling, consuming and transporting liquor. On this date in 1930, a newspaper story about a “mystery truck,” caused quite a stir in Fargo. The article told of an incident on March 30 in Fargo’s warehouse district, just west of downtown.
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear an important teaching about broken spirits from Lorraine Davis, enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.
Walter Burleigh was one of Dakota Territory’s early politicians. He was an Indian agent accused of shady dealings who went on to become a delegate to Congress, wielding influence over who got territorial jobs. He was also a witness at President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment trial.
In March 1929, as ice broke up in the Missouri River, local federal meteorologist O. W. Roberts watched, issued advisements, and recorded what was going on. He wrote: “As long as there is ice on the Missouri river, there is danger of a flood.” Many others also watched the river. The Bismarck Tribune commented the “banks of the river between Bismarck and Mandan were crowded with spectators.” They watched huge logs in the river and reported seeing muskrats riding downstream on cakes of ice.
Monuments and tributes to the past are sprinkled throughout North Dakota towns and parks. Many towns have veteran and war memorials. Mandan, Minot and Medora have a statue of President Theodore Roosevelt. Grand Forks has a sculpture commemorating the 1997 Red River Flood. Some towns pay tribute with a local symbol, like Salem Sue in New Salem and Tommy the snowmobiling turtle in Bottineau.
In March of 1929, ice on the Missouri River began to break up early. Some of the ice flowed free, but some piled up in ice gorges, blocking the waterflow. The threat of flooding loomed. One large ice gorge formed at Huff, 18 miles south of Bismarck. The jam was 25 to 30 miles long — solid, and stuck.
In today's episode of Dakota Datebook we'll hear Kenneth Jerome Hill, enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, share a bit about how nature heals.
On this date in 1900, the Bottineau Current announced the arrival of a much-anticipated play. “The Old Maid’s Convention” had already been staged in Bismarck, Jamestown, and other places in the state before reaching Bottineau. The play was performed at the Bottineau opera house, garnering rave reviews.
Many small towns across the state slowly shrank after a peak population of 680,000 in 1930, a number that would not be reached again until after 2010. People had moved to larger cities, farms consolidated, and various economic busts meant many small towns lost their schools, businesses, churches, and post offices. However, the majestically named town of Napoleon was noted to be prosperous on this date in 1986.
In 1916, revolutionary leader Pancho Villa controlled much of northeastern Mexico. As a part of his campaign to destabilize United States interests in northern Mexico, Villa launched an attack on US mining executives. Eighteen Americans were killed.
Railroad executive James J. Hill is a giant of North Dakota history. Overcoming the disadvantages of an impoverished childhood, Hill took the helm of the Great Northern Railway and was responsible for the company’s huge expansion across the northwest that was in large part responsible for the settlement of the state.
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear about the importance of developing understanding from Dr. Twyla Baker, enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa, Arikara Nation and president of Nueta Hidatsa, a Sanhish College.
This date in 1989 was a day of anticipation for school teacher Lola Gellner from Perkett Elementary School in Minot. The next day was Saturday, when she would demonstrate a new educational video game at Dakota Square Mall called, “Where in North Dakota is Carmen Sandiego?”
Not every bill proposed in the Legislature passes and becomes a law, but in 1935, one bill just plain went missing.
Ukraine has known war in recent years; and this European nation has rarely known true independence. The Ukrainians, as a Slavic people-group, have their own language and culture. However, due to Ukraine’s great natural wealth, it has been predominantly been ruled by Russia. Numerous Ukrainians immigrated to America from the 1890s onward. About 5,000 Ukrainians came to North Dakota.
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding number three is about sharing and generosity. It states, "Native people have rich traditions of sharing and generosity, which include gifting, shared meals, powwow gatherings, shared living spaces, and care for relatives, including the environment, natural resources, and waters."
People have proven remarkably adaptable to the extreme winter weather of the northern Great Plains. It is easy to overlook one item that has kept people warm for almost 250 years, and North Dakotans have a teenager from Maine to thank for it.
In 1932, North Dakotans were on the alert at the prospect of something big: gold in North Dakota! Earlier in the year, free flake gold was reportedly washing up in the Missouri River near Denbigh. On this date, mining engineer Deane Purves declared to Williston residents his belief that it is “possible there is gold enough on the Missouri bottoms in the vicinity of Williston to create profitable employment to many men out of work.”
Here is another sampling of musicians from far and wide who have performed in North Dakota. Perhaps you’ll remember some!
The winter of 1887-1888 marked the end of the Little Ice Age, an unbroken six year stretch that featured abnormally cold weather. The Little Ice Age seemed determined to go out with a bang. The year began with a severe blizzard that affected the Great Plains from the Canadian border to Texas. On January 12, an extremely cold storm hit. As many as 300 people died. It is still considered the worst storm in North Dakota history.
Today on Dakota Datebook, we'll be hearing about sovereignty and tribal government from Diane Fox, educator and enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.
This week in 1886, readers of the previous day's Bismarck Weekly Tribune were treated to a glorious tall tale.
The early white settlers in North Dakota tended to cluster around the Army forts located along the Red, James, Sheyenne, and Missouri Rivers. The rivers allowed for easier delivery of supplies, since overland transportation was slow and difficult. That changed for Dakota Territory when the railroads arrived in the early 1870s. New settlers, and supplies to support the growing economy, could now arrive quickly and conveniently.
The adjournment of the Legislature often brings a collective sigh of relief. Sessions over the years have ended late at night, often with major issues decided in the last moments. Some sessions ended bitterly, even violently. Here’s a sampling.
Four women have served on the North Dakota Supreme Court. The first was Beryl Levine, appointed by Governor George Sinner in 1985. Voters later elected and re-elected Levine to the court. She served 11 years on the court, and retired on this date in 1996.
The early 20th Century was the heyday of hat design. Women’s hats became large and extravagant. There were hats for every possible occasion including walking, riding, morning wear, evening wear, and even hats to wear at home. Hats that incorporated feathers and even whole birds became popular. This created a tremendous demand for feathers and birds. Thousands of snow egrets, owls, herons, and other exotic birds were slaughtered in the name of fashion.
In this episode of Dakota Date book, we'll hear Josie Lawrence, enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation share a bit about how to teach by example.
In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll laugh along with Spirit Lake Dakota elder Catherine Howard as she tells us about rabbit and turtle, and frog and turtle.
Two young men, one short and one tall, sat in a booth at Friendly Tavern in Minot North Dakota around 10pm in the early days of February in 1955. Both wore Levi jeans and made unremarkable conversation with one another. The bartender, Tommy Oster, made his way over to the pair. One of the two looked young, so Tommy asked for his ID. It was a North Dakota license, and it said the man was born in October of 1933. The men politely ordered their drinks and played a few songs on the jukebox. They stayed until close and drank three beers a piece.
In 1882 Emery Mapes, originally from Illinois, moved to Nelson County in Dakota Territory. He platted a townsite next to the St. Paul, Minneapolis, Manitoba Railway. He hoped to build a thriving town named after himself that would become the county seat. A depot, grain elevator, and post office were soon built. There was population of 100 people by 1890, along with a school, grocery story, general store, hotel, saloon, blacksmith, and hardware store. Emery Mapes even published a town newspaper.
Unusual and even bizarre events can pop up during sessions of North Dakota’s legislature. In 1890, during the state’s first legislative session, the House of Representatives convened one day at 7:00am. Several members overslept, requiring a call of the house to compel their attendance. The sergeant-at-arms went out to rouse the missing members. He reportedly fired blanks from a revolver to get one representative out of bed! Another member was roused by “a large cannon fire cracker.”
In February 1912, the city of Minot celebrated the new library in town. After funds were secured with money from the New York philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, construction quickly followed. Carnegie offered $15,000 for the construction, with additional money from the Minot Women’s Literary Club for furniture and decorations.
On this date in 1932, Barnes County district attorney Roy Ployhar was considering charges for a tragic shooting. Seventeen-year-old Myron Tendick had shot and killed Henry Ruud. Ruud was his stepfather. The incident occurred at their home in Nome, North Dakota. But even though the boy had confessed, the facts of the case were far from cut and dried.
Tempers flared during the 1933 legislative session in Bismarck, when the leader of a ballot measure to repeal alcohol prohibition in the state sparred with state lawmakers.
In the heart of wintertime, when your furnace warms your house but dries the air, static electricity accumulates, so when you touch a light-switch, you can be zapped by a spark. And when you pull on your winter sweater, it can become a clinging swarm of sparks.
For many, Valentine’s Day is a time for love and gratitude for the people in our lives, and it’s been celebrated since the early 1700s. Around this time in 1910, you could attend a Valentine’s Day social in Bismarck, or buy a card that professed your love and devotion from Finney’s drug store.
North Dakota Native American essential understanding number one is about sacred relatives. It states, "Native people practice a deep interconnectedness with the land, the resources, the water, all living things and all human beings. Land stewardship, respect for all two-legged, four-legged, winged, crawlers, and swimmers. And a strong belief in the sacredness of all human beings are key elements of our spirituality."
Relatively early on in his reign, on this date in 1914, amidst reports of the opening ceremony of the British Parliament, King George V was also making news in North Dakota. Prince George Frederick Ernest Albert was proclaimed King George V of England in 1910. He would reign until 1936 through some tumultuous times.
On this date in 1968, the University of North Dakota's student newspaper, The Dakota Student, revealed a bombshell – “Iron Mask exists.”
On this date in 1983, the Bottineau Current reported on a recent visit by Tiny Tim, the quirky singer and ukulele player. He was quite famous at the time, having made a name for himself with his signature song, “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.”
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Eya Co Nape Tasunka Fox, an indigenous dancer, young father, and an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, share how he honors his young son's identity through immersing him in his family's generational cultural practices, while allowing his individuality to inform his ultimate course.
On this date in 1897, the Fargo society column in “The World,” a Black newspaper in the Twin Cities, printed the following: “The H. P. C. met Friday and gave a fine entertainment at the [residence] of Mrs. E. Hayes on Front street and the program was well rendered by all who took part. The H. P. C's are going to have a banquet on the evening of [February] 20, and a good time is anticipated.”
It should be obvious to drivers that a car is no match for a train, but the number of accidents at railroad crossings steadily increased in the early years of the Twentieth Century. At that time, few crossings had signs or warning lights. Drivers were urged to pause and look before crossing the tracks.
Over the years, myriad allegations of bad acts by candidates in elections have surfaced in North Dakota – some serious, others less so. For over a century, state laws have sought to clamp down on candidate misconduct.
This month in 1891, “The Student,” the monthly student publication of the University of North Dakota, printed this story: “We had visited the soldiers' quarters, wandered around where the soldiers parade, and even visited the store, which is just outside the fort. Then longing for new fields to conquer we wondered what we should do next. At length someone suggested that we visit the Council Room of the Indians, and having learned that they were holding a council that afternoon, we sallied forth."
It’s not every day that one can turn back time, but it happened on this date in 1931. Two years before, in 1929, Senator William E. Martin of Morton County introduced a bill that would put all of North Dakota in the central time zone.
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding number seven is about native identity. It states, "Individual and communal identity is defined and supported by shared native languages, kinship systems, Tiospaye, clan structures, traditional teachings, values, sacred laws, and ceremonies. A continuum of tribal identity, unique to each individual, ranges from assimilated to traditional lifestyle. There is no generic American Indian."
On this date in 1983 a B-52 Stratofortress bomber exploded at the Grand Forks Air Force Base with the loss of 5 personnel. Fortunately, it did not have nuclear weapons on board. That was not the case less than 3 years earlier when on September 15th, 1980, a B-52 on alert status caught fire. Fanned by strong winds, the fire became a giant flamethrower. The crew jumped clear and ran.
According to North Dakota State University Extension and Ag Research News, rabbits are responsible for killing more trees in winter than cold temperatures. Rabbits eat the bark off young trees, especially fruit trees, to get to the sugar-rich tissue just below the bark. If a tree loses bark all the way around its circumference, it is likely going to die.
Mathias Hunt was born in Germany in 1848. He immigrated to America as a teenager, entered the Benedictine monastery in Indiana soon after, and became a priest by 1872. Best known as Father Jerome, he moved to Dakota Territory in 1877 and began working as a missionary at the Standing Rock Reservation. Eventually, in 1883, he traveled to the Mission of St. Michael’s on the Fort Totten Reservation.
On the west bank of the Missouri River, about halfway between Mandan and Cannon Ball, sits the tiny town of Huff. The area was first homesteaded in 1888 by John S. Huff. A Northern Pacific Railroad station was built in 1910, and a post office opened in 1911. Huff never had a population that exceeded 60 people, but at one point there was a school, grain elevator, dance hall, store, restaurant, and motel. Rail service ended in 1966, the school closed in 1976, and the post office closed in 1985.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Lorraine Davis, educator, leader, and enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate share her insights into the importance of working together to help each other grow an understanding of our differing perspectives.
On this date in 1925, the Bismarck Tribune reported that a committee examining possible sites for hospitals in the tenth district, which included North Dakota, recommended building a 200-bed facility on Fargo’s north side. The site was intended to care for tuberculosis-infected veterans.
Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park was established in 1947. It’s home to a variety of remarkable critters, and officials have long sought to restore the area’s historic wildlife, including species present when future President Theodore Roosevelt ranched and hunted there in the 1880s.
Matt Crowley was born in Minnesota in 1875. In 1887 his family relocated to North Dakota to establish a ranch where they raised Hereford cattle. Crowley only had four years of formal education. After that, his father was his teacher as they worked the ranch together.
As 1930 drew to a close, North Dakotans were in a state of shock. In the early hours of December 28, the guard on duty at the state capitol building heard a noise on the fourth floor and discovered a fire. He immediately called in a fire alarm. Bismarck’s two fire trucks and three firefighters quickly responded, but the blaze was out of control. As word of the disaster spread, citizens hurried to help.
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Six is about native contributions. It states, "Native people continue to contribute to all levels of society, from local to global, in diverse fields, including medicine, science, government, education, economics, art, music, and many more." In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Alex DeCoteau, educator and enrolled Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, share his insight into exactly what it is that Native Americans have contributed to the United States.
In 1938, Dr. George Foster and his wife Irene founded the Fargo Winter Club to boost interest in winter sports and athletics. That year, the group partnered with the WPA to build the Fargo Arena, an arena for local residents to participate in skating and other winter sports in more sheltered conditions.
Today is another story of the young preacher called from seminary in St. Louis to McKenzie County a century ago. For 10 months, the Rev. Richard C. Jahn preached in English and German, and baptized, confirmed, and buried residents. He lodged with a bachelor homesteader in a cabin east of Watford City. At age 21, Jahn attended a dying person for the first time, a man mangled by wolves.
American attention on World War I shifted from idle curiosity to intense interest when the United States entered the war in April, 1917. Americans enthusiastically found ways to support the boys who were “over there.” They bought War Bonds, donated to charities, and joined the Red Cross. Posters, ads, newspapers, and the movies made patriotic appeals. Hollywood stars like Mary Pickford sold bonds and appeared in patriotic movies.
On this date in 1930, Edward Robertson, president of Wesley College, sent this typed letter to Vernon Squires, dean of liberal arts at the University of North Dakota: “Dear Friend of Thirty Years: This is a love letter. It is a bit unusual for one man to write a love letter to another man. I am not sure of the correct form or phrasing of it, but I am sure that no other sort would suit my idea of a letter that I wish to have bound together with writings of other friends in a Blue Key testimonial."
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Five is about tribal policies, treaties and sovereignty. It states, "Native people practice self-determination, developing tribal policies and practicing political activism." Despite a history of US policies and treaties that have often been detrimental, native people are members of sovereign nations that predate the US government.
Usher L. Burdick was born in Owatonna, Minnesota in 1879. His family moved to Dakota Territory in 1882. He graduated from the North Dakota State Normal School in Mayville, then worked as deputy superintendent of schools for Benson County before entering the University of Minnesota Law School. He graduated in 1904 and was admitted to the North Dakota state bar. He opened a practice in Munich, North Dakota.
North Dakotans took great pride when the United States Navy announced that a new dreadnought was to be christened as the USS North Dakota. It was a Delaware-class battleship, armed with a main battery of ten twelve-inch guns and was capable of a top speed of twenty-one knots. North Dakota newspapers declared her to be the “Mistress of the Seas.”
North Dakota’s extreme winter weather poses some limits on recreational activities. Sledding and ice skating can lose their attraction in below zero temperatures. Consequently, North Dakotans are happy to find opportunities for indoor recreation. The foundation for one such recreation was laid on this date in 1863 when James Plimpton patented a four-wheel roller skate.
Governors throughout North Dakota history have given speeches to the Legislature to outline their priorities and proposals and to describe the state's outlook: a “state of the state,” it's been called. Those speeches are often given around this date, including in times of war, prosperity, gloom and uncertainty. Here’s a sampling:
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Five is about tribal policies, treaties, and sovereignty. In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Demus McDonald, elder and enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota nation, tell the traumatic story of his own experience with assimilation policies practiced by America's Indian boarding school system.
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Four is about sense of humor. In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Jesse Taken Alive, elder educator, and enrolled member of the Standing Rock Nation discuss the important role that humor plays among the Lakota people.
If you are of a certain age, you may remember the value of a silver dollar, and you might recall its size and its heft – almost a full ounce of real silver. Most people today most likely remember non-silver Eisenhower dollars or the Susan B. Anthony or Sacagawea dollars from recent years, but old, real-silver dollars evoke special memories for some.
Teaching has never been an easy profession. Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, school boards imposed severe rules on women who chose teaching as a profession. While it varied from school to school, many of the rules were common, including daily tasks like making sure the classroom had a bucket of water and a full scuttle of coal. They had to fill the lamps and clean the chimneys. Modern teachers can be glad they don’t have to clean the outhouses!
The old-fashioned wringer washing machine looks primitive by today’s standards, but at one time it was a state-of-the-art innovation. As the industrial revolution exploded, people became more and more interested in labor-saving devices. Wooden tubs equipped with a hand-powered agitator were already in use. But the wet laundry still had to be wrung out by hand. That was time consuming and labor intensive.
In September of 1931, a community acting group organized in the city of Bismarck. Sixty people became members at the first meeting, where the group adopted a constitution and elected officers. It cost 50 cents per year to be a member. Their goal was to “provide drama as a means of recreation both for participants and audience.” Members determined that admission fees would be kept low, only enough to cover costs.
Merry Christmas! Here is a sampling of how North Dakotans of yore celebrated Christmas.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Debbie Poitra, elder, educator, enrolled member of Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa, discuss the important role that humor plays among the indigenous people of this area.
On this date in 1907, the Great Northern Railroad laid off 150 workers in Devils Lake and Minot citing poor business. In a similar move, and under the same circumstances, a rival company, the Northern Pacific Railroad, let 45 workers go two days before.
1879 was a good year to purchase land in Dakota Territory. The Northern Pacific Railroad had gone bankrupt. The company was money poor but land rich, so it was selling land to raise funds for extending its railroad line. Land could be had for as little as fifteen cents per acre.
A supercentenarian is a person who lives to be at least 110 years old. Once a rarity, the number of supercentenarians has grown steadily, and North Dakota has had its fair share.
North Dakota rodeo and Wild West Show performer Scott Gore was born on this date in 1880 in Deadwood, South Dakota. His family moved to North Dakota in the 1890s where his parents worked for the Pierre Wibaux W Bar Ranch.
This week in 1882, the Virginia Star, a black newspaper in Richmond, Virginia reprinted an article from the Conservator, a black newspaper from Chicago, that read: “A number of well-known colored men of this city have united to establish a colored colony in Dakotah. Their pronunciamento is as follows ..."
On this date in 1995 the Bismarck Tribune ran a front-page story about the memorial service for Richard C. Halverson. This was no ordinary service. It was held in the U.S. Capitol building, and the attendees included members of the U.S. Senate. The Reverend Richard C. Halverson had served as the chaplain to the Senate, and the most powerful people in the country gathered to pay tribute to this humble minister from North Dakota.
Gunshots rang, gavels fell, and lessons were learned in the case of Bismarck Police officers Floyd Rouse and Marion House. The incident that brought the young officers from the patrol car to the court room occurred in early December 1947 near Minot. What should have been a routine traffic stop turned into a near death experience.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Oliver Gourd, elder, educator and enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation, talk about the importance of generosity among the Dakota people.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was established in 1933 to provide jobs for unemployed men during the Great Depression. Over the nine years of its existence the Corps, known as the “CCC,” employed about three million men. They were paid thirty dollars a month, a princely sum during the depths of the Depression. Most of the money was sent home to their families.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Catherine Howard, elder, educator, and enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation, talk about the importance of generosity among the Dakota people.
North Dakota has not always been a Republican-controlled state, but you have to look far back to find when Democrats were driving the bus – especially in the state House of Representatives.
On this date in 1928, readers of the Flasher Tribune were reminded that there were only 15 days of Christmas shopping left. Fewer days than today, since stores were closed on Sundays back then.
North Dakota is home to a wide variety of wildlife, with everything from the little prairie dog to the majestic bison. Very few people have seen a mountain lion, although they are known here. On this date in 1887, a mountain lion carcass was on display in Bismarck. The Bismarck Tribune noted that it was a fine specimen, suggesting it be stuffed and mounted for exhibit in the territorial museum.
A coal miner was murdered near Kenmare in late November of 1912, and it doesn’t appear his death was ever solved. The deceased was Carl Hanson, a 29-year-old born in Norway. A Soo Line section foreman discovered his body near the shore of Des Lacs Lake after following a bloody trail from the tracks
North Dakota’s coal mines were dangerous places a century ago, when blasts and equipment accidents could be fatal. The industry had swelled in North Dakota in the 1910s. In 1920, the state had 116 mines, most of them underground. They produced nearly 879,000 tons of coal, worth more than $2.1 million. That would be more than $33 million in today’s dollars.
In 1955, the city of Bismarck was in the middle of a scandalous trial. On this date the district attorney accepted a $300 bond, filed through the governor’s office for the removal of Sheriff Myron Thistlethwaite, a necessary step in the process for removing a public office holder.
On this date in 1909, the city of Williston celebrated the opening of their new Great Northern Depot. There had initially been some concern that the new depot would be farther from the city that the old depot, but the local commercial club got involved to ensure that it would be built close to the original site.
In 1946, Enderlin made history when townspeople elected Agnes Geelan as mayor, making her the first female mayor of an incorporated town in North Dakota.
In 1946, Enderlin made history when townspeople elected Agnes Geelan as mayor, making her the first female mayor of an incorporated town in North Dakota.
North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding, number two, is about learning and storytelling. It states, "Traditional teaching and the passing on of knowledge and wisdom was done through storytelling, song, ceremony and daily way of life.
Happy Thanksgiving! Today’s story is a sampling of how the holiday was observed in North Dakota more than 100 years ago.
On this date in 1979, The Bismarck Tribune reported that the tiny town of New Hradec was long past its glory days. The grocery store, bar, and gas station had long ago closed. The school only had 22 students, and the church that once had 250 families now had 90. The population was still about 50, down a bit from its high of 57 in 1940. The outlook for this tiny town was dire, but it was strong in its Czech heritage.
Severe winter weather is no big surprise in North Dakota. The state can typically expect 50 days per year with below zero temperatures. The record low, in 1936, was -60 degrees.
The city of Robinson, in Kidder County, experienced a news-making surprise in 1925. A public water well had begun to produce gasoline! The water had apparently turned bad for drinking a year earlier, but was still being used off-and-on for other purposes. A motorist who stopped to add water to his radiator, realized it was gasoline when he got it to burn.
The November 1888 Student, the University of North Dakota's monthly magazine from that era, reported: “[Professor Henry] Montgomery … during the past five years has devoted considerable time to the exploration of artificial mounds in Dakota. The greater portion of this work ... has been in the neighborhood of Devils' Lake, Fort Totten, and Inkster.”
According to the Bismarck Tribune on this date in 1987, Caspar Borggreve was adamant that he never wanted to be known as a dull man. He need not have worried. This Dutchman, who moved across Europe and the upper Midwest, eventually became a beloved restaurateur in Bismarck.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Debbe Poitra, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, share a bit about the importance of storytelling in the Michif culture and how those stories help to express important ideas, values, and the history of a people.
It was a cool, clear, crisp autumn day on this date at the University of North Dakota. The high temperature reached 44 degrees. It was a normal autumn day, but there were warning signs of possible trouble head.
North Dakota’s bare landscape isn’t known for its trees, but in the state’s centennial year of 1989, North Dakota provided two trees for Christmas in the nation’s capital.
1919 was a year of great upheaval. Across the country, the working class rebelled against corporate greed by walking off the job. World War I had been over for only a year, and the world was still reeling from the 1918 flu pandemic. The cost of living had almost doubled. Workers’ pre-war dollars were now worth only 45 cents. Industrialists that grew rich from the war now wanted to cut wages and take away gains made by labor. Countless numbers of American workers went on strike, and conservatives feared a revolution similar to the Bolsheviks’ takeover of Russia.
Alfred Howe Terry was born into a prosperous Connecticut family on this date in 1827. He graduated from Yale with a law degree and worked for a Connecticut Superior Court.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook's Teaching of our Elders series, we'll hear Gladys Hawk, elder and educator, who was an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, share a bit about the importance of reciprocity with the land as we use its natural resources.
On this date in 1930, the Bismarck Tribune reported on a meeting of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The speaker for the occasion was Russell Reid of the State Historical Society. Mr. Reid’s topic was North Dakota’s forts.
North Dakota enacted prohibition within its borders upon entering as a state in 1889. Of course, many continued to illegally sell and transport liquor. In March 1915, the North Dakota legislature approved House Bill 114, which defined the crime of bootlegging and clarified the punishment for violations.
In this first episode of our new Dakota Datebook series, "Teachings of our Elders," we'll hear Dr. Wayne Fox, educator and enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara nation share a bit about helping students develop a deeper relationship with the land around them.
World War I put a heavy burden on the country’s food supplies. Men and horses were taken off the farms and sent to war. German submarines blocked the importation of nitrate fertilizer and food. Decreased agricultural output led to food shortages. It became common to see women and children standing in line to buy food. Lower food supplies led to higher prices and hoarding.
In the fall of 1917 as the Great War was raging, eight prominent businessmen of Anamoose, North Dakota, were caught up in espionage charges. The accused included a former state senator and his brothers, as well as the Anamoose mayor and several store owners.
On this date in 1945, the first issue of Ebony Magazine was published, and one doesn’t typically associate Black culture with early North Dakota, but one of the state’s most noted celebrities is an African American woman who started out on a farm near Driscoll.
Today is Halloween, a perfect time to talk about scary stories, ghosts, and old legends! The North Dakota State Archives holds many items that speak to such things. After all, history is rife with stories of the unexplained, and North Dakota is no different.
The federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay held several infamous convicts throughout its 29 years of operation, even a handful of prisoners with connections to North Dakota.
In early 1917, social news about the State Historical Society’s second librarian, Miss Georgia Carpenter, made the columns of the Bismarck Tribune. She was engaged to Charles Hageman of Bismarck. Charles was a travelling salesman for a Duluth hardware company. The two would be marrying in Randolph, New York, from where she hailed, although they planned to make their home in Bismarck.
You may have read the Sherlock Holmes story, “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” about a demonic hound that terrorizes the heirs of a wealthy estate. Similarly, people throughout North Dakota in the fall of 1936 were gripped by reports from the Canadian border to Bismarck about an African lion.
Today it is difficult to imagine what the invention of the telegraph meant to the development of the country. In the early 1800s it took weeks for messages to get from one side of the country to the other. The telegraph changed that. By 1860, the telegraph stretched as far west as St. Joseph, Missouri. The Pony Express took messages and mail from there to Sacramento, California in a record ten days. On this date in 1861, a telegraph message was sent from St. Louis to San Francisco, finally connecting the east coast with the west.
In the early history of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, the offices were in the basement of the original Capitol. It wasn’t a lot of space, which soon became a problem. In 1913, Secretary Orin G. Libby of the State Historical Society, reported, “the crowded condition of the museum rooms… made it impossible for the Society to enter into any considerable collecting …”
On this date in 1995 the Bismarck Tribune reported that Nels Berger of Williston received a birthday telegraph from King Harald V (the 5th), King of Norway. Why would the king want to congratulate a retired farmer in North Dakota? Well, not only was Nels Berger originally from Norway, but he had turned 110, making him the oldest person in the state.
In 1913, Orin G. Libby, secretary at the State Historical Society, reported that the curator of the society was anxious to secure representative collections illustrating the early life of the state’s various nationalities. Only one had proper representation, according to Libby; and while you might think that it was the German, Norwegian or indigenous populations, you would be incorrect. The only group reported as having good representation was the Icelandic population.
It was a wild shootout at Fort William. A family rivalry brewing for years had finally exploded into a full-blown war, and it all started on this date in 1834.
On this date in 1987, the Bismarck Tribune reported on Lester Ketterling, the new county judge for Bottineau, Renville, and Rollette counties. Judge Ketterling enjoyed the job and had a long career to look forward to. However, his journey to becoming a judge had not been easy, since he lost his eyesight at age 12.
In 1916, Librarian Georgia Carpenter noted that in the past year, several visitors of national reputation had visited the library, including Miss Frances Densmore, known for documenting the music of indigenous peoples. She and Orin G. Libby had recorded Arikara, Hidatsa, and Mandan songs on wax cylinders.
North Dakota is definitely not in the mainstream of pop culture. Most people’s only reference point to the state is the film “Fargo.” But North Dakota is found in other stories too.
North Dakota entered the country as a dry state, initiating an ongoing battle between state authorities and bootleggers. On this date in 1928, the Bismarck Tribune reported that four men found themselves in hot water, accused of running the largest still ever found in the state. To call the operation a “still” was an impressive understatement. Located on a farm seventeen miles north of Mandan, the operation more closely resembled a factory.
Whynot was the name of a general store and post office from the 1880s through the 1940s. It originated in the creative brain of Erik K. Larsgaard, a Norwegian immigrant, who came to America in 1881.
Barberry is an attractive plant that is prized by landscapers for its vibrant foliage. Combined with its attractive leaves of gold, yellow and red, barberry enjoys a reputation for being hardy, low maintenance, and deer resistant.
In 1911, the State Historical Society of North Dakota had only one paid employee with an office in the capitol. In 1914, the first librarian was hired. And in November of 1915, Mrs. Katherine Jewell was hired as the first newspaper clerk.
