Dakota Datebook

In the early twentieth century, automobile makers understood the value of presenting new cars as entertainment. Farmers shopping for new equipment at farm shows and women seeking the latest household conveniences couldn't help but be drawn to highly polished automobiles and acres of shining chrome.

Americans have always regarded George Washington with great reverence. It became a custom to celebrate his birthday. He was born on this date in 1731. Or was he?

County names and boundaries have evolved since territorial days in North Dakota, and each of our 53 counties has a unique story that enriches the history of the state. Dunn County's story is one such example.

Peshawbestown, Michigan, is named for an Ottawa chief. On this date in 1797, he came to the Red River fur trade with his relative Net-no-kwa and her adoptive son, John Tanner. Net-no-kwa had rescued Tanner from the Shawnee, who abducted him in Kentucky at age nine.

In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Kade Ferris, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa, in part two of "What Stories Teach Us."

While many immigrants settled in the East, the Homestead Act enticed a large percentage to the Great Plains, an unfamiliar land that had until then been under tribal control. The land they were able to claim was many times larger than the small farms they had in their home countries. Immigrants were crucial to the settlement of the Great Plains in general, and North Dakota in particular. In 1870, thirty-four percent of the settlers in Dakota Territory were foreign-born. By 1915, nearly eighty percent of North Dakotans were either immigrants or the children of immigrants.

In the early days of the twentieth century, newspaper readers frequently skipped the main headlines and turned right to the back pages to catch up on local news in columns with names like “Society News.” These columns contained information that seems so minor and mundane that we might wonder why newspapers bothered to take up space with them.

A steam locomotive can burn through a massive amount of fuel in a short time. Wood-burning engines were fine for eastern railroads in heavily forested areas, but not practical on the Great Plains. It made more sense for those trains to burn coal, and burn coal they did. Depending on the size of the engine and its speed, a locomotive could burn as much as 800 pounds of coal per mile. The fireman had to constantly shovel coal into the firebox to keep the train moving.

On this date in 1798, Flat Mouth arrived at the North West Company Pembina post.

According to the 2020 census, Fingal, North Dakota, has a population of just 92 people. Alma Hollanitsch, however, remembered a time when Fingal was a thriving community of more than 300 residents. On this date in 1996, one month after celebrating her 100th birthday, Alma was interviewed. Her memory was still sharp as she reflected on a long life closely connected to Fingal.

The last wolverine recorded in North Dakota was “M56,” identified in 2016 after it was killed by a McKenzie County rancher. M56 had been radio-collared in Wyoming, detected in Colorado, and then its signal was lost. Wolverines had not been verified in the state for 150 years.

Prior to the 19th century, time was a local matter. Each town set a public clock to noon when the sun was at its highest point. Towns close together could be on different times. This system worked well enough, until the railroads arrived. Travelers found schedules confusing, since each stop followed a different local time. It was often hard to know exactly when a train would arrive or depart. The problem was solved in 1883, when the United States adopted the four time zones we know today.

On this date, in 1971, a young man named Steve Blehm scored 85 points during the Ramsey County Basketball Tournament in stark weather. That's right, 85 points.

In March of 1919, members of the American Expeditionary Force convened in Paris to create the American Legion, a patriotic veterans organization. World War I veterans returning home from Europe started posts across America.

Accidents at railroad crossings were fairly common in the early days of railroading, and the results were often gruesome. When survivors brought lawsuits, courts frequently ruled in favor of the railroads.

Today is the birthday of Harriet Lake, who was born in 1909 in Valley City. Her mother was an opera singer and her father, a traveling thespian.

President Theodore Roosevelt called the first Governor's Conference in 1908. Roosevelt was concerned about the state of the environment and invited all the governors to the White House to discuss conservation. The governors found the gathering so useful that they went on to establish the National Governors Association. The organization is made up of the governors of all states and territories.

Invented in the 1870s, the power binder cut grain and tied the stalks into bundles using twine. One person and a team of horses could accomplish work that had formerly taken six workers to do.

They called him “Satchmo”, or “Mr. Jazz.” His given name was Louis Armstrong, and this world-famous jazz trumpeter and singer came to Fargo in September of 1957, performing at NDSU's fieldhouse for an “enthusiastic” audience of 3,200 fans.

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 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Dr. William Jayne as territorial governor. Jayne recognized that the territory needed some form of defense. The legislature passed "An Act to Organize and Discipline the Militia of the Territory of Dakota."

