Andrew Alexis Varvel

On this date in 1832, Dr. Meredith Martin started on his way back to St. Louis after vaccinating Indians along the Upper Missouri River. Secretary of War Lewis Cass had interpreted the Indian Vaccination Act of 1832 to mean that only Surgeons were allowed to vaccinate Indians. So, Lakota and Dakota Indians had been fortunate to have received the opportunity afforded by Dr. Martin's visit.

In October of 1928, a new student organization emerged at the University of North Dakota. It was announced in UND's student newspaper, the Dakota Student, which reported: “'Tribe of the Sioux' is to be a new rooting organization, composed of 100 men students who will be placed in a reserved section in the first five rows of section E. Memorial Stadium."

This date in 1929 featured perhaps the most important event to ever happen at Memorial Stadium of the University of North Dakota: The UND Flickertails lost to the Haskell Indians, a football team from Lawrence, Kansas, 13-6.

On this date in 1921, the front page of the second section of the Fargo Forum's Saturday evening edition led with the article headlined, “Arikara Indians Stage Ancient Ceremonial at Fort Berthold."

On August 29, 1833, fur trader William Laidlaw wrote to his boss Pierre Chouteau about what had happened to his rival three weeks earlier.“At the Mandans they were received in the following manner. They held a council for the distributions of presents at which 'The four Bears' presided. Sublette gave them a little powder and a few balls tied up in a handkerchief. They asked him if this was the great present they expected from the Americans, and upon being told it was all they were to get, they Knoked it to one side and told him to go away as soon as possible. He then gave them a Keg of Powder, but they remained as exasperated as before, for upon examination the Keg was found to be tap[p]ed and about the half taken out. However they took his present ...”

Society columns were once a popular feature in newspapers. Here are some examples from this date in 1892 from the Fargo society column of the Wisconsin Afro-American.

On this date in 1921, members of the Arikara tribe got back to work after spending three days honoring Mother Corn. The Bismarck Tribune reported, “... they could be seen at work in haying and harvesting, and in cooking and drying for winter their green corn.” This had been a rare opportunity for the Arikara to practice their religion openly.

On this date in 1924, Ward County's Rice Lake resort hosted the biggest celebration of Emancipation Day in North Dakota history.

On this date in 1832, George Catlin wrote to the New York Commercial Advertiser from the mouth of the Yellowstone River, saying: “The health and amusements of this delightful country render it almost painful for me to leave it. The atmosphere is so light and pure that nothing like fevers and epidemics has ever been known to prevail here – indeed it is proverbial here that a man cannot die unless he is killed by the Indians. If the Cholera should ever cross the Atlantic, what a secure, and at the same time delightful refuge this country would be for those who would be able to reach it.”