U.S. Highway 85 crosses the rugged Badlands south of Watford City in one of the most dramatic drives in North Dakota. The roadway runs for a few miles through the Little Missouri Valley in the area of Theodore Roosevelt National Park before climbing out of the Badlands.
When you think about clothes and fabrics, you might think about natural materials, like cotton, wool, or silk. But if you really think about it, your clothes closet also has synthetic fabrics: polyester shirts; Spandex biking shorts, nylon stockings and more.
In 1962, the North Dakota State Highway Department, as it was known then, installed a radio site west of Merricourt, North Dakota. Merricourt is south of Jamestown, about 20 miles from the South Dakota border. The town’s peak population hit 153 in the 1940s. Now, it’s mostly gone, but not forgotten.
In 1905 on this date, Orville Wright piloted the first flight longer than a half hour. It lasted 33 minutes, 17 seconds and covered 21 miles. Five years later, Frank Kent, the Grand Forks postmaster, became the first airplane passenger in North Dakota when Archie Hoxsey, a member of the Wright brothers’ Flying Circus, made an appearance at the Grand Forks fairgrounds and took Kent up for a nine-minute flight.
October is Archives Month, an occasion to recognize the efforts to assess, collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to information of lasting value. The North Dakota State Archives is part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Today, we recognize Georgia Carpenter, who came from out east in 1915 to become the second librarian for the North Dakota State Historical Society.
Today we examine a buried-treasure legend from the countryside near the town of Hebron -- or maybe Glen Ullin, sometimes it is hard to tell about the whereabouts of something that was utterly lost.
Helen Summers was an artist and designer who wanted to do it all. On this date in 1956 the Bismarck Tribune announced the opening of her new business, Helen Summer Originals, Inc. The business allowed Helen to dabble in anything and everything artistic. She did interior decorating, drew floorplans, designed clothes, did commercial art, painted wall murals, and decorated for parties.
On this date in 1998 the front page of the Bismarck Tribune shared the sad news that John Odegard had died at age 57 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was the founding chairman of the University of North Dakota’s department of aviation.
Dakota Territory was very much the wild West in the days of U.S. Marshal Laban H. Litchfield. He was born in 1839 in Pennsylvania. At age 20, he settled in Bon Homme County in what would become South Dakota. He was involved in Republican politics, and rose from appointed county offices to a seat in the Territorial House of Representatives and then to deputy US marshal. He was also a volunteer courier between Yankton and Fort Randall during the Dakota Conflict of 1862.
Today we take another look at the typical newspaper content years past. On this date in 1943, the Fargo Forum carried a full-page ad from Osco Drug headlined “Make up your back-to-school shopping list!” It touted lead pencils with rubber erasers on sale for a penny each. A composition book was priced at four cents, sixty sheets of typing paper just seven cents, and a package of Crayola crayons were only eight cents a package.
The year 1919 saw a lot of turbulence, in many ongoing matters, and especially politically in North Dakota. The North Dakota governor was Lynn Frazier, the Nonpartisan League was a major player in politics, and World War I had recently ended.
By September 1943, residents in the Red River Valley and across North Dakota had become accustomed to their lives during wartime. The Fargo Forum newspaper featured a daily reminder of the costs of WWII battles as well as activities on and off the war front.
The United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917. The guns fell silent on November 11, 1918. During that time, 35,448 North Dakota men served in the Armed Forces. Over 1,300 of them did not survive. There was sadness across the country as families held funerals for their loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice. There was even greater tragedy for the families of those who never returned from the war. Without a funeral, there was no sense of closure.
In an effort to encourage future generations of farmers, the Better Farming Association of Barnes County sponsored programs that appealed to boys. The big project for 1912 was the corn growing contest. The boys were challenged to grow the highest yield per acre. The Association noted that its most important work was arousing an interest in farming as a career. On this date in 1912, 112 Barnes County boys were enrolled in the corn yield contest, enticed by valuable prizes.
On this date in 1917, Williston had a bit to boast about within the walls of its county jail. The Williston Graphic reported: “It is not every county jail in the state that can boast of an artist (yes, a really truly [good] artist that paints color and pen and ink sketches that sell on their own merit), [but] Williston can.”
In 1899, revised laws in North Dakota stated that no two townships could have the same name. However, most townships didn’t act on the change. Pembina’s Pioneer Express opined, it was a law “in existence, but … in innocuous desuetude”—which was a fancy way of saying a harmless state of disuse.
Standing a few miles east of Richardton, North Dakota, is a modest conical hill with a lot of history. It’s called Young Man’s Butte. Several legends exist to the origin of the name. One of the most plausible came from Rain-in-the-Face, a Lakota Sioux, born near the Cheyenne River in present day South Dakota in 1835.
There was a great deal riding on the presidential election of 1900. The Philippine American War was in its third year and Americans were nervous about the state of the country’s economy.
Dan Panko was born on this date in Ukraine in 1895. He emigrated to America in 1906 with his family and they homesteaded in North Dakota. A railroad branch of the Soo Line ran near their homestead and young Dan would hop on the train as it went by, ride a few miles, hop off and run back home.
Perhaps the most violent moment in Dakota territorial politics was the killing of the territorial secretary in 1873. General Edwin Stanton McCook was a distinguished Civil War veteran and one of the “Fighting McCooks,” a prominent Union military family. In February of 1872, President Grant appointed McCook as secretary of Dakota Territory, a position which also served as acting governor. McCook soon afterward arrived in the capital city of Yankton with his family.
A man wanted for various crimes in other states met his demise in 1938 in Oberon, North Dakota. A sheriff’s deputy intervened in late-night street brawl, and as one of the troublemakers fled, Benson County Deputy Sheriff Walter Crane called for him to halt. The man drew a gun and fired at Crane, who shot back, killing the man.
In 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed with the driving of the Golden Spike. The railroad ran from Omaha in Nebraska Territory to Sacramento in California. It was the first means of mass transportation to cross the country. And as the first, the Transcontinental Railroad overshadowed the later Northern Pacific. The Northern Pacific, however, has its own inspiring story. It also reached the far west, but had to overcome financial challenges to do it without government loans.
North Dakota’s Legislature has 80 days every session to do its business, and that can be a tight clock. But that time-limit used to be even tighter – only 60 days. On this date in 1976, voters narrowly approved a constitutional amendment that increased the 60 days to 80 “natural days.”
After the Erie Canal was built, farmers found it faster and cheaper to transport their grain. The improved transportation system led to mass production of grain. Over the next ten years, the amount of grain arriving in Buffalo, New York grew from just over one hundred thousand bushels to over two million. A new system was needed to store the grain. The answer was the grain elevator.
North Dakota sent many of its sons to fight in World War I. Some called it the “War to End All Wars,” though it was not. In the spirit of patriotism, young men across the state joined the military to help win the “Great War.” The recruits, 31,269 in number, came from all corners of the state.
We live in a time of hyper-sensitivity in matters of contagion. Dr. Kelley and I are members of a rather conservative—actually, really conservative—Lutheran parish where some members still exercise the option of the common cup. On the other hand, we recently took part in a communion service where we were issued little sealed plastic packages, one compartment of which contained just a splash of wine, the other a dime-size gluten-free wafer.
When you see an eagle soaring on high in the skies, you might marvel at its magnificent size, with a wingspan seven-feet-wide. You might admire the bald-eagle’s snow-white head and tail gleaming in contrast with its chocolate-colored wings and body. You might visualize an eagle’s claws or its pointed beak that rips and tears its victims into bite-sized pieces. Eagles truly are legendary as birds of prey.
The grandeur of the plains is more subtle than most landscapes. It appeases the need for simplicity, filled with absences. Quiet, modest, and if one is not accustomed, lonely. However, for a faithful lover of the prairies, it holds not loneliness, but peace. This peace appealed to a group of Franciscan Sisters who made their home in Hankinson, North Dakota, in 1928. On this date in 1926, the location for the Sister’s intended community was selected.
North Dakota saw a rash of bank robberies in 1935 and 1936 in Denhoff, Zap, Cummings, New Leipzig, Dickey and Maddock. In the Denhoff case, the robbers must have gotten spooked, because two boys found loot from the Denhoff robbery in a haystack!
On this date in 1923, a search was launched in pursuit of an organized crime group active in the Aneta area. Thieves had been targeting local farmers with innovative tactics. What was the crime, you may be wondering? These criminal masterminds were stealing chickens.
Frank LaFayette Anders was born in 1875 at Fort Abraham Lincoln where his father was stationed. When his father died in 1890, Frank, age 15, quit school to help support the family. In 1894 he enlisted in the National Guard and served as a member of the Young’s Scouts in the Philippines during the Spanish American War and the Philippine American War.
In early August, 1908, citizens of Cranbrook, British Columbia, were fighting a fire that threatened their city when news came over the wire that the Fernie-Fort Steele Brewery in nearby Fernie was on fire. Then the lines of communication went dead. Several hours later, when Cranbrook’s fire scare had mainly passed, communication was reestablish—only to learn that the fire in Fernie had spread, destroying most of the town.
Dr. Gilbert Wilson, a University of Minnesota anthropologist, journeyed to North Dakota around 1912 to interview Buffalobird-Woman, who was in her 70s.
North Dakota rarely stands out on the national political scene, but one figure did at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, which began on this date in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Future Governor George Sinner was a state senator and a delegate. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for Congress that year.
On this date in 1917, North Dakota Senator Porter J. McCumber announced that the Senate had passed his bill mandating the draft of alien residents. It directed the president to enter into negotiations with European allies to approve drafting their citizens in the United States into the American Army.
On this date, in 1965, a newspaper article reported the main characteristics of burrowing owls, noting that they are among the “few bird species to nest in burrows in the ground.”
On this day in 1980, the Bismarck Tribune reported on the tiny town of Jugville, which had a population of two. However, Sig and Josie Jagielski weren’t the holdouts in a dying town. In fact, they had built the town themselves. Sig loved to collect antiques and odds and ends. He soon filled up his basement with his vast collections. In 1968 he married Josie, and she brought collections of her own. She encouraged Sig to find a solution to the overstuffed basement, and thus Jugville was born.
On this date in 1947, two hefty machines made their way through Ward County to spread weed and insect sprays containing DDT. The spraying was apparently a welcomed development. County Agent M. W. Erwin received many letters and calls from those looking to add their properties to the route for a minimal cost.
