Dr. Steve Hoffbeck

America is a land of immigrants, and the U.S. is unusual in world history because people from all ethnic groups try to live peacefully side by side. One of those immigrants was Harry Imai, who, on this date in 1891 was born in Kyoto, Japan.

In 1937, one of the world’s greatest musicians came to North Dakota. Sergei Rachmaninoff quietly arrived in Grand Forks and Fargo, and presented his recitals at the piano in each city before sweeping off quietly to his next far-off performances.

Bud Grant, the legendary coach of the Minnesota Vikings, was always an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting and fishing. One of the places where he hunted waterfowl was Kenmare, in Ward County.

Lisbon, located in the beautiful Sheyenne River Valley of southeastern North Dakota, is home to a historic post office building built in 1939. Within that history is the story of a lost sculpture.

Ever since the establishment of the Minot Air Force Base and the Grand Forks Air Force Base in 1957, North Dakota has been considered a potential target for enemy nuclear weapons. This knowledge created anxiety among some of North Dakota’s citizens. One response has been to build fallout shelters in backyards or basements.

Farm kids have always had fears peculiar to growing up in the country and were taught to keep safe on the farmstead; to be alert to the dangers. The fears were real – fear of machinery accidents; fear of lightning storms and bad weather; fear of stepping on a rusty nail; fear of the barn burning down; fears of rabid-skunks; fear of a bull; and fears of a close relative dying.

In America’s westward movement, new towns arose along rivers and railways, and townspeople had great hopes for their newly established communities.

Alf Paulson had the great adventure of his life in 1945.

The heart of durum wheat country in the state has been in a 90-mile radius around Devils Lake, which annually produced about 90% of the U.S. total. From durum wheat kernels comes macaroni, egg noodles and spaghetti. Back in 1955, Devils Lake celebrated ‘all things macaroni’ at its Macaroni Festival, and June 13 was the final day of the event.

History is all around us, if only we open our eyes to see it, and sometimes get off the main highways and find it. One such historical gem is in McVille, in Nelson County. It’s the McVille Auditorium, a reminder of the 1930s Great Depression-era.