Dakota Datebook

Follow Dakota Datebook
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

Stories of things that happened in North Dakota and vicinity. 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…

Prairie Public


    • May 30, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 2m AVG DURATION
    • 1,284 EPISODES


    More podcasts from Prairie Public

    Search for episodes from Dakota Datebook with a specific topic:

    Latest episodes from Dakota Datebook

    May 30: Memorial Day Programs Honor Veterans

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 2:59


    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.

    May 29: Red Thunder, Elder Statesman, Orator and Peacemaker

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 2:55


    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.

    May 28: The Turtle Mountain Landform

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2025 2:59


    "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.

    May 27: Farewell to Fort Ransom

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 2:46


    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.

    May 26: Finley Air Force Station

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2025 2:57


    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.

    May 23: Armour and Company Creameries

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 2:50


    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.

    May 22: North Dakota Medical Association

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 2:48


    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 21: The Renville Valley Pioneer Cemetery

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 2:47


    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.

    valley north dakota pioneer cemetery
    May 20: Rules of Fashion

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 2:32


    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.

    May 19: The Years of Driving Dangerously

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 2:38


    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.

    May 16: The House That Divorce Built

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2025 3:00


    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.

    May 15: Lincoln's Vision

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2025 2:53


    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.

    May 14: The McNary-Haugan Farm Relief Plan

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 2:34


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

    May 13: Camping Out

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 2:40


    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.

    May 12: Converting the Badlands into Theodore Roosevelt National Park

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 2:44


    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.

    May 9: Edible Wild Cattails

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2025 2:49


    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.

    May 8: Rain Follows the Plow – Or Does It?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 2:50


    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.

    May 7: A New County Seat

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2025 2:47


    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.”

    May 6: A Badlands Journey

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2025 2:39


    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.

    May 5: William Henry Leder

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2025 3:03


    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.

    May 2: Unwelcome Callers

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 2:40


    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."

    May 1: Becoming American

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 2:52


    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.

    April 30: Bad Weather and Bad Drivers Make an Interesting Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 2:54


    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.

    April 29: Mrs. Weber Gets Mad, Horsewhips Judge Dow

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2025 2:46


    On this date in 1892, Wahpeton papers reported that Gertrude Weber had traveled to St. Joseph, Missouri, in search of her husband. With help from local police, she found him working at a shoe factory. To avoid arrest, Mr. Weber pretended to be overjoyed to see his wife and agreed to return with her to Wahpeton. He asked for a few hours to settle his affairs and gather his belongings. He took Mrs. Weber to a hotel but then escaped by train with the notorious Madam Dollie Anderson. Mrs. Weber soon realized she had been doubly duped.

    April 28: JD Allen, taxidermist and artist

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025 3:00


    John Delbert Allen was born in New York State in 1851 and grew up in Paw Paw, Michigan. He began experimenting with taxidermy at the age of 12.

    April 25: The Great American Desert

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 2:58


    General Stephen H. Long was truly a renaissance man. He was a civil engineer, a soldier, an explorer, a surveyor, and an inventor. He made advances in the development of steam locomotives with his new designs. He taught mathematics at West Point. And although his career as an explorer was relatively short-lived, he covered over 26,000 miles in five expeditions.

    April 24: Settling the West

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2025 2:55


    In the early 1800s, the government had to figure out what to do with people already claiming land in the West. On this date in 1820, Congress passed the Land Act, allowing settlers to purchase the land they had claimed. They could buy 160 acres at $1.25 per acre. The Land Act made it possible for people of modest means to purchase land and settle down. It also marked the beginning of an organized effort to settle the West.

    April 23: Sheriff Rickert and the Trouble with Trimble

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2025 2:50


    In April of 1904, Wahpeton had four newspapers, each with its own political slant. At the time, J.A. Rickert was a prominent figure in Richland County. He'd served as County Commissioner, County Treasurer, County Sheriff, and President of the Board of Education. Rickert owned a significant amount of property and was known for his success in both farming and business, including a mercantile store in Lidgerwood.

    April 22: Small hands, big lives

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2025 2:26


    On this date in 1911, The Bismarck Tribune reported an incident involving a 4-year-old boy in Jamestown. The child, Johnny, was playing with other small boys when he slipped and fell into an abandoned well. A passerby saw Johnny and rushed to help, managing to pull him out. Despite falling around 20 feet, Johnny was uninjured aside from some cuts and bruises.

    April 21: Music Teacher Martha Hook

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2025 2:54


    During this week in 1996, Roosevelt Elementary School in Fargo, North Dakota, celebrated its 75th anniversary. Among the honored guests was one of the school's most beloved retired teachers: 91-year-old music instructor Martha Hook.

