Sitting Bull to Phil Jackson, cattle to prairie dogs, knoephla to lefse. North Dakota's legacy includes many strange stories of eccentric towns, war heroes, and various colorful characters. Hear all about them on Dakota Datebook, your daily dose of North Dakota history.
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Dakota Datebook is made in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, and funded by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
You can find all Dakota Datebooks from 2018-today below. Our archive of Datebooks from 2003-2017 can be found here.
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In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Dr. William Jayne as territorial governor. Jayne recognized that the territory needed some form of defense. The legislature passed "An Act to Organize and Discipline the Militia of the Territory of Dakota." -
The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 was intended to prevent foreign espionage and sabotage during wartime. It allows the president to detain or deport natives and citizens of an enemy nation. The act has been invoked three times: during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II.
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William Geimer was born in Jamestown, North Dakota in 1925. After graduating from Jamestown High School, Bill entered the U.S. Navy in March of 1943 during World War II.
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On this day in 1907, staff of the State Historical Society dined out at a new restaurant in town, The International. Owned and operated by Wong Woo, a local restaurateur, The International specialized in Chinese food for hungry residents and visitors in downtown Bismarck.
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Kate Richards O’Hare was one of the leading speakers within the Socialist Party in 1916. She spoke at Bowman, North Dakota, on July 11, 1917, on behalf of the Non-Partisan League.
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The rosy, "Leave It to Beaver" portrayal of the American economy in the 1950s and ’60s was not reality for many Americans. By the 1960s, fully 20 percent of the population was living in poverty. President Kennedy’s advisor, Walter Heller, prepared a report warning that some Americans would remain trapped in poverty even with full employment.
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On this date in 1797, fur trader J. B. Chaboillez of the Northwest Company noted the arrival of Net-no-kwa and her sons at the Pembina post.
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North Dakota’s old Capitol building in Bismarck, built in 1884, was home to state officials, including the governor, the secretary of state, and the attorney general. It was also where the two houses of the state legislature met. By the early 1900s, the building was showing its age.
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John James Audubon is famed as an ornithologist, largely because of his detailed illustrations of North American birds. He became famous after the publication of his meticulous and accurate paintings.
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Dakota Territory had to begin the process of statehood by applying to Congress. Many people thought it would be admitted as the state of Dakota instead of being split into North and South. Many factors led to the division including an increase in population of both sections of the territory and political disputes about the location of a capital.
Dakota Datebook is made in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, and funded by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for the Humanities.