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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On this date in 1926, Gerald P. Nye was appointed to the United States Senate by Governor Arthur Sorlie to represent North Dakota following the death of Senator Edwin F. Ladd. Despite debate within the Senate over whether the governor had the legal authority to appoint Nye, the Senate chose to resolve the issue and honored the appointment. Later that year, Nye won election in his own right and quickly became one of North Dakota’s leading political figures. His election was especially important for North Dakota farmers, who were facing serious economic difficulties during the 1920s. -
The Fargo newspaper headlines this week in 1957 concentrated on the devastating tornado that had leveled a large swath of the city only days before. An effort called “Operation Cleanup” was making progress with the damