Dakota Datebook

November 19 marks the annual Lydia Pinkham Open Studios event in Lynn, Massachusetts, showcasing artists at the historic factory where Lydia's famous Vegetable Compound for Women was manufactured.

On this date in 1932, a two-day demonstration of Boy Scout activities was held at the Wahpeton Indian School for troops from Richland and Wilkin counties. Physician and author Charles Alexander Eastman, a Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota, served as an advisor in developing the national Boy Scout movement and its Native American Lore component.

North Dakota tops all other states in the production of several crops, including oats, flaxseed, canola, and peas, and ranks second in sunflowers and wheat. The state usually places between 15th and 20th in national corn production. While corn isn't one of North Dakota's top crops, it's still significant, its annual production is valued at about two billion dollars.

I'm going to share with you a story you probably won't believe, but it's true. Long before Red Bull or Monster, a farmer in North Dakota may have stumbled on the first real “energy drink.”

In 2008, Woodrow Wilson Keeble was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush for his actions in the Korean War.

Steamboats on the Missouri and Red Rivers once made travel much easier. Of course, the steamboats had to be taken out of the water for the winter but the rivers were still used for travel.

The measles cropped up in North Dakota in 1905. At first, it didn't attract much attention, and there were only small mentions of it. Newspapers reported that “W.S. Dow has been wrestling with the measles this week,” and “H.M. Blazer and family are sick with the measles.” These small incidents were precursors to the main event.

Armistice Day was the name of the holiday we now call Veterans Day until 1954, reflecting the date of the armistice with Germany that ended hostilities in World War I in 1918. The Bismarck Tribune published an extra edition announcing the historic end of the war and how quickly the news spread across North Dakota, with the banner headline: “PEACE.”

Drake, North Dakota, English teacher Bruce Severly did not expect controversy to erupt when he added Kurt Vonnegut's “Slaughterhouse-Five” to the reading list for his class. Most of the students were pleased with the addition, but one student complained about offensive language. That was enough for the school board to order the book removed from the classroom and to direct that all copies be destroyed.

North Dakota has a long history with baseball. It was a cheap and easily-organized form of entertainment for people living on isolated farms and ranches, giving them the chance to gather for a social event. Those early games tended to be a matter of local pride, with neighboring towns competing. When the railroad arrived, teams began traveling. One of the biggest rivalries was between Grand Forks and Fargo.

In this episode of Dakota Datebook: Teachings of Our Elders, we'll listen to Mark Bluestone, enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Nation, talking about recognizing our veterans.

As European settlers moved onto the Great Plains, they built wooden structures for shelter. These were vulnerable to fires, especially as settlers began building communities with wooden buildings close together. Fire, whether from natural causes like lightning or accidents caused by humans, could destroy an entire town in the blink of an eye.

Mary Ada Fisher was born at Somerset, Ohio, on July 5, 1888, the fourth child of John and Amita Fisher. When Mary was 10 years old, she moved with her family to North Dakota to settle the affairs of a deceased uncle. The Fisher family decided to stay, and bought a homestead near Wolf Creek where John built the Fisher store and post office, which then became known as Fisher, North Dakota.

In the fall of 1910, there was a big scandal in Minot. Citizens wanted to know: who drank the beer?

On this date in 1969, a shocking and grisly crime unfolded in the wee hours of Halloween morning. Various rumors began circulating in Wahpeton, spawning different local legends of the Halloween Horror.

There was a man in Grand Forks named Royal L. Boulter who was an innovator and an inventor. Back in 1896, R.L. “Roy” Boulter secured a patent from the U.S. Patent Office for what he called a “bicycle-boat.”

October is Archives Month, when 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.

In 1865, French historian and abolitionist Edouard de Laboulaye proposed a monument to celebrate the upcoming centennial of American independence and the abolition of slavery. The project was delayed by the Franco-Prussian War, but finally got underway in 1875. The plan was for the people of France to fund the statue, while Americans would provide a site and build the pedestal.

Eleanor Maguren never had a teddy bear as a child. Born in 1918 on a farm near Leonard, North Dakota, she became a teacher after college. Around 1945, she bought her first teddy bear in Fargo, adding a few more over the years without much thought.

At 1,875 miles, U.S. Route 281 is the longest continuous north-south U.S. highway, running from the Canadian border in the north to the Mexican border in the south. The northern terminus is at Dunseith, North Dakota, near the International Peace Garden. The highway serves as a vital north-south corridor for both business and leisure travel.

The effort of North Dakota women to win the right to vote began in earnest in the late 19th century and continued to grow. Famed suffragettes like Susan B. Anthony arrived in the state to help organize the movement. British suffragettes also came to offer support and encouragement. In 1912, Sylvia Pankhurst spent time in North Dakota on a lecture tour. She spoke to large and enthusiastic crowds. When she came to Fargo, the newspaper called her “one of the world's most notable women.”

