Dr. Steve Hoffbeck

Home schooling is accepted in North Dakota today, but there was a time when home-schooling was illegal. Compulsory school attendance laws required that children aged 7 to 16 be educated, with public-schools the main providers. However, Catholic schools and other parochial schools had become available as alternatives.

It’s a long way from Norway to Kindred, ND, yet deep connections between the two locations still remain. The key link involved the Hertsgaard family.

North Dakota farmers always had plenty of problems to worry about, like wind, drought, hail, debt, floods, infestations, and blight. Another small enemy lurking near farmer’s fields were the varmints – including ground-squirrels, prairie dogs, and pocket gophers.

Some people live in North Dakota for a short time before moving on, leaving only a scattering of information. Today we consider the example of Civil War veteran Charles Bolyard. His tombstone is in the Union Cemetery in Egeland, North Dakota. It’s one of the few traces of his time here. Engraved on his marker is the inscription “Charles Bolyard,” a private in the 123rd Ohio Infantry; born Feb. 3, 1840, and died Jan. 20, 1941.

We don’t know everything about the life of Dr. William D. Wolverton (1834-1922), yet we do know that Dr. Wolverton made several lasting contributions to regional history.

The problem of providing help for poor people has plagued local governments since ancient times. Assistance has oftentimes been provided in the context of religious duty or as a preventative to social disorder.

What do you first think about when you think about bib overalls? If you grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, you might picture yourself wearing toddler-sized Oshkosh B’gosh overalls in colorful shades of red, blue, or in stripes.

In 1869, at age 23, Joseph Dietrich (1846-1931) left his safe life in Wisconsin, seeking gold in Montana. He never reached those goldfields. Instead, he found his life in Dakota Territory.

School cafeterias have become legendary, both for good and for bad. The lunches can be legendarily good. For instance, what could be better than pizza or spaghetti?

If you are of a certain age, you remember the talents of Jack Benny (1894-1974), the famous comedian and violin-player who started out in vaudeville and then became successful in movies, radio, television, and nightclubs.