Ashley Thronson

As each year goes by since Merriweather Lewis and William Clark led an expedition to the west coast from 1804-1806, Americans find new and different ways to honor their legacy and acknowledge the impact of their journey.

On this date in 1969, as many North Dakotans were sound asleep, a severe storm ripped through Ramsey county. Approximately six miles wide and nine miles long, the storm’s path of damage started in the Webster area and moved southeast. Hailstones the size of hens eggs ripped through farms, with damage to buildings, equipment, and crops.

The history of the printing industry in the United States was forever changed with the installation of a Linotype typesetting machine in June 1886 in the offices of the New York Tribune newspaper. Linotype produces lines of words as a single strip of metal, rather than hand setting type by individual letter. It streamlined the typesetting process making it faster to produce a page of type.

Winter in North Dakota can be a challenge, but it can also offer great experiences and traditions. Dakota Datebook joins the celebration of winter in conjunction with the Northern Plains National Heritage Area and Sons of Norway Sverdrup Lodge for the inaugural “Vinterfest,” a celebration of all things winter, throughout the month of January.

Can you imagine being the only person living in town? No traffic on your way to work or loud neighbors late at night? On this date in 1970, the readers of the Minot Daily News read a story of one such man in Lincoln Valley in Sheridan County.

In 1932, North Dakotans were on the alert at the prospect of something big: gold in North Dakota! Earlier in the year, free flake gold was reportedly washing up in the Missouri River near Denbigh. On this date, mining engineer Deane Purves declared to Williston residents his belief that it is “possible there is gold enough on the Missouri bottoms in the vicinity of Williston to create profitable employment to many men out of work.”

In February 1912, the city of Minot celebrated the new library in town. After funds were secured with money from the New York philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, construction quickly followed. Carnegie offered $15,000 for the construction, with additional money from the Minot Women’s Literary Club for furniture and decorations.