In early years of automobiles, they had to intermingle with pedestrians, horses, and bicycles. The rules of the road were few, and evolving from town-to-town. On this date in 1910, the Hope Pioneer newspaper reported on a recently-passed ordinance that sought to address the regulatory challenge.
In the summer of 1910, former president Theodore Roosevelt was still making headlines in the Fargo Forum and Daily Republican newspaper. Roosevelt had been on page one in June as the paper recorded his interaction with passengers at sea off the coast of Ireland as he began his return after a triumphal tour of Europe.
Few county officials in North Dakota have been removed from office, but one of the most dramatic cases reached the state Supreme Court. Sioux County State’s Attorney George H. Purchase was serving his second term when on this date in 1927 five voters filed charges against him for misconduct in office, malfeasance and habitual drunkenness. The accusations prompted Gov. Arthur Sorlie to suspend Purchase.
Grandma Mary, a pseudonym, got AIDS from a blood transfusion in 1984. Her friend, a nurse, wanted to lift Grandma Mary’s spirits, so the Bismarck Tribune ran a story about her, and gave a post office box address for people to write her. On this date in 1990 the Bismarck Tribune reported that Grandma Mary had received 300 letters. Mary said, “I was amazed. It was overwhelming. It was a surprising, amazing thing to happen to me.”
When we picture high-powered attorneys or the leaders of major corporations, we often think of the stereotype presented by Hollywood – someone who got their start as a brash twenty-something with East Coast roots, fresh out of an Ivy League college. However, as is often the case, such stereotypes are inaccurate, and the real version is much more interesting.
At the end of July 1877, Steamboat Captain and Missouri River pilot, John Harris of Missouri, passed away in Bismarck. At his death, the author of his obituary acknowledged his fondness for drinking, commenting that the passed soul “was master of a very lucrative profession,” and that he “might have enjoyed a happy home …” and that he “Might have been able to breathe out his last moments surrounded by loving, sympathizing friends,” if he hadn’t given in to “intemperance.” The author ended this article by stating, “Truly, virtue brings its own reward.”
This week in 1974 brought a sudden change in Vice President Gerald Ford’s schedule when he abruptly cancelled a 12-day political excursion. The reason soon became apparent. The news leaked out, and a three-inch-high headline on the front page of The Fargo Forum screamed “Nixon to Quit!”
Born in Springfield, Ohio in 1818, Charles Cavalier moved to Carmel, Illinois at the age of seventeen. After a few years he pulled up stakes and headed west. He settled in Red Rock, Minnesota, six miles south of St. Paul, but soon relocated to St. Paul where he opened a shop in 1845. He sold out in 1847 to start the town’s first drugstore in partnership with a doctor. However, he was a restless soul. In order to move on to other adventures, he sold his share of the drugstore to the doctor.
On this date, in 1920, a newspaper advertisement touted the virtues of Huiskamp’s “Barn Yard Shoe” and Huiskamp’s Barnyard Shoe Oil. These work-shoes, according to a 1913 advertisement in Valley City, were manure-proof and ammonia proof; guaranteed “not to rot or crack-through from barnyard service.”
Mary Sherman was born to Michael and Dorothy Sherman on a small farm near Ray, North Dakota in 1921. She graduated from Ray in 1939 as Valedictorian and went on to college at Minot State University majoring in chemistry. When World War II broke out, most men joined the service creating a shortage of chemists and other scientists. Mary was noticed in her chemistry classes and offered a job at Plum Brook Ordnance Works in Sandusky, Ohio. Short on money, Mary decided to postpone her degree and take the job.
Five thousand Indians of the Sioux nation gathered in 1888 for discussions on a treaty that would open up land in the Standing Rock reservation for non-native settlement. The government was represented by three commissioners who needed three-quarters of all adult Lakota males to approve the treaty. Today marked the eleventh day of discussions, and the commissioners had yet to gather a single signature.
In our state, as elsewhere, there are internationalists who believe the U.S. should be deeply involved in foreign affairs; and isolationists, who do not believe the U.S. should be heavily involved with nations that don’t want anyone telling them what to do. In the 1930s, the prevailing mood was isolationist – that the U.S. should not intervene as the winds of war swept over Europe and Asia.
Seth Bullock arrived in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, on this date in 1876. Bullock’s history as Deadwood Sheriff and U.S. Marshal was featured in the HBO television series, "Deadwood," but his lasting legacy on Dakota Territory is much more legendary than his portrayal in the television show.
The introduction of television in the fifties changed the way Americans spent time in their homes. While TV entertainment was a leap forward from the earlier fascination of radio, viewers were often familiar with personalities who had been successful on radio, or even earlier in vaudeville acts.
On this date in 1976, Eldon Joersz of Hazen, North Dakota, broke the all-time speed record for manned airbreathing jet engine aircraft, flying SR-71 Blackbird, Lockheed’s High Altitude Surveillance Jet.
Before the Garrison Dam was built, the Missouri was a wily river. Its greedy undercurrents had proven treacherous on several occasions. On this date in 1955, painter Donald Ryland of New Town was working 135 feet above the river on the Four Bears Bridge when he lost his balance reaching for a paint stick. He managed to grab a steel beam, but before others could reach him, he lost his grip and fell into the rising reservoir.
Alex Larron was not a nice man. United States Marshall James F. Shea described him as “a mild looking cuss, but for all that he was a bad one.” During the early 1900s Larron and his gang of horse thieves operated mainly near the Canadian border along the Mouse River.
This week in 1915, the paper’s “Northwest Gleanings” section chronicled events from around the state. One of Fargo’s early newspapers was the Fargo Daily Courier-News. In the upper left-hand corner of the paper, it touted Fargo as “The Gate City of North Dakota.”
On this date in 1930, a Fargo woman successfully made a 2,400-foot parachute jump at Salt Lake, North Dakota, about 30 miles northeast of Napoleon. The feat seemed particularly daring, after news of nine fatal aviation accidents from across the nation occurring in a single day. There had also been a death weeks earlier when a professional parachute jumper in Chicago fell when helping rescue a woman dangling from a plane in a tangled parachute.
On this date in 1910, the pioneer town of Timmer established a Post Office. Located along the Northern Pacific railroad about twelve miles southeast of Flasher, the town was named after C. L. Timmerman, a Mandan banker, rancher and merchant.
On this date in 1915, the big news in North Dakota was the opening of the state fair. The event garnered page one headlines in newspapers across the state. Thousands of visitors were expected to arrive in Grand Forks in caravans of automobiles and on special state fair trains. The first day of the fair was a smashing success, blessed with perfect weather. Organizers predicted it would be the best and most successful state fair ever presented.
North Dakota holds a number of remnants of once-active radar and missile sites established during the Cold War. One of these sites was near Fortuna. The Fortuna Air Base was already active by 1951, but in the summer of 1961, local interest in the site abounded as construction of a radar tower began.
The Star Wars franchise has been a pop culture phenomenon since it debuted in 1977. On this date that year, the Dakota Twin Theatres in Bismarck offered showings of “Star Wars” at 7 and 9:20pm. Ads in the Bismarck Tribune noted that the “cosmic adventure” was in its “6th big week!”
The tiny town of Antler is situated two miles south of the Canadian border. Named for nearby Antler Creek, it was first platted in 1905. A school was built two years later, and by 1910 the town had 342 residents.
On this date in 1917, folks were gearing up for the North Dakota State Fair in Grand Forks, which would run from July 17-21. Many exciting events were in the lineup.
In May of 1894, a labor dispute known as the Pullman strike began in Illinois. Related riots reflected discontent with labor conditions on the railroad and would soon reverberate across the country, affecting a wide swath of states, including North Dakota.
The Legislature’s first gathering in the second North Dakota Capitol was for a special session called by the since-deposed governor to investigate his federal court conviction. The building was completed in 1934 after the previous Capitol burned in 1930.
While there are tornadoes on every continent, most of them happen in the United States. And most of those occur on the Great Plains. North Dakota is located at the northern edge of what is known as Tornado Alley. April, May, and June are considered tornado season.
On this date in 1998, the Bismarck Tribune announced that Colonel Terry Scherling of Bismarck was now the highest ranking woman in the Air National Guard. She was promoted to Chief Support Officer for the Air National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C. She was only 43 years old, making her one of the youngest colonels in the country. Just the year before, Scherling had become the first female United States Property and Fiscal Officer. By the time of her retirement, she had risen to the rank of Major General.
Dwight Zimmerley, of Cogswell, North Dakota, set a non-stop flight world record on this date in 1929, flying solo 1,725 miles from Brownsville, Texas, to Winnipeg, Canada.
North Dakota winters can get cold. North Dakotans take it as a point of pride that they can withstand temperatures that would make many people gasp. The winter of 1935-36 proved to be a rough one, and February was the worst of all. Trains were halted by snowdrifts. Towns were isolated. The Watertown basketball team could not get home after a game, taking refuge in a stranded Great Northern train.
About 50 species of shorebird migrate through North America. Of those 50 species, about 36 pass on through, while a few stick around for the summer. They all take advantage of the lakes, wetlands, and the water pooled in farm fields.
One of the main characters in the film “The Harder They Fall” is a cowboy named Nat Love. He, like the other characters in the film, was a real person.
People all over North Dakota turned out for two former presidential rivals on separate speaking tours in 1920. Republican William Howard Taft had defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan in the 1908 presidential election, serving as president from 1909 to 1913. It’s unclear why the two came to North Dakota, but their speeches drew thousands of people.
In 1990, the president of the University of North Dakota, Thomas Clifford, took on the additional task of serving as Interim Chancellor of the newly formed North Dakota University System. After what must have been a busy eight months, Clifford stepped down on this date in 1991. For many, the work involved in managing both major academic bodies would have been overwhelming, but for Clifford, the fast pace was par for the course.
A primary election was held on this date in 1910 in North Dakota, except the date was advertised incorrectly multiple times in Billings County Newspapers.
June is arguably the best month of summer for fishing and for “going to the lake.” Many North Dakotans flock to home-state lakes – Sakakawea, Lake Darling, Spiritwood, Stump, Metigoshe. Folks near the Red River often head into Minnesota. It was on this date, in 1889, that the Bismarck Tribune related some of the happenings on Big Detroit Lake, when North Dakotans were in a whirl of lakeshore fun, jam-packed with boating, relaxation, bathing and angling.
