Dakota Datebook

The American Legion is the largest veteran's organization in the nation and has been a part of North Dakota since 1919. Each year members from across the state gather for their annual Department Convention, where the business of the organization is conducted, and officers are elected for the new year. In 1935, Grand Forks hosted the event, and it was a grand affair.

On this date in 1876, six-year-old Red Fox was c amped near the Little Bighorn when the 7th Cavalry arrived. Red Fox outlived Custer by nearly 100 years.

The conditions for North Dakota farmers in the early 1930s could be summed up in one word: dismal. Farmers were receiving less for their crops than it cost to produce them. They were on a wild economic roller coaster from the early twentieth century until World War Two.

The 1st North Dakota Volunteers left Fargo in May of 1898 for service in the Spanish-American War. They went halfway around the world to defeat the Spanish in the Philippines. Emilio Aguinaldo, the leader of Philippine resistance to the Spanish, welcomed the Americans. Aguinaldo eagerly anticipated independence from Spain. He believed the United States would make the Philippines an American protectorate, with full independence guaranteed in the future.

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.

The celebration of fathers dates back centuries. In Catholic countries of Europe, a day honoring fathers has been celebrated at least since 1508. Fathers are recognized on Saint Joseph's Day, which falls on March 19. Many countries around the world have set aside a day to honor fathers.

On this date in 1867, the Fort Ransom military post was established. The fort stood atop Grizzly Bear Hill, also known as the Bears' Den which is now a ski slope near the present-day town of Fort Ransom.

Adam Forepaugh entered the circus business somewhat by accident when he took ownership of a circus due to an unpaid debt for the purchase of 44 horses.

The Roman Catholic Church's presence in North Dakota dates back to territorial days. In 1910, Pope Pius X created the Diocese of Bismarck, calling a new bishop to serve the diocese.

A roaring noise and sudden darkness enveloped the village of Alice, North Dakota, on June 12, 1950, as twin tornadoes descended, bringing destruction in their path.

On this date in 1954, 2nd Lt. Arnold Weber was on a training flight out of Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, South Dakota.

What are the odds of three men named Charles being killed by a single lightning strike at the same place and time?

Patriotic North Dakotans enlisted in large numbers when the United States declared war on Spain in 1898. The 1st North Dakota Volunteers were sent to the Philippines. But not all North Dakotans served in that unit and not all went to the Pacific.

Sworn in as the 18th President of the United States on March 4, 1869, Ulysses S. Grant found himself in a bind. Prospectors were swarming into the West. New settlers made their way into Dakota Territory. The Transcontinental Railroad was nearly complete. Trails across the Great Plains were turning into roads. All this progress increased conflicts with Native American tribes.

The 164th Infantry Regiment traces its roots back to the Dakota Territorial Militia, established in 1862. That militia evolved into the National Guard units of North and South Dakota. The North Dakota Guard served in the Spanish-American War as the 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry. The unit entered federal service again during World War I, becoming the 164th Infantry in 1917.

North Dakota has close ties with Minnesota, sharing many overlapping interests, with business being one of the biggest. On this date in 1925, the city of Bismarck prepared to welcome businessmen from St. Paul to discuss potential business ventures. In anticipation of their arrival, the Bismarck Tribune extended a “right royal welcome” to those coming to “where the West begins.” The newspaper noted that the two states shared common interests “that bind them in a lasting bond of personal interest and friendship.”

In 1923, it was reported that a Lisbon man was making good money catching frogs and shipping them to eastern markets. He found the business quite lucrative. He said he shipped forty pounds of frog legs every day. Packed in ice, they arrived at their destinations in good condition. September, he said, was the best month to catch frogs. He planned to continue working along the Sheyenne River until it froze.

When Reverend I.O. Sloan set foot in Bismarck in 1873, it was a “wild and wooly” Western town. Bismarck had a few new wood-framed buildings, but it was teeming with “tents and gamblers,” and loud profanity prevailed. “Pandemonium seemed to reign” in saloons and gambling places that were open 24 hours a day.

Since pioneer days, the life of a North Dakota farmwife was often described as one of unrelenting hardship, drudgery, and isolation. On this date in 1930, the Bismarck Tribune announced plans for "a sort of paradise" for farmwives. Vacation camps with games, picnics, music programs, community singing, and recreation would be enjoyed in pleasant surroundings, "where cooking, dishwashing, laundering, and the other usual duties of the farm mother are taboo."

Until 1971, Memorial Day was observed on May 30. That year, the holiday was moved to the last Monday in May. The original date was chosen by Major General John A. Logan, in his General Order No. 11, while he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, or GAR. He selected the date to ensure access to "the choicest flowers of springtime" across the country.

On this date in 1895, Red Thunder was in jail awaiting trial. Though no one had been killed, sensational reports of a so-called “Turtle Mountain War” stirred fear. Canadian troops mobilized along the border, but the U.S. declined to send forces, saying the Chippewa had legal rights in the area and the situation was exaggerated.

"Turtle Mountain" or "Turtle Mountains"? Tribal historian and linguist Pat Gourneau noted that Indigenous languages traditionally didn't use the plural. The Turtle's back, head, heart, and tail were referenced by Indigenous people as parts of one elevated landform. Travelers, explorers, and cartographers identified landmarks accordingly.

