Jack Dura

One of the first people reported hospitalized during the terrible flu pandemic that struck North Dakota in 1918 was also one of the most well-known. “Wild Bill” Langer was the state attorney general during the early years of his tumultuous political career.

Prairie fires were a harsh reality of life in Dakota Territory. The blazes were often fast-moving and deadly. On this date in 1886, residents of the Bottineau area were dealing with the aftermath of a recent three-day prairie fire that burned about 500 square miles. A local history book recounts the fire as “probably the greatest forest and range fire in the history of the area.”

Bismarck and Mandan residents had a lot to look forward to at the Mandan Fair in 1912. The fair was an important enough event to prompt Bismarck’s public schools to close for Bismarck Day. A ferry operator cut the fee for crossing the Missouri in half during the fair, and special trains were put into service.

The 1930s were a turbulent time in North Dakota’s state government. Political chaos meant several offices were a revolving door, including governor and tax commissioner.

Anne Frank’s diary became available in public libraries with the publication of an English-language version around this date in 1952. A Bismarck Tribune librarian columnist described the book as “a poignant diary kept by a young Jewish girl hiding out from the Gestapo….”

Today is another story in the life of a young Lutheran preacher called to McKenzie County from St. Louis a century ago, but a murky one shrouded in mystery – complete with a cave, skeletons and Buffalo Bill Cody!

North Dakota has produced several acclaimed journalists, including Velva native Eric Sevareid, who was a CBS Evening News correspondent and commentator. Among his earliest writings is his account of a canoe adventure as a young man.

Perhaps the most whimsical room in the North Dakota Capitol is the “monkey room.” The room is a small hallway that serves as a private entrance for the Secretary of State to his or her office on the first floor. A Grand Forks carpenter built the room in 1933 using a method called bookmatching, which mirrors two surfaces. He was paid 80 cents an hour for his work.

The First Presbyterian Church in Fargo is remarkable for its Scottish Gothic Revival architecture. Lining the sanctuary are numerous stained-glass windows depicting Biblical figures and scenes. The first window, installed in the chancel in 1939, is a bit different from the others. Its symbolic design and personal motifs are in memory of Helen Huntoon and her newborn son.

Watford City was roiled by embezzlement charges against its town treasurer a century ago in a case that reached the governor’s office. Treasurer O.L. Cassidy was accused in February 1922 of embezzling $7,600 of Watford City funds during a period of two years. Adjusted for inflation, that would be more than $136,000 today.