The National Statuary Hall is one of the most popular locations in the U.S Capitol Building, with tourists flocking year-’round to see the collection of statues from across the 50 states. The hall is one of the earliest examples of Greek revival architecture in America. The hall has the shape of an ancient amphitheater, with pilasters made of sandstone and columns made of Breccia marble quarried along the Potomac River. The Corinthian columns were carved from white marble in Carrara, Italy.
In recent years, we have grown increasingly aware of “green” terms, reducing carbon footprints, and improving energy efficiency, to the point where many of these environmentally-friendly terms have been added to the dictionary. But progress and energy efficiency have been goals longer than that.
On this date in 1923, an article in the Bismarck Tribune invited the “Ford Family” to compete for prizes in a special event. Although Ford Day would include a special greeting from Henry Ford, the “Ford Family” referred to meant Ford vehicle owners. The sponsor, Copelin Motor Company, would be giving a free touring car to one lucky registrant.
The morning edition of the Fargo Forum on June 26, 1957, continued the harrowing news of the massive tornado that struck the city. The banner headline of the newspaper trumpeted “Red Cross Says At Least $250,000 Needed for Tornado Victims Here.”
On this date in 1907 a puzzling crime investigation by the Devils Lake police department came to a satisfying ending. The crime was first considered unsolvable, but the police nabbed the culprit after some clever sleuthing.
Protest can take many forms. From a singular person starving on a doorstep to thousands flooding the streets, people have many ways of making their voices heard. One interesting North Dakota protest occurred on this date in 2006, involving three men dressed as clowns at the site of a nuclear missile silo near the Minot Airforce Base.
On this date in 1991 The Bismarck Tribune reported on the 100th anniversary celebration for Merricourt, North Dakota. A parade was held for the entire population, which was a grand total of two. Emil and Elsie Geisler were the only residents, but 1,500 people joined the couple in the celebration.
On this date in 1919, North Dakota newspapers were quickly dwindling in number. Almost twenty-nine papers had gone out of business or changed ownership since April 1 of that year. The wave of failing newspapers began as a result of the Brinton Newspaper Law, which was passed in March of 1919 by the State Legislature. The law sought to reduce the number of official newspapers per county to a single publication. Prior to that, each of the fifty-three counties had three official newspapers, each printing notices required by the state, such as foreclosures and bank statements.
The month of June in North Dakota saw many firemen’s tournaments over the years. These events had a long history beginning in the 1880s. Though they were typically held in June, two Dakota Territory tournaments took place in October of 1884.
Irrigation has been crucial to North Dakota’s development. On this date in 1907 it was announced that western governors would gather for the National Irrigation Congress in Sacramento, California. Governors of sixteen western states and territories under the National Reclamation Act were expected to attend. The Federal Government was engaged in many reclamation projects throughout the west, and the National Irrigation Congress was an opportunity for the governors to have input into those projects.
When war broke out in Europe in 1914, President Wilson announced that the United States would remain neutral. Most Americans supported this policy. The country did not want to become embroiled in a foreign war. Wilson was reelected in 1914, running on his slogan, “He Kept Us Out of War.” But public opinion gradually shifted against Germany, and Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war in April 1917. He stated that “The world must be made safe for democracy.”
On this date in 1989 the All Veterans Centennial Memorial was dedicated on the North Dakota Capital grounds in Bismarck. About 1,000 people attended the emotional event, which honored 4,050 North Dakotans who died serving their country since North Dakota became a state in 1889.
This date in 1910 marked the conclusion of a three-day, annual firemen’s tournament. This event had a long history stemming from the 1880s, and rotated through different cities, over different dates, drawing many participants and spectators. In 1910, the event was hosted by Bismarck.
Anyone who has ever played trombone or saxophone or tuba in a high school concert band knows the worth of making beautiful music in harmony with their band-mates. In Devils Lake, about 100 years ago, a “famous band” arose. This band, known as the Devils Lake Boy Concert Band, played throughout the region, from Bismarck to Bemidji; northward to Winnipeg, and westward to Montana.
Today’s story takes us just south of the border to the Petrified Wood Park in Lemmon, South Dakota. The roadside attraction features pillars, spires, a miniature castle, and other creations made of petrified wood. There are also cannonball concretions, various other geologic specimens, and even several quartzite Dakota markers, originally installed in 1892 along the boundary of North and South Dakota.
June 6, 1944 is singular for the most memorable and significant event in the heritage of nations. In United States and world history, the day will always be known as D-Day.
Rose Schneider was born in Nuremburg, Germany, on this date in 1929, and grew up during the chaotic times of World War II. After the war, young Rose served as a court reporter during the Nuremburg trials. She also went to school, training as a nurse. Rose met and fell in love with a young American Army Sergeant serving in Germany, LaMarr Myers.
On this date in 1904, a notice in the Fargo Forum and Daily Republican stated that “Miss Sarah S. Barton…has entered the Dakota Business College for special work in bookkeeping and penmanship during the summer months. These summer sessions offer excellent opportunities for reviews, and ambitious teachers might advantageously follow her example.” The college touted this as an excellent opportunity for a young teacher tired of teaching in public schools to change careers.
Plans to observe North Dakota’s centennial of statehood in 1989 involved more than just a celebration. The state’s Centennial Commission set an ambitious goal in 1987 to plant 100 million trees by the year 2000 – 1 million trees for every year of statehood, to honor pioneers who planted trees on the open prairie. The Centennial Trees Program was to be a “‘living legacy’ that will serve as a lasting reminder for future generations to enjoy.”
Bismarck Tribune reporter Mark Kellogg has a unique place in the story of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, or Greasy Grass. Though he died in the battle, his diary and newspaper dispatches record the movements of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and the Seventh Cavalry’s through Dakota and Montana territories in the spring of 1876.
If undisturbed, a poppy seed will lie on the ground for years without producing a plant, and partially for that reason, the poppy has become a symbol of war and remembrance.
On this date in 1987, The Bismarck Tribune reported that Daniel Preston was still singing at 90-years-old. Mr. Preston had a long and storied career as a singing instructor in the area, starting at the Moorhead Normal School, which is now Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Frances Densmore was born in Red Wing, Minnesota in 1867. As a child she developed an appreciation of music by listening to the nearby Dakota Indians. She became a music teacher, working with Native Americans across the country. Concerned that the tribal music might disappear, she began to record and transcribe their music. In 1907, Densmore began this archiving officially for the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology.
May is National Historic Preservation Month. Today, we celebrate North Dakota’s preservation history by highlighting a site on the "National Register of Historic Places."
North Dakota is a great location for fossil hunting. Enthusiasts come from all over to participate in public digs. North Dakota is rich in prehistoric discoveries due to its geography. Most of its surface is made of sedimentary rock that has not been touched by glaciers, creating ideal conditions for finding fossils. While most of the discoveries are by people looking for them, every once in a while someone stumbles across an ancient sample by accident. This is what happened at an oil drilling site in 2005, reported on this date in 2007.
The Texas outlaw couple Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker roamed the South and Midwest on their crime spree from 1932 to 1934 during the Great Depression. But it doesn’t appear they ever made it to North Dakota. A bank robbery in 1933 in southern Minnesota is attributed to the Barrow gang, and their exploits were front-page news in The Bismarck Tribune, including the breakout of inmates at a Texas prison farm in 1934.
No matter how mighty your locomotive is, it will need a bridge to cross a river. As a result, there are hundreds of railroad bridges scattered across the state of North Dakota. One very significant bridge is the High Line Bridge near Valley City.
The usually calm meeting of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, held this week in 2000, turned into a dangerous and potentially violent row. Earl Pomeroy, the Representative from North Dakota, was one of the participants. As the committee was holding a hearing about trade relations with China, the event was suddenly interrupted by an angry and violent member of the audience.
May is National Historic Preservation Month. Today, we celebrate a North Dakota example by highlighting a State Historic Site on the "National Register of Historic Places."
The 1930s were chaotic for North Dakota politics. In one seven-month period, four men served as governor. Similarly, five men served as state tax commissioner over a few months in 1938 and 1939. The tax commissioner oversees state tax collections.
The Dakota Zoo got its start on the farm of Marc and Betty Christianson, which was located on the northern edge of Bismarck. What started as a boarding kennel for dogs gradually expanded to include a variety of domestic animals. People in the neighborhood regarded the farm as a safe haven for animals, so they brought stray and injured animals to the farm knowing they would be cared for.
Agnes Shurr was born near Glenburn, North Dakota in 1915 and grew up on a farm. She followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a nurse after studying at St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Minot. Agnes worked at a hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, but in 1928 decided to join the Navy to see the world and earn more money.
North Dakotans have sometimes found themselves in the thick of historical disasters. In 1915, early in World War One, a German U-boat torpedoed the SS Lusitania off the Irish coast. The ocean liner sank within 20 minutes. Over 60% of the passengers died.
On May 8th 1873, more than a decade before North Dakota became a state, Episcopal clergyman Charles Swift baptized the infant son of Lieutenant and Mrs. Humbert at Camp Hancock in what was reported to be the first Protestant service held in Bismarck.
According to the Bismarck Historical Society, on this date in 1912 there was something lacking in the city of Bismarck — a public library. The public could borrow from the state library at the Capitol, but the lack of a public library still marked Bismarck as less than modern.
It was early May in 1960 that the northernmost stretch of I-29 was dedicated. It was the first US Interstate to connect to an international border. But even though the stretch was dedicated, it still wasn't ready. It would take seventeen more years for the highway to be completed.
The 1904 Lewis and Clark Centennial and Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, known simply as the World’s Fair, was held in St. Louis. With everything from new foods like ice cream cones to the first Ferris wheel, the fair was a combination of trade show, museum, amusement park, and food court.
On this date in 1910, the News of the North section of the Fargo Forum included another example of community cooperation. “Neighbors Put in Widow’s Crop,” the headline began, followed by “Kindhearted North Dakotans Come to Rescue of Unfortunate Woman.” It was a story out of Goodrich, North Dakota, where neighbors came to help Mrs. L. Anderson.
May is National Historic Preservation Month. Today, we celebrate North Dakota’s history by highlighting a preservation example.