    April 18: A Most Important Matter

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2025 2:41


    Voters today take for granted their right to elect their United States Senators. Americans have been directly electing their Senators for over a hundred years, but it wasn't always this way. Our Founding Fathers believed that allowing state legislatures to elect Senators would strengthen the bond between the federal and state governments. Article I, Section 3 of the United States Constitution stated, 'The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.'

    April 17: Blaze Orange For Hunters

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025 3:00


    Deer hunters need to see clearly and aim accurately to bring home the big bucks. But they also need to follow basic gun safety rules to avoid harming themselves or other hunters.

    April 16: A Hidden Gem

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2025 2:54


    In 1872, European Americans founded a modest settlement at what was called Missouri Crossing. It got its name because the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the river there on their journey to explore the Louisiana Purchase. The settlers named their new community Edwinton, after Edwin Ferry Johnson, an engineer with the Northern Pacific Railroad. Less than a year later, the name was changed to Bismarck, in honor of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, aiming to attract German immigrants.

    April 15: Senator McCumber and Wahpeton Indian School

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2025 3:03


    A tattered mansion on 8th Street, which still stands today, was once the home of U.S. Senator Porter J. McCumber of Wahpeton. Five blocks north of the old silk-stocking block is the Wahpeton Indian School, now known as the Circle of Nations.

    April 14: Air Ship

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2025 3:01


    On this date in 1897, an 'air ship' was spotted in the skies across eastern North Dakota. The Larimore Pioneer in Grand Forks County reported eyewitness accounts of the event. Three men in particular—Chief Clerk W.A. Willian, Agent J. McNaught, and Janitor Chris Johnson—shared their observations. They said the object was first seen shortly before 11 PM, moving swiftly in a northwesterly direction, with a noticeable swaying motion.

    April 11: Wind Incidents and Advantages

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 2:37


    "It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the wind!" Many a North Dakotan has lamented the state's well-known whirlwinds—and for good reason. North Dakota is relatively flat, with few natural formations to block the wind. So, it's no surprise that the weather has been a topic of interest in newspapers since the region became a state.

    April 10: Summer Never Came

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2025 2:42


    Mount Tambora is a volcanic mountain in Indonesia. It may be hard to imagine how an eruption there could affect the Great Plains, especially from so far away on the other side of the world. But on this date in 1815, it did exactly that. The eruption began on April 5, with small tremors hinting at a major event. Then, on the evening of April 10, a cataclysmic explosion blew the mountain apart. A thick cloud of hot rock fragments and gases, known as a pyroclastic flow, rolled down the mountainside. The explosion and the tsunamis it triggered killed 10,000 people and destroyed 35,000 homes. And that was just the beginning.

    April 9: The Payne-Aldrich Tariff Act

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2025 2:59


    No proposed tariff has ever been universally popular among all Americans. In the early 1900s, a tariff proposal highlighted the tensions between differing interests. Many Americans supported tariffs to discourage monopolies from raising prices. Industrialists believed tariffs on foreign products would protect their business interests. However, a tariff that protected one interest could harm another. New England, which produced no coal, opposed a tariff on that product. But Pennsylvania, a major coal producer, strongly supported the tariff.

    April 8: Making an Escape

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2025 2:32


    Wildfires have historically played an important role in the ecology of the Great Plains. Fires on the plains help remove accumulated litter, stimulate native grass growth, and slow the spread of invasive plants.

    April 7: Forest Week

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2025 2:33


    In the United States, Arbor Day originated in Nebraska. As settlers moved west, they were struck by the lack of trees. Newspaper editor Julius Morton used his platform to stress the importance of trees. His message resonated with readers. In 1872, he proposed a day dedicated to planting trees, and Arbor Day was born.

    April 4: A Storm to Remember: “Hannah” Hammers the State

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2025 3:07


    April is a time of optimism as the region thaws, and thoughts turn to planting and warmer weather. However, it's also a deceptive time, as the last gasps of winter can still wreak havoc, surprising those who believe the snow is finished. March and April storms have earned their place in residents' memories, like the March 1966 blizzard. But the 1997 blizzard, named “Hannah” by the Grand Forks Herald, came with an intensity and consequences that belied its innocent name.

    April 3: A Senseless Tragedy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 2:20


    George Haneckeyk was born in Denmark in 1886 and came to North Dakota in 1910. In 1916, he had a run-in with the law when he attacked and tried to kill a girl in Minot. He was found guilty and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. After being discharged in 1918, he opened a painting shop in Bismarck. It seemed he had changed. He was a quiet man who kept to himself and caused no trouble. He did some painting at the police office and even became friends with some officers. While he was never a police officer, he was occasionally sworn in to assist the department when extra help was needed.

    Claim Dakota Datebook

    In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

    Claim Cancel