Dakota Datebook

In 1883, Buffalo Bill's Wild West went on tour. The show combined theater, circus, and rodeo. It was inspired by Cody's experiences as a Pony Express rider and Army scout, and it romanticized an American West that was already disappearing. Spectators flocked to the show, which included a buffalo herd, sharpshooter Annie Oakley, and reenactments of stagecoach robberies. It also featured a band of Native Americans, including Chief Sitting Bull. The Native performers welcomed the chance to leave the reservation and return to riding, and they were paid as well as the white performers.

Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower led the 1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy, a venture designed to test whether military units could move across the United States using motor vehicles. The convoy crossed the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, completing the 3,251-mile journey from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco in 62 days but not without difficulty.

May is National Historic Preservation Month. Today, we're highlighting some of the historic places listed in North Dakota's State Historic Sites Registry.

Mail order catalogs are nothing new — they have been a staple of Americana for well over a century. Perhaps the most famous is the Sears catalog. Starting in 1888, Sears, Roebuck and Co. has sold an amazing array of items, from coal stoves to video games, power tools to ready-to-assemble homes. Yes, homes!

In 1862, Dakota Territory passed a law prohibiting food and drug adulteration. By 1885, a territory-wide board of health had been created. But public health was still lacking.

Some of us are old enough to remember making little paper baskets, filling them with candy, placing them on doorsteps, ringing the doorbell, and running away to avoid being kissed on May 1. Another local tradition was the annual May Day festival at Wahpeton Indian School.

Twenty-four people were injured and one man died in a train derailment on this date in 1887 near Sterling, in Dakota Territory.

On this day in 1990, the Fargo Forum ran a profile on the pastor of Bethel Evangelical Free Church in Fargo, not for his ministry, but for his work two decades earlier as a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter.

Originating in Chicago in 1914, the movement known as “Baby Week” sought to raise awareness of the high infant mortality rate in the U.S. and to educate young mothers and girls about early childcare. Researchers from the Children's Bureau estimated the infant mortality rate in the U.S. at nearly one in ten in the 1910s. National attention fastened on the issue, and Baby Week was born.

On this date in 1952, the public was invited to a tree planting ceremony on the state capitol grounds at Bismarck. The Washington, DC Evening Star reported that North Dakotans were dedicating a tree by the Senate entrance to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Reclamation Law sponsored by Senator Henry Hansbrough. Members of the North Dakota congressional delegation and their staff participated in the ceremony.

On this date in 1908, newspapers published a proclamation by North Dakota Governor John Burk, establishing an annual Arbor Day celebration.

A sundog is an optical phenomenon well known in North Dakota. It often appears as a rainbow-like spot on each side of the sun. When especially bright, sundogs can look like extra suns flanking the real one, sometimes connected by a glowing halo. In rare cases, a third bright spot appears above the sun. Sundogs form in extremely cold weather, when sunlight bends as it passes through ice crystals in the atmosphere, creating bright spots and halos.

Local organizations and clubs often invite distinguished guests to share information and provide programming. Bismarck's Rotary Club hosted such a guest at its April 22, 1936, noon lunch, when North Dakota's Department Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Philo George Harrington, spoke on the Spanish-American War.

In February of 1898, Mrs. Ina Cooks of Detroit, Michigan, came to Wahpeton. Her purpose was to establish the 90-day residency required for divorce in North Dakota. She rented rooms and lived quietly until the court proceedings in June.

The North Dakota economy faced serious challenges during the 1920s. The state relied heavily on agriculture, which had boomed during World War I. But when the war ended, demand dropped suddenly and dramatically. Many farmers had invested in new equipment during the boom years, only to see their income fall as European agriculture recovered. As markets for North Dakota's crops shrank, farm foreclosures increased. Farmers who had borrowed against their land to expand now found those debts coming due.

Henry Stahl sank a well near his home in Williston. It took him several weeks to dig down twenty-four feet and install a pump. He thought nothing of it, his only goal was to have a convenient source of water. But it turned into something more.

In 1947, Bernard Baruch was a multimillionaire financier who advised presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Harry S. Truman. On this date in 1947, he gave a speech to the South Carolina House of Representatives. During that speech, Baruch introduced a new term into the American consciousness when he said, “Let us not be deceived. We are today in the midst of a Cold War.”

The day known as Tax Day is the deadline for American taxpayers to file an income tax return for the previous year. It falls on April 15 most years. If the fifteenth lands on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. But it was not always that way.

Robert “Bob” Bain was born in Minnesota and worked as an insurance agent for 38 years. Beyond his career, he played a major role in developing Bismarck: he promoted hockey, served on the City Park Board and City Commission, and volunteered with the United Way.

On this date in 1920, police in Fargo arrested Ed Letofsky for selling illegal liquor. Claiming he sold only to “accommodating friends,” Letofsky was sentenced to ten months in prison for marketing his homemade raisin whisky. His operation was based in his own house, and the still in his basement was so large that officers had to call back to the station for help removing it. After his arrest, Letofsky quickly confessed and even explained to the court how he produced and sold the liquor.

After a March 1966 blizzard that left a whopping 38 inches of snow in northeast North Dakota, the spring thaw that followed created a whole new set of challenges for North Dakotans: protecting their buildings and homes from rising river levels and flooding.

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln's attention was understandably focused on the conflict. The government's focus was diverted from issues affecting the American West. Tensions between Plains tribes and settlers were allowed to escalate, as there were no resources to spare. The U.S.-Dakota War was sparked by competition for land and resources, resulting in loss of life on both sides and the dislocation of the Dakota.

Prairie fires were common across North Dakota. They were most dangerous during the hot, dry summer and fall seasons. Dry prairie grass provided an ideal source of fuel for these widespread fires. Prairie fires occurred regularly and caused extensive damage to buildings and fields of crops. They were a natural but dangerous, characteristic of the ecosystem before the introduction of manmade features like roads and buildings.

Kate Richards O'Hare was an American activist and longtime member of the Socialist Party of America. She championed reforms in favor of the working class and gave speeches across the country. Her speaking schedule became more intense when the United States entered World War I. She was staunchly against the war and insisted it only benefited wealthy businessmen. She continued to promote reforms to lift up the working class. But it was a speech she gave in Bowman, North Dakota, on July 17, 1917, that got her into trouble.

The first successful airplane flight in North Dakota took place at the Fargo fairgrounds in 1911. North Dakotans were instantly enchanted with the marvelous aviators in their flying machines and embraced aviation with enthusiasm. There was no looking back. North Dakota aviators like Carl Ben Eielson, Florence Kilingensmith, and Oscar Westover have gone down in aviation history.

On a quiet April evening, a truck parked on a Fargo street drew the attention of bystanders, who called the police to investigate. On this date in 1930, four men woke up in the Fargo jail, charged with illegally transporting liquor. But the bigger scandal was that Fargo police chief E.J. Madison was also implicated.

Prior to the advent of steam, farms across the Great Plains were powered by flesh-and-blood horsepower. Horses and mules did the work. This form of horsepower came with many disadvantages. The average farm was 100 acres. A farmer walked countless miles to plow his fields behind a walking plow, and walked even more to plant and cultivate the crops. The animals had to be fed and cared for year-round, even when they weren't working, adding additional expense.

On August 2, 1886, Congress passed the Oleomargarine Act, imposing a tax on the production and sale of oleomargarine, and implementing strict licensing fees for manufacturers and retailers. Oleomargarine, later called simply margarine, was initially viewed with suspicion for its effect on dairy sales. Because the dairy industry was an important part of the North Dakota economy, and the U.S. market in general, there was strong concern that cheap margarine would reduce or even replace butter sales.

On this date in 1966, the Wahpeton newspaper editor got a lesson in local history. Pioneer resident Mrs. Kachelhoffer paid a visit and politely provided information for his next "Sky Ride" column.

In 1981, Pope John Paul II announced that every Catholic seminary in the United States would undergo a formal evaluation by the Congregation for Catholic Education. Over the next nine years, Bishop John Marshall of Vermont visited all 501 American seminaries. On this date in 1990, The Fargo Forum reported on the glowing review for Cardinal Muench Seminary in Fargo.

Dr. Crucial came to Fargo, Dakota Territory, in 1877 to begin his medical practice. The remote frontier and booming town suited his energetic mind. He saved lives, delivered thousands of babies, and invented an artesian well device to provide clean drinking water.

Mabel Schuler was born in Wisconsin in 1886. She came to Wahpeton in 1895 to join her father, Gustav, a widower who was getting established in Dakota Territory. Gustav and his brother Eugene operated a farm-implement business and became prominent pioneer architects, attorneys, and construction entrepreneurs. Their homes still stand side-by-side on Sixth Street in what was once Wahpeton's silk-stocking district, and the Schuler Brothers Building remains a fixture on Main Street downtown.

The colorful days of newspaper reportage often featured unfettered character descriptions, opinion, and editorial acrobatics. On this date in 1904, the Emmons County Record reported in amusing prose that “the law mill was a-grinding” on four men recently arrested in different cases. Lawmen were also connecting the dots between three or four stooges.

In today's Dakota Datebook, Lise Erdrich writes about a shocking crime, a high-profile trial, and the tensions of a fast-growing Wahpeton in 1883.

James Robinson was an eccentric North Dakota Supreme Court Justice who opposed vaccinations. He also peddled booze as a cure during the 1918 flu pandemic.

Founded on this date in 1854, the Republican Party quickly became a political force. Throughout the 1850s, Republicans and Democrats voiced strong disagreements about new states. Republicans believed the Dakota and Washington territories would support their policies. Democrats were counting on the Montana and New Mexico territories. Each party sought to admit only states that would support its policies.

Even if a day starts under bright sunshine, winter on the Great Plains is unforgiving, and a snowstorm can close in rapidly. Such a day was March 15, 1920.

Norval Baptie was born on this date in 1879. He's enshrined in Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and is in the Ice Skating Hall of Fame.

The Dakota Territory was created in 1861. It included what would become the states of North and South Dakota, as well as parts of what would become Wyoming and Montana. It consisted of the northernmost portion of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.

An old postcard of the Wahpeton Indian School shows a line of buildings and a cow minding her own business. She was Beauty Colantha Fresian Tidy No. 1083302, a retired dairy champion whose celebrity status entitled her to graze along Seventh Street in view of the public.

In the early years of the twentieth century, the Middle East was in turmoil. After World War I, European powers carved up the Ottoman Empire, creating new territories under colonial control. The upheaval led to the rise of nationalist groups and conflict, not only with foreign powers, but also with rival resistance factions and bandit gangs.

On this date in 1937, The Institute of Heraldry approved the design for the North Dakota Distinguished Service Medal.