Alois (Al) Kopp was born at Raleigh, North Dakota, on this date in 1918. During the 1930s, jobs were hard to come by so in 1937, Al joined the Navy, becoming a Pharmacists Mate on the heavy cruiser, USS Houston.
On this date in 2005, the first of the four Flying Fallgatters, Robert, passed away. The Fallgatter boys grew up in Kintyre, North Dakota, where their father owned the General Merchandise Fallgatter Store.
A prominent North Dakotan was in Europe when the Chernobyl nuclear disaster unfolded. Lieutenant Governor Ruth Meiers was on a three-week trip to the Soviet Union for an international women’s conference. At 10:45 in the morning on this date in 1986, she called from Porvoo near Helsinki, Finland, saying she was OK and in no danger from the disaster.
This week in 1910 was a typical day for readers of the Fargo Forum and the Daily Republican.
Most Civil War veterans had been farmers or laborers prior to their military service. As they aged, it became more difficult for them to work. By the 1890s most of the veterans were in their fifties and sixties. Their hometowns threw parades for them and they were honored at public functions, but what they really needed was financial assistance. A pension system had been in place since 1862 for Union soldiers disabled in the war. Dependents of those killed were also eligible. The pension provided eight dollars a month. It was a popular program and even served as a recruiting tool. But as time went on, it became obvious that aging veterans also needed help.
Charles Hatfield of southern California was famous for rainmaking. He was called Hatfield the Rainmaker; but his preferred title was “moisture accelerator.” By releasing a mixture of chemicals into the air from a high tower, Hatfield claimed to bring in rain clouds.
During the its early years, Bismarck was right on the heels of Deadwood in lawlessness, violence and the selling of liquor. But, by the early 1900s, some residents felt it was time to actually enforce prohibition. Saloons that carried on in secret were called “blind pigs,” and their beverages were either illegally produced locally or smuggled in from Canada.
The populist Nonpartisan League ushered in a new era to North Dakota’s state government a century ago. The League’s legacy includes the state-owned Bank of North Dakota and the State Mill and Elevator. But the League also pushed a raft of changes for the state constitution, including a law for recalling elected officials.
“A City Displaced” was the tragic headline in the Fargo Forum on this date in 1997. Residents of Grand Forks were struggling with ravages of the horrific flood that shocked the city and caused emergency evacuations from home and hearth. Both flood and fire had brutally attacked city residents who only hours earlier had been warm, dry and safe.
Cars first used lanterns to light the road in front, but no lights on the rear. As cars became more common, increased traffic led to more accidents. An obvious solution was to install taillights. The only question was what color should indicate the back of a car.
On this date in 1968, just over two weeks after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, telephone workers in North Dakota and across the country were out on strike. When Dr. King died, he was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. He believed that workers rights and racial justice were “closely intertwined.” The telephone workers’ strike had been postponed a week to give space in the wake of Dr. King’s assassination.
Harry Herbert Crosby was born on this date in 1919 to Guy and Eva Crosby in New England, North Dakota. He later moved with his family to Oskaloosa, Iowa, where during high school, Harry played clarinet and formed an amateur dance band called “Harry Crosby and his Maroon Melodies.”
On November 2nd, 1889, North Dakota became a state. In the early 1980s planning began for the many celebrations and commemorations that would mark the centennial of statehood. On this date in 1985, Governor George Sinner unveiled the official centennial logo. A contest had been held for the design, and the winner of the $5,000 prize was artist Burdette Calkins of Bismarck.
The Souris River flood of 2011 was devastating in Minot. Even though people banded together to strengthen flood defenses, the water still flowed over levies on June 22. Thousands of homes were destroyed.
Long before the infamous Nigerian prince e-mail scam, there was the “Spanish prisoner” mail scam. Usually, the scam would consist of a letter from someone claiming to be a prisoner in Madrid. The letter would say a large sum of money was available for helping the prisoner. In 1906, The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican reported that a man in Grand Forks received one of these scams – and he almost gave in.
North Dakota’s 1991 legislative session was one of the last to have a split statehouse, with Republicans having a majority in the House and Democrats narrowly controlling the Senate. The session was short by today’s standards. Lawmakers used 67 of the 80 days allowed by the state constitution to write new laws and pass budgets.
Writer, photographer and historian Bill Shemorry passed away on this date in 2004. He was 89 and was described as “one of a kind.” He was a newspaperman in Williston for more than 70 years and was witness to a great deal of the city’s history.
Concert pianist Gregory Slag received a doctorate in music at The Juilliard School and played at the famous international Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Pianist Paul Heisler got his master’s degree at Yale and played a concert for royalty in Jordan. Besides being world-renowned pianists, these two men had one other important thing in common. They both learned how to play the piano from Mandan piano teacher Josephine Mushik.
While the population of North Dakota has always been too small to support a major league baseball team, the state has a long and rich history when it comes to the sport.
On this date in 1907, many North Dakotans experienced a storm that brought both heavy snow and heavy rain. Bismarck set a new record for precipitation, a record that still stands to this day. Elsewhere, the storm had other effects.
Today many farms are industrial in scale, using chemicals to help improve yields. By the time fruits, vegetables, or grains have made it to the shelves, these chemicals are trace enough to offer little risk. However, in larger quantities, these chemicals can be toxic. The city of Minot grappled with these effects when a fire started in a chemical warehouse on April 4th, 1987. The event made national news and the New York and LA Times reported about it on this date.
On this date in 1971 the last episode of Hogan’s Heroes aired. It was a television comedy set in a German prisoner of war camp during World War 2. The series started in 1965 and ran for 6 years with a total of 168 episodes.
April Fool's Day was a fun time in Page, North Dakota, on this date in 1906, and a prank that day led to the creation of a humorous social organization. Several men including the mayor, a constable and an attorney placed “an innocent, sweet-tempered little donkey” in the lobby of the European Hotel, which was on the upper story of two buildings on the Thompson Block.
This Datebook is darker than usual, but history is not always a happy story. So, a warning: The topic of this Dakota Datebook could be distressing for some listeners. On September 13, 1993, a woman named Sarah was raped in her condominium in Boulder, Colorado. The complex was called Tantra Lake. She managed to call 911 that night and get a full sexual assault examination. Sadly, it would take 11 years to find her assailant and in that time, he would go on to rape four other women at the Tantra Lake complex between 1993 and 1998. He became known as the “Tantra Rapist.”
The year was 1918, and the United States was heavily involved in the Great War -- World War One. To feed soldiers overseas, federal and state governments set limitations on the amount of certain foods Americans could eat at home. For example, North Dakotans had meatless Tuesdays. However, on this date, North Dakota’s food administrator Dr. E. F. Ladd changed that by announcing that all restrictions on meat would be lifted for 30 days.
In 1901 a townsite named Goodrich was platted north of the new Northern Pacific Rail Road track in Sheridan County. That same year, the townsite of Dudley was platted right across from Goodrich on the south side of the tracks. After a few years of rivalry the two towns combined and continued on as Goodrich. The town grew and prospered, at one point with a population over 500 people. However, by 1990, the town had shrunk to just under 200 people.
North Dakotans have a lot of fun in the winter months -- sledding, snowmobiling, skiing, and even more simple things like making snow angels. And we’re quite serious about the snow angels. Twice, North Dakotans held the record for most people making snow angels simultaneously.
About sixty million years ago, western North Dakota was densely forested. Today it is hard to imagine a subtropical forest with trees up to twelve feet in diameter and over one hundred feet tall. In fact, on this date in 1910, geology professor D.E. Willard punctured what he considered were tall tales of massive trees. He assured the readership of the Devils Lake Inter-Ocean that there were no petrified trees in North Dakota.
Penny auctions were collective actions to help farmers during the Great Depression. When a farm was foreclosed upon and sold by the lending financial institution at auction, the crowd would conspire to bid a trivial amount and return the land and assets to the farmer. Unfortunately for many tribal members, no similar strategy was available two decades later when they were forced from the lands they had lived on for millennia to make room for the Garrison Dam and the lake it would create.
In 1921, 18-year-old Loraine Nolan robbed the Tokio State Bank in Benson County. Loraine was the son of Thomas Nolan, a farmer. The Nolans had a good reputation, until the robbery. They were highly respected in Tokio and Loraine was said to be an intelligent young man. Loraine enjoyed Wild West novels and films, which would later be considered as the inspiration for his crime.
Deep in the Badlands of North Dakota sits one of the last one-room schools in the state. Horse Creek School, with an enrollment of eleven students as of 2020, is 16 miles from Sidney, Montana, and 38 miles from Watford City. On this date in 1998, it was reported that the little school, which is surrounded by ranches in one of the remotest areas of the state, served as a temporary home for two stranded motorists.
Ron Erhardt was born February 27th, 1931, in Mandan, North Dakota. He graduated from Jamestown College in 1953 and then spent two years serving in the military before leaving and getting hired as an assistant football coach for Williston High School. The following year he became head coach at St Mary’s in New England, North Dakota, where he started his winning reputation.
On January 30, 1909, a young man from Knox, North Dakota disappeared. Frank Sherwin was working as a cashier for the American Express Company in Duluth, Minnesota. His family, friends, and employer were baffled. Some thought the young man might have used his position to embezzle money, but George Kennedy, the manager of the American Express office, said the books always balanced, and he considered Frank Sherwin entirely trustworthy.
North Dakotans in years past have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with school recitals, town dances, church events and more. Here is a sampling.
When in doubt, flee to Canada. This must have been the thought process of N.C. Mossgaard when faced with mounting debt and potential embezzlement charges. On this date in 1914, a newspaper account about Mossgaard began by detailing his life as a once-successful postmaster in Scranton, North Dakota, who was married and had twelve children. This happy life took a sad turn when Mrs. Mossgaard and several of the children contract typhoid fever and pass away. Mossgaard turned to alcohol, leaving the Scranton post office to unsuccessfully run itself. The neglect led to an examination by auditors who found the post office funds were short.
One of America’s favorite inventors helped set a standard for home entertainment and the entire future of musical appreciation. As the Smithsonian Magazine observed, Thomas Edison’s 1877 invention of the phonograph changed music forever.