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 was intended to prevent foreign espionage and sabotage during wartime. It allows the president to detain or deport natives and citizens of an enemy nation. The act has been invoked three times: during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II.

William Geimer was born in Jamestown, North Dakota in 1925. After graduating from Jamestown High School, Bill entered the U.S. Navy in March of 1943 during World War II.

On this day in 1907, staff of the State Historical Society dined out at a new restaurant in town, The International. Owned and operated by Wong Woo, a local restaurateur, The International specialized in Chinese food for hungry residents and visitors in downtown Bismarck.

Kate Richards O'Hare was one of the leading speakers within the Socialist Party in 1916. She spoke at Bowman, North Dakota, on July 11, 1917, on behalf of the Non-Partisan League.

The rosy, "Leave It to Beaver" portrayal of the American economy in the 1950s and '60s was not reality for many Americans. By the 1960s, fully 20 percent of the population was living in poverty. President Kennedy's advisor, Walter Heller, prepared a report warning that some Americans would remain trapped in poverty even with full employment.

On this date in 1797, fur trader J. B. Chaboillez of the Northwest Company noted the arrival of Net-no-kwa and her sons at the Pembina post.

North Dakota's old Capitol building in Bismarck, built in 1884, was home to state officials, including the governor, the secretary of state, and the attorney general. It was also where the two houses of the state legislature met. By the early 1900s, the building was showing its age.

John James Audubon is famed as an ornithologist, largely because of his detailed illustrations of North American birds. He became famous after the publication of his meticulous and accurate paintings.

Dakota Territory had to begin the process of statehood by applying to Congress. Many people thought it would be admitted as the state of Dakota instead of being split into North and South. Many factors led to the division including an increase in population of both sections of the territory and political disputes about the location of a capital.

It was originally called the Home Economics Practice House. Today, the house, located at 1260 University Drive North on the NDSU campus in Fargo is known as the Alba Bales House.

John Gabriel Halland had a tumultuous end of the century in the years leading up to 1900. Originally the head of the History Department at Fargo's Agricultural College, he ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1898. As often happens in campaigns, every detail of his personal life was dragged into the spotlight.

The Civil War was not going well for the Union in 1862. A victory at Shiloh in April was followed by defeat in the Seven Days Battles, an inconclusive result at Antietam, and a disastrous loss at Fredericksburg.

On this date in 1917, former Attorney General of North Dakota, Henry J. Linde, died. He had suffered a stroke three months earlier, after many years of illness. He was only 37 years old.

The morning after Christmas is usually reserved for sitting with a warm cup of coffee while perusing newspaper ads for major sales. However, on this day in 1994, many North Dakotans likely stopped leafing through the paper in shock to reread a story about a man from California.

After the original Capitol building burned down in 1930, a great deal of thought and effort went into constructing the new Capitol. Very different from the domed buildings most states were accustomed to, North Dakota wanted to rebuild something great and ultra-usable.

Elders who were children in the 1930s at Turtle Mountain remembered Midnight Mass as the main celebration of Christmas.

While Ben Eielson is North Dakota's most famous aviator, others came before him, though their names are less well known. On June 9, 1911, Fargo banks and stores closed as more than 12,000 people flocked to the fairgrounds to watch Robert St. Henry take to the air in his Glenn Curtiss biplane. St. Henry was working for Curtiss, the New York airplane designer based in Hammondsport.

On this date in 1934, the Minot Daily News reported on the appropriation request from the North Dakota School for the Deaf. The school was asking the Legislature for funds to complete a building that had been left unfinished for 26 years. Superintendent Burton W. Driggs requested $75,000 to finally complete the long-standing project.

As the year turns and the season grows colder and quiet under snow… We want to say thank you for all the unseen work that makes this region home.

It's a tale as old as time: two young men in love with the same girl. Tom Allen lived on the farm next to the Lockhart place and spent much of his spare time courting Laura Lockhart, even though he was quite a bit older. But Allen had two obstacles. He often got drunk, which did not appeal to Laura. And he had a rival: Brownie Emery. Emery was closer to Laura's age, she seemed more attracted to him, and, unlike Allen, he never arrived at the Lockhart home drunk.

In 1893, Clint Nickells, a Kansas City druggist, came to Wahpeton and rented a house with Mrs. Maude Graham and her three children. The pair intended to establish Dakota residency so they could divorce their spouses. Mr. Graham soon arrived from Minneapolis; he had hired detectives to trace his wife after learning of several large trunks she'd checked into the baggage car.