Lucid Thomas

Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Being a landlocked state, North Dakota does not have an extensive pirate history. However, many years ago, there were rumors of pirate treasure.

The Powder River Battles were a series of skirmishes and battles fought between U.S. troops and the Lakota, Arapaho, and Cheyenne tribes. They lasted from September 1-15, 1865.

For many years, Dakota tribes honed their practices of hunting bison. Besides being a food source, the tribes used bison for clothing, shelter, and tools. White settlers and soldiers were attracted to the bison as well, but possessed none of the knowledge the Dakota people had accumulated over millennia.

One might wonder how such a beautiful place came to be known as the Badlands. That name came about before the marked hiking trails, onsite bathrooms, and water pumps. For white settlers and soldiers going west, the landscape was dry and difficult for travel. Looking back on records from General Alfred Sully’s expeditions, we can hear firsthand why they hated this land.

About 50 species of shorebird migrate through North America. Of those 50 species, about 36 pass on through, while a few stick around for the summer. They all take advantage of the lakes, wetlands, and the water pooled in farm fields.

The National Statuary Hall is one of the most popular locations in the U.S Capitol Building, with tourists flocking year-’round to see the collection of statues from across the 50 states. The hall is one of the earliest examples of Greek revival architecture in America. The hall has the shape of an ancient amphitheater, with pilasters made of sandstone and columns made of Breccia marble quarried along the Potomac River. The Corinthian columns were carved from white marble in Carrara, Italy.

Protest can take many forms. From a singular person starving on a doorstep to thousands flooding the streets, people have many ways of making their voices heard. One interesting North Dakota protest occurred on this date in 2006, involving three men dressed as clowns at the site of a nuclear missile silo near the Minot Airforce Base.

12/26/2017: In the Korean War, the U.S. spent 67 billion dollars and deployed 90% of the troops fighting for South Korea. It was a highly unpopular in North Dakota. For many of the soldiers deployed there, it had a different feeling than fighting in World War 2. There seemed to be no clear reason or cause to justify it. However, despite the resistance to the war, 2,600 soldiers from the North Dakota National Guard served in the military during that time, with 800 of them overseas.

12/8/2017: Nowadays, we often take for granted that if there’s an emergency, we can call an ambulance. That’s often thanks to a few hard-working people who made an effort to provide the service. In the not so recent past, the people of Lidgerwood, North Dakota came together to do just that.

12/4/2017: Almost 200 years ago in the 1800s, multiple groups of Christians came together in Dublin, Ireland to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. They didn’t want ministers or orders of service, but only the word of the Bible. From this gathering, the Plymouth Brethren was born, not an official denomination, but a network of like-minded Christian churches.