The North Dakota State Archives houses a collection of papers compiled by local WPA workers during the 1930s. These include a variety of interviews and gathered information about people, places, and more, all related to North Dakota.

Early in 1902, the United Mine Workers called for a strike in the anthracite coal fields of eastern Pennsylvania. They demanded safer working conditions and higher wages. The mine owners refused to meet with the union. George F. Baer, leader of the operators, insisted that so-called “labor agitators” did not have the best interests of the miners at heart. He claimed the owners would protect the workers' rights.

Over six decades, Miss Briggs was likely the most frequently mentioned name in the Wahpeton papers. Her advertisements and activities were regular fodder.

During the 1860s, Major General John Pope needed additional troops in the Trans-Mississippi West, but the Union Army was preoccupied with the Civil War. General Ulysses S. Grant sent the only troops he felt he could spare: the 1st U.S. Volunteer Regiment, made up of former Confederate soldiers who had been taken prisoner and were willing to trade their gray uniforms for blue.

When 21-one-year-old Berth Kaepernick talked her way into the bronc riding event at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1904, she became the first woman to compete against men at one of the big rodeos.

October is Archives Month, when archives across the country celebrate their records and recognize the archivists who assess, collect, preserve, and provide access to information of lasting value. The North Dakota State Archives is part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

Wahpeton was in a tizzy on June 10, 1897 as the Ringling Brothers Circus train pulled into town. A crowd gathered to watch the unloading of the flashy white horses, the exotic animals, and the gaudy circus wagons. Children gathered, hoping to be chosen as temporary help, since the circus gave free tickets to boys who helped to hoist the big main tent.

In March 1907, Jesse A. Tanner took “temporary charge of the museum and library of the State Historical Society” which the Tribune reported had “quarters in the new wing of the Capitol.”

October is Archives Month, a time when 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.

On July 4, 1825, the little sloop Restauration sailed out of the harbor in Stavanger, Norway, on a journey to a new land. Only fifty-four feet long, the modest vessel began a voyage to a new life for the fifty-two souls on board. The ship's name is Norwegian and means “restoration,” reflecting the hopes of those who dreamed of a new beginning.

October is Archives Month, a time when archives across 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.

Enderlin, North Dakota, is located primarily in Ransom County, although a small portion extends into neighboring Cass County. The site was purchased from three landowners by Edward Pierce, who represented the Minnesota Land and Trust Company. He was confident it was a good location for a town, as he knew the Soo Line of the St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad planned to lay tracks there. The official plat of the town was filed on this date in 1891.

In the late 1800s, farm machinery evolved from simple tools to mechanized equipment. Horses began to disappear from the fields as tractors took their place. Mechanical twine binders and cream separators improved efficiency. New methods in irrigation and crop rotation improved yield and sustainability. The future seemed bright and exciting for the farmer.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt placed the Great Depression at the top of his “to-do” list when he was inaugurated in 1933. He quickly took strong measures, creating government agencies to address economic problems and put the country back on a secure financial footing.

The establishment of a university in Grand Forks was a raucous affair, full of intense political maneuvering, typical of territories on the verge of statehood. Legislators competed fiercely to secure prestigious and lucrative institutions for their communities, like schools and hospitals.

The North Dakota State Archives, part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota, holds a collection of papers compiled by local WPA workers during the 1930s. These include interviews and gathered histories about people, places, customs, ghost towns, and the ethnic groups that helped shape North Dakota.

North Dakotans were crazy about aviation right from the very start. Early North Dakota aviators include Carl Ben Eielson and Bruce Peterson. The ladies of the state were not to be left out. Florence Klingensmith, known as “Tree Tops,” was the first licensed female pilot in the state. She made a name for herself on the racing circuit in a plane she christened Miss Fargo. In 1933, Evelyn Waldren became the first woman in North Dakota to earn a transport pilot's license.

“The Threshers are coming!” is an aptly named collection of poems by North Dakotan Clarence Larson. It shares memories of harvesting crops with steam threshing machines.

Friendship with a lawyer from Bismarck led to famed actor Jessica Lange receiving an Oscar nomination in 1985. While she did not win, Lange went on to testify before Congress about the plight of farmers. How did a Bismarck lawyer inspire such a chain of events? It all began when Sarah Vogel of Mandan was roommates with Jessica Lange's older sister at the University of North Dakota. Vogel had remained close friends with the Lange family.

In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Catherine Froelich, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation talk about traditional ways and values.

On this date in 1904, John F. Briggs of Wahpeton was known around the country as “Uncle Sam.” He was a popular enactor in Grand Army of the Republic parades and 4th of July celebrations. A veteran of the Civil War, he attended every national G.A.R. convention but two.