Online shopping is common today. Virtually any product is available from the comfort of home. But shopping from home isn't new. Publisher Aldus Manutius is credited with distributing a catalog of his publications way back in 1498. Shopping by mail did not catch on widely, however, until the advent of the railroads. In 1861 Welshman Pryce Pryce-Jones began shipping his wool sweaters to consumers by mail.
The Links of North Dakota is a golf course on Red Mike Hill. It is a gorgeous area, but this idyllic landscape was once rife with controversy. It began with Stan Weeks. Weeks wanted to build a golf course and asked Stephen Kay, a course designer, to help. Once they found Red Mike Hill, Kay said, “...I could work until I was 95 and never get a better site.” Weeks needed help buying it so he recruited Mike Ames, a water irrigation expert. They tried to raise $1 million but only raised $300,000. They went forward anyway, saving money by building a very natural course.
Forum newspaper readers on this date in 1910 were teased by bargains in downtown Fargo that appear amazing by today’s standards.
In March 1912, North Dakota was the first to vote in the Republican Party’s presidential primaries. Theodore Roosevelt, who was president just four years before, was one of those challenging incumbent president, William Taft.
When we think about alcohol and vehicles, we typically think of drunk driving and the dangers that it poses. We rarely think of flying. That’s probably because flying while drunk is a much less common problem. Professional pilots also have a very strong program to help them address alcohol addiction. But in 1990, the nation’s first drunken pilot scandal involved a flight from North Dakota.
The phrase “pulp fiction” makes most people think of the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film. But the phrase actually comes from magazines of explicit content that used to be printed on wood pulp paper. The first example dates back to 1896, and the format's height of popularity came in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.
On this date in 1890, sparks were flying on the floor of the senate during North Dakota's first legislative session. The attorney general was called a brainless parrot, and two senators were censured for insults. Republican Senators Frederick Barlow, of Barlow, and David Dodds, of Lakota, had opposed a bill, and in doing so, they compared other senators to “unprincipled demagogues, political deadbeats and shysters of every stamp and affiliation.”
Nowadays we take for granted the vast railroad system that transports food, materials, and people all over our country. It can sometimes seem like it was always there. But it wasn’t until the mid 1800s, after the country had expanded from coast to coast, that the United States started considering a rail system for the now massive country.
On this date in 1914, the Grand Forks Evening Times carried an intriguing story under the headline "Girl would rather work as a servant than cross the ocean again!" It was about 18-year-old Elfrida Trinkler, who was reportedly a survivor of the great Titanic disaster two years before.
In 1925, the Founder's Day convocation at UND featured a lecture by Dr. J.J. Cornelius titled “The Religions of India.” The lecture was sponsored by Wesley College, which began as a Methodist school in Wahpeton in 1891 under the original name Red River Valley University. Twenty years later, in 1905, at the invitation of UND president Merrifield, it relocated next to UND in Grand Forks and was renamed Wesley College.
One of the most dramatic punishments meted out in the North Dakota Legislature was against a life insurance agent convicted of attempting to bribe state lawmakers.
How many times have you seen the Northern Lights in the nighttime sky? It has been reported that it was more common to see the them in North Dakota back in the 1880s. For example, on this date in 1887, the Griggs County [Cooperstown] Courier reported: “The aurora borealis or northern lights were beautifully visible in the northern skies on Monday night.”
On this date in 1921, readers of the Hope Pioneer learned that North Dakota teachers were being encouraged to use new, cutting edge technology – phonographs and records.
Tosten Boe and his wife Mildred, of Minot, had a bit of luck after a lot of bad luck in 1947. The two lived in a house in Minot, and unfortunately for them, some coal gas started filtering into their house. It would not take long for this to affect them. Tosten fell onto the ground, and Mildred passed out on their bed. That was nearly the end of the Boes, and they would have died on this date except for a little luck.
Around this time in February 1925 at the University of North Dakota, student editors of the 1926 Dacotah yearbook were putting their final touches on their work. The University's student newspaper reported that the book would include an epic poem that, in the editor's words, "approaches anything ever written by Longfellow or any of the rest of the immortals.” The writers of the poem were members of the yearbook staff, but they were characterized by the paper as the "noted campus poet laureate," Diplodocus.
North Dakota entered the United States as a dry state in 1889, several decades before the 18th Amendment was fully ratified in 1919, making prohibition country-wide. Tales of bootleggers, rum runners, and blind pigs populate the history of the country during these years, including in North Dakota. Yet on this date in 1931, a survey out of Washington D.C. stated that the prohibition situation in North Dakota was "encouraging." The Bismarck Tribune reported that the survey described North Dakota rather blandly as making "wonderful progress under the state and federal prohibition."
Heated moments and hostile politics have often gripped North Dakota’s Legislature. In 1890, the state’s first legislative session included the censure of two senators for insults. One of them was replaced as president pro tempore.
This week in 1913, students at the University of North Dakota were writing their final exams for the fall semester of 1912. Some of these classes were offered by the Sociology Department.
On this date in 1992, the front page of the Bismarck Tribune featured a spunky 11-year-old who used advice from the TV show “Rescue 911” to save three lives. Kristin Erck was walking home from school in Bismarck when she heard someone yell “Help me! Help me!” Kristin saw smoke billowing out of a nearby mobile home. Inspired by her favorite TV show, Kristin looked for a passing motorist to ask for help. Seeing none, she ran into the home and found three-year-old Jessie Kuntz in the kitchen near flames. Kristin led the little boy outside and then ran to a neighboring home and pounded on the door. This was the home of Patty Flanigan, 25, a fry cook at McDonalds.
As the United States expanded across the Mississippi River, mail delivery proved to be a challenge. Mail carried by stagecoach or steamship took over a month to get to California. For a time, there was the Pony Express, which boasted famous riders like Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickock, that could carry mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California in only ten days. A lesser-known Pony Express route traversed Dakota Territory, but the first winter put an end to it. The southern route didn't last much longer, running from April, 1860 to October, 1861.
This week in 1924 the nation was awakened to the shocking news that former President Woodrow Wilson had died. The banner headline in the Fargo Forum included “Death ends career of noted American.”
Baseball, America’s sport, was everywhere in earlier years, dotting local newspapers as professional and amateur teams played throughout the year. On this date in 1876, the National League was established at a meeting in New York, and it remains the oldest major-league professional baseball organization in the United States.
Turbulent politics gripped North Dakota in the 1930s, when four men served as governor in a seven-month period. Gov. Bill Langer was removed from office by the state Supreme Court due to his federal felony conviction on corruption charges. Lt. Gov. Ole Olson succeeded him, but served only a few months and didn’t run for election.
Some of the first fundraisers to fight polio in North Dakota were birthday balls held in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was paralyzed from polio at age 39 and never again walked unaided. He became a leading force in the polio cause, and help found the March of Dimes.
The International Association for Identification is the oldest and largest forensic association in the world. It was formed in 1915 as the International Association for Criminal Identification, after Inspector Harry H. Caldwell of Oakland, California’s Police Department reached out to a number of fellow Criminal Identification Operators. About 22 men met in October that year with Caldwell serving as the presiding officer.
George Schoenlein of Richardton was no stranger to the law. According to newspapers he was well known for selling liquor. He was arrested on that charge in 1916, but was released following a trial that resulted in a hung jury.
Robert Burns, the national bard of Scotland, was born into a poor farming family in Ayrshire and died in debt, young, at age 37. He was a poet and song-writer, though apparently in life he could not hold a tune. He had a multitude of affairs, and fathered many children. He also penned many songs that are still known, beloved, and celebrated today—including the song “Auld Lang Syne.”
On this date in 1911, the Bismarck Daily Tribune ran a small ad requesting readers to submit historical material including pioneer letters, stories, and diaries to the state historical society. Today it’s known as The State Historical Society of North Dakota. It was preceded by earlier groups. The Old Settlers Historical Association was approved by the Legislative Assembly of Dakota Territory in 1862. Membership in this organization was limited to people who lived in the region before the territory’s creation. A major goal was to “collect and disseminate all useful information in relation to the early history and settlement of Dakota..."
North Dakota’s Nonpartisan League is remembered for the populist surge in state politics a century ago. Among the most well-known of the League’s legacy are the state-owned Bank of North Dakota and the State Mill and Elevator, overseen by the Industrial Commission. The League-controlled Legislature also passed a law banning vaccination mandates, which stood for more than 50 years.
Today’s regular hard news outlets are, sadly, primed with COVID events and lawbreaking. Back in 1944, The war was the news.
In February, 1898, a massive explosion sent the battleship Maine to the bottom of Havana harbor. The Spanish were quickly blamed for the destruction of the American ship and for the deaths of 260 American sailors, over half of the crew. Many influential Americans including Teddy Roosevelt and William Randolph Hearst demanded a forceful response. There were other voices like Mark Twain who remembered the horrors of the Civil War and urged calm, but the cooler heads were unable to prevail. The United States declared war against Spain.
J. P. Reeve first came to North Dakota in 1905 and settled near Beach. He believed in “mixed farming," and reportedly raised the largest crop in the county in 1906. He also had a large number of pigs and livestock. In December 1913, Reeve started up a sausage business. His J. P. Brand, also known as “Just Pig” Sausage, caught North Dakota by storm.
On this date in 1912, Michael Jahner was acquitted of charges of assault with a dangerous weapon with attempt to kill. It was the final act in a series of events that began several months before.
In 1998 the internet was still in its infancy. The World Wide Web had only been available to the public for about five years. Therefore, when Donald Hoffman of Bismarck posted his resume and a photograph on a website called Actor’s World, he didn’t think much would come of it.
On this chilly week in Bismarck 1910, the offense of drinking alcohol was hot page news in The Fargo Forum. The police were on the lookout for the owner of an establishment selling booze. Those establishments were called blind pigs during those days when alcohol was illegal.
Around this time in 1925 at the University of North Dakota, the editorial staff of the 1926 Dacotah yearbook would have been hard at work. January 15 was the deadline for the mock-ups for each section. January 15 was also the deadline for student organizations to reserve space. Balloting for the Who's Who's section was set for January 19.
In 1928, a literal bang welcomed in the new year in Bismarck, albeit a little more than a week late. A sharp early morning explosion at the Bismarck Fur Company was followed by a fire. The business on 5th Street was on the ground floor of the Annex Hotel building. While the fire was not expected to spread beyond the store, more than 50 people were forced to flee to the streets in the wee hours hours due to the heavy smoke filling their rooms.