Dr. Steve Hoffbeck

What happened in Lisbon, North Dakota, on June 14 in 1944, was almost like the script of a Hollywood movie. The townspeople celebrated what they called “Dr. Patterson Day.”

Elizabeth Bodine of Velva, North Dakota, was revered within her family and community for her life of devotion to God, husband, and her children. her story spans two continents and eight decades.

It was on this date in 1970 that 600 Kent State students gathered to protest having National Guard on campus. Told to “disperse,” activists threw rocks, and guardsmen used tear gas. The protesters still didn’t leave; and the 100 National Guard troops retreated. Feeling threatened, 28 guardsmen fired their rifles, leaving nine protesters wounded and “four dead in Ohio.”

From time immemorial, bison herds owned the plains of North Dakota. Native Americans and Europeans alike held bison in some measure of awe for their inherent power. Tribes believed the Great Spirit had sent the buffalo to them as part of the gift of life.

In the times of national Prohibition, considerable quantities of bootleg alcohol flowed around North Dakota despite the illegality of selling, consuming and transporting liquor. On this date in 1930, a newspaper story about a “mystery truck,” caused quite a stir in Fargo. The article told of an incident on March 30 in Fargo’s warehouse district, just west of downtown.

Ukraine has known war in recent years; and this European nation has rarely known true independence. The Ukrainians, as a Slavic people-group, have their own language and culture. However, due to Ukraine’s great natural wealth, it has been predominantly been ruled by Russia. Numerous Ukrainians immigrated to America from the 1890s onward. About 5,000 Ukrainians came to North Dakota.

In the heart of wintertime, when your furnace warms your house but dries the air, static electricity accumulates, so when you touch a light-switch, you can be zapped by a spark. And when you pull on your winter sweater, it can become a clinging swarm of sparks.

If you are of a certain age, you may remember the value of a silver dollar, and you might recall its size and its heft – almost a full ounce of real silver. Most people today most likely remember non-silver Eisenhower dollars or the Susan B. Anthony or Sacagawea dollars from recent years, but old, real-silver dollars evoke special memories for some.

In 1946, Enderlin made history when townspeople elected Agnes Geelan as mayor, making her the first female mayor of an incorporated town in North Dakota.

Whynot was the name of a general store and post office from the 1880s through the 1940s. It originated in the creative brain of Erik K. Larsgaard, a Norwegian immigrant, who came to America in 1881.