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.
On this date in 1919, North Dakota finally brought the notorious Guyer gang to justice.
In November 1896, Reverend Schemerhorn arrived in Wahpeton, leaving his pastorate in New Jersey. After correspondence with eastern contacts who praised his work, local leaders secured his services. He came highly recommended by well-known Baptists and was offered the pastorate of the local Baptist church. The congregation was pleased with him.
On this date in 1911, the Wahpeton–Breckenridge community was still reeling from the events of the previous week. Word-of-mouth versions of the story circulated until the weekly newspapers came out.
It was 1902, and President Theodore Roosevelt was deep in the woods on a hunting trip when something felt off.
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Oliver Gourd, elder, educator and enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation, talk about the importance of generosity among the Dakota people.
The Pure Foods Movement was a grass roots effort that called attention to the presence of unhealthy additives in processed food. Prior to 1906, there was no governmental oversight of processed foods and pharmaceutical drugs.
On this date in 1906, Teddy Roosevelt became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the Russo-Japanese War.
There was a time when just about everyone in North Dakota knew the name and fame of Arnold Oss, the greatest athlete ever to grow up in Lidgerwood. From 1917 to 1921, Oss made sports headlines across North Dakota and Minnesota. He played football, basketball, baseball, ran track and was a star in them all.
Sledding is a pastime for many during the long North Dakota winters, especially once sufficient snow blankets the region. While residents did their best to occupy themselves with winter activities, Bismarck’s children benefited from compassionate residents and an attentive city government to gain additional space to have fun.
Long before weather alerts or five-day forecasts, people watched the animals, listened to the winds, took note of the moon and stars, and told tales to predict the weather.
In the late 1800s, workers averaged ten to sixteen hours a day, six days a week. Workers in Great Britain and the United States began to push for a reduction in work hours.
On the morning of July 30, 1916, New York City was jarred awake by a huge explosion. Four people were killed, thousands of windows were blown out, and the Statue of Liberty was hit with debris.
Old Wild Rice is the “George Washington” of the Pembina Band of Chippewa. He was frequently mentioned in the Northwest Company fur trade journals of Charles Jean-Baptiste Chaboillez and his successor, Alexander Henry.
As Secretary of State for President James Monroe, John Quincy Adams advocated for the expansion of the United States. He was responsible for establishing the northern boundary of the country from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains, and eventually to the Pacific Ocean. More than any other man, Adams was responsible for putting the Monroe Doctrine into action.