Carole Butcher

Steamboats on the Missouri and Red Rivers once made travel much easier. Of course, the steamboats had to be taken out of the water for the winter but the rivers were still used for travel.

The measles cropped up in North Dakota in 1905. At first, it didn’t attract much attention, and there were only small mentions of it. Newspapers reported that “W.S. Dow has been wrestling with the measles this week,” and “H.M. Blazer and family are sick with the measles.” These small incidents were precursors to the main event.

Drake, North Dakota, English teacher Bruce Severly did not expect controversy to erupt when he added Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five” to the reading list for his class. Most of the students were pleased with the addition, but one student complained about offensive language. That was enough for the school board to order the book removed from the classroom and to direct that all copies be destroyed.

North Dakota has a long history with baseball. It was a cheap and easily-organized form of entertainment for people living on isolated farms and ranches, giving them the chance to gather for a social event. Those early games tended to be a matter of local pride, with neighboring towns competing. When the railroad arrived, teams began traveling. One of the biggest rivalries was between Grand Forks and Fargo.

As European settlers moved onto the Great Plains, they built wooden structures for shelter. These were vulnerable to fires, especially as settlers began building communities with wooden buildings close together. Fire, whether from natural causes like lightning or accidents caused by humans, could destroy an entire town in the blink of an eye.

In the fall of 1910, there was a big scandal in Minot. Citizens wanted to know: who drank the beer?

In 1865, French historian and abolitionist Edouard de Laboulaye proposed a monument to celebrate the upcoming centennial of American independence and the abolition of slavery. The project was delayed by the Franco-Prussian War, but finally got underway in 1875. The plan was for the people of France to fund the statue, while Americans would provide a site and build the pedestal.

At 1,875 miles, U.S. Route 281 is the longest continuous north-south U.S. highway, running from the Canadian border in the north to the Mexican border in the south. The northern terminus is at Dunseith, North Dakota, near the International Peace Garden. The highway serves as a vital north-south corridor for both business and leisure travel.

The effort of North Dakota women to win the right to vote began in earnest in the late 19th century and continued to grow. Famed suffragettes like Susan B. Anthony arrived in the state to help organize the movement. British suffragettes also came to offer support and encouragement. In 1912, Sylvia Pankhurst spent time in North Dakota on a lecture tour. She spoke to large and enthusiastic crowds. When she came to Fargo, the newspaper called her “one of the world’s most notable women.”

Early in 1902, the United Mine Workers called for a strike in the anthracite coal fields of eastern Pennsylvania. They demanded safer working conditions and higher wages. The mine owners refused to meet with the union. George F. Baer, leader of the operators, insisted that so-called “labor agitators” did not have the best interests of the miners at heart. He claimed the owners would protect the workers' rights.