Sarah Walker

2/16/2013: On this date in 1912, the Tioga Gazette notified its readers that a motorized ferry would be installed north of Charlson in McKenzie County as soon as the ice went out.

2/13/2013: Almost one year after the end of World War I, in September of 1919, General Pershing led 24,000 “bronzed veterans and victors of battles that saved the world for liberty” through the streets of Washington D.C. in a grand victory parade. Citizens were invited to “make the greatest possible noise so that the fighters shall ever remember their final review as the greatest the nation could give anywhere.”

1/31/2013: George Armstrong Custer is most famous today for his personal waterloo – the battle of Little Big Horn, but his fame began long before his days in the Dakota Territory and the “Wild West.” He graduated from West Point—albeit last in his class—and took part in the Civil War, where he gained quite a reputation.

1/29/2013: On this date in 1940, more than 800 people gathered in Park River to discuss a proposed power plant in Grand Forks. The Nodak Rural Electric Cooperative facility would be powered by diesel fuel, supplying electric energy to a combined group of REA projects, including several in Minnesota. However, many residents in eastern North Dakota opposed the proposal, and the Walsh County Press reported that at this meeting, “charges of “railroading,” politics and an alleged dictatorial policy of the REA in Washington were hurled by speakers, both from the floor and from the platform.”

1/25/2013: After World War I had ended and soldiers began to return home, America dealt with the transition into a new age. There was a period of adjustment—a loss of innocence, as the men and women subjected to the horrors of the battlefield both personally and privately began their new lives.

1/23/2013: In January of 1953, a bit of propaganda from the Korean War came to North Dakota. The Jamestown Sun published an article, which also appeared in other state newspapers. It began: “It’s a long way from Puncham and Chorwon, Korea to Jamestown and Bergen, North Dakota, or so most easy-going North Dakotans feel. But on the other hand, how many Communists do you think there are in our state? We thought maybe a couple, surely no more. But what started out to be a feature story…has turned out to be shocking realism right at our own back door.”

1/22/2013: Prior to the Great Depression, the1920s roared by, as people experienced an economic boom like none before. However, such was not the case for many farmers and ranchers, who dealt with dropping prices and instability throughout the decade.

1/21/2013: Dickinson Normal School, now Dickinson State University, was newly established in 1918 when 104 students attended the first classes. It was so new that the classes were held at Dickinson High. Classes were free for those first students, although they did pay expenses.

1/16/2013: On this date in January in 1954, eggs were uppermost in many people’s minds, as Gov. Norman Brunsdale had proclaimed January to be “egg month” in North Dakota. The governor said that, “North Dakota farmers produce many food products that contribute to the economic stability and general good health of the State and Nation. Of great importance in the diet and unusual significance to the economic welfare are eggs.” He urged North Dakotans to eat more eggs during the month, and throughout the coming year.

10/29/2012: The various counties of North Dakota did not always exist as they are laid out today. As people began to fill in the open prairies, towns and townships formed, and soon, different counties began to look for change – breaking off sections, forming together, and establishing county borders. Have you ever heard of Villard County? Wallace? Flannery? Or how about DeSmet County? These all existed in 1885 when the territorial census was taken. Then, Morton County included the area of today’s Grant County; Kidder County was half its size; and so on.