On June 17, 1867, a battalion of the 10th U.S. Infantry began building a fort to protect westward travelers. The Homestead Act, combined with the end of the Civil War, had led to increased westward migration. Soldiers used oak logs to construct buildings, all arranged within a fortification made of sod. An area of ten square miles with the fort at its center was designated as the Fort Ransom Military Reservation. The fort was named after Major General Thomas E.G. Ransom of the U.S. Volunteers.

As Cold War tensions escalated in the years following World War II, North Dakota found itself on the front lines of America's defense against a potential Soviet attack. The U.S. Air Force established a network of bases and radar stations across the state. One such installation was Finley Air Force Station, which became operational in 1951, just a mile and a half outside of Finley, North Dakota. Like the station near Fortuna, Finley was part of a broader radar defense network designed to monitor the skies for enemy aircraft and guide interceptor jets.

Founded in Chicago in 1863, Armour and Company became one of the five leading firms in the meatpacking industry. By 1880, Armour was Chicago's most important business and helped make the city the center of America's meatpacking operations.

According to its website, the purpose of the North Dakota Medical Association is “to advocate for North Dakota's physicians, to advance the health, and promote the well-being of the people of North Dakota.” Much of the organization's work is carried out by five commissions, representing Socio-Economics, Ethics, Legislation, Medical Services, and Public Relations. These commissions meet to discuss topics important to North Dakota doctors and residents, then make recommendations to the Association.

May is National Historic Preservation Month, when we remember historic sites and places around North Dakota. Today, we talk about some of these places listed on the National Historic Register because of the people associated with them.

The first decade of the twentieth century was known as the Edwardian Age, named after King Edward VII of Great Britain. Fashion was a distinctive and important element of the era. Women wore corsets and long skirts. Men wore suits. Edwardian fashion was known for its excess, elegance, and, above all, strict social rules.

Inventors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were busy perfecting self-propelled vehicles. They experimented with steam-powered as well as gas-powered automobiles. It was exciting to zip down the road at the blazing speed of eight miles an hour but the risks of such travel became apparent almost immediately. With no traffic laws and no safety features, even a slow-moving vehicle could be a menace.

In Wahpeton, there is a regal-looking house built for Ellen Seely by renowned architect Eugene Schuler. Mrs. Seely came to town in 1881 to establish residency for a divorce in the Dakota Territory. Known locally as "Madame Seely," she was a Rockefeller in-law and an opera devotee. Her son, W.A. Seely, had arrived in Wahpeton earlier and prospered. To help pass the time, he built the Seely Opera House downtown. On this date in 1885, Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice had a successful run there.

Even as he was overseeing the Civil War, President Lincoln was determined to move the country forward. In 1862, he signed several bills into law that directly affected Dakota Territory and, by extension, the land that would become the State of North Dakota.

The American economy was booming in the 1920s, but things weren't rosy for everyone. Farmers were in trouble.

In 1912, the first Boy Scout encampment in North Dakota took place in Valley City. It was clear: the Boy Scouts were a big hit.

The North Dakota Badlands have much to offer visitors and travelers—if cultivated into a national park, proclaimed Delta R. Connolly on this date in 1927 to readers of the Hettinger County Herald.

We live in a time of abundant food, easily found at the grocery store, a big-box retailer, or a restaurant. Some people prefer natural food stores, farmers markets, or their very own gardens. A few stalwart purists even pursue wild foods, foraged from nature. Today, we're taking a look at one of the best edible wild plants ever known: the cattail.

The country was in dire straits when Franklin Roosevelt took office in March of 1933. He immediately declared a four-day bank holiday and signed the Emergency Banking Act to ease the banking crisis. But there was little he could do to improve the weather.

Sykeston was considered the county seat when Wells County was organized. In November 1884, Fessenden received more than three-fifths of the votes in an election to formally decide the county seat, but the matter was not settled, even with the vote. Newspapers reported that “Wells County is all torn up over a county seat fight.”

Herman Stern arrived in North Dakota from Germany in 1903 to work at the Straus Clothing Store in Casselton, which was owned by his cousin. He became the manager of the company's second store in Valley City and made his home there for the next seventy years. Herman became a community leader and an enthusiastic booster of North Dakota. He was active in the Rotary and the Masons and was a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts.

On this date in 1918, William Henry Leder was born in Flasher, North Dakota, to Carl Benjamin and Helena Augusta Leder. Bill went to school in Mandan and, after graduating from Mandan High School, went on to the North Dakota State Teachers College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

On this date in May of 1884, another wild weekend began in Wahpeton. Some homeless individuals showed up at a house south of the Northern Pacific depot. The Wahpeton Times reported that one man "picked up a plate and knocked the mistress of the establishment down. She got up with a revolver in her hand, ordered the intruders out, and started shooting. The fly chaps flew, and it was thought that one of them went away with a perforated hide and took the train the next morning for the east."

Becoming an American citizen was a chaotic process in the early days of the United States. During what became known as the Old Law period, there was no official federal oversight of the citizenship process. Early laws allowed any municipal, county, state, or federal court to grant citizenship and did not require courts to issue certificates.

The end of April sees North Dakota firmly into the spring season. Winter's grip is largely absent, and the excitement of warmer weather and planting gardens brings optimism and happiness. Still, the weather sometimes has a few surprises for the region.