Jim Davis

7/24/2015: Many an older North Dakota driver may recall a glove compartment filled with maps advertising their local gas stations. These were gradually replaced by more colorful and fact-filled Official State Highway maps, and most recently by electronic versions. But in the early 1920s, as the automobile gained popularity and motorists began traveling greater distances, few road maps were available.

5/25/2015: Originally, Memorial Day was a known as Decoration Day, a day that the graves of those who died on the battlefields of the War of the Rebellion were decorated with flowers. In 1882, in Jamestown, there were no soldiers’ graves to decorate.

5/12/2015: The history of oil in North Dakota can best be described as episodic. From the early 1900s to more recent times, the search for oil has added an exciting chapter in the history of the state. The early homesteaders, drilling wells in search of water, found trace evidence of oil or natural gas, giving rise to a belief of vast deposits beneath our feet. Geologists, speculators and even schemers sought ways to extract the oil with various results. It was not until April 4th, 1951, that the first major-paying well came in – the Clarence Iverson #1 Well near Tioga.

3/16/2015: In the 1880s, western Dakota was an empty land with miles between ranches. Roads were few, and a trip across the prairie on foot was not always the safest, with spring weather being quite fickle. It was also home to many creatures now seldom seen in the hills and grasslands. The buffalo had disappeared but wolves and mountain lions lurked among the rocks, and an occasional bear sought shelter in the ravines.

12/25/2014: Christmas is a time of giving, and few can be more in need than those homeless and hungry in the harsh reality of a North Dakota winter. That is as true today as it was one hundred years ago on this date when the Glad Tiding Mission prepared to feed over 45 homeless men on Christmas Day in Fargo. The Glad Tidings Mission was founded on February 1, 1907 by the Rev. Orlando McCracken. He was a Methodist minister, but the mission served as a nondenominational shelter.

12/23/2014: Once upon a time a farmer and his wife had a goose that laid one golden egg every day. To hasten their wealth, the farmer and his wife killed the goose to obtain all of the golden eggs at once, but there were no golden eggs inside. So, according to Aesop, to kill and butcher the goose was a foolish thing. Perhaps! On this date in 1932, a story comes to light from southeastern McLean County near Washburn that might bring the wisdom of Aesop into question. A farmer named Emil Oberg and his wife, Ida, were butchering geese when they discovered bits of rusty colored specs in the gizzards. By chance, a relative visiting the farm was a former prospector who identified the specs as gold ore.

10/29/2014: The road to statehood had been a long, difficult journey encompassing thirty-two years. Officially it began on March 2, 1861, when the Organic Act creating the Territory of Dakota was issued; however, attempts at statehood had an earlier beginning.

10/24/2014: For North Dakota, Prohibition had come with statehood in 1889. Although ban on alcohol was extremely unpopular with the majority of citizens in the state, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and ministerial associations managed to thwart any efforts to amend the Constitution and repeal the laws. Bootleggers and “blind piggers” became folk heroes, and bathtub gin became commonplace. Prosecuting violators was difficult, and people like Frank “Shoot to Kill” Watkins worked for the Enforcement League in an attempt to stop the flow of illegal booze.

10/21/2014: On October 16th, Territorial Governor Mellette and Secretary Richardson met in Bismarck and canvassed the election results. Completed on the 17th, they made the arrangements to provide a certified copy of the vote along with a certified copy of the North Dakota State Constitution to President Benjamin Harrison. It was hoped that the Presidential Proclamation could be issued as early as October 20th. The newly elected legislators and State officials began arriving at the Capitol preparing for the beginning of first legislative Session of the State of North Dakota set for November 1st.

10/20/2014: One hundred years ago, the City of Bismarck was filled with activity concerning the Fourth Annual North Dakota Industrial Exposition. They were also commemorating the 25thanniversary of statehood. Many of the members of the constitution convention returned to visit the scene where they worked so hard to place the 39thstar on the national flag. Not only did they honor the delegates to the convention, they also honored the members of the first state legislature who had the burden of completing the statehood process – enacting the laws mandated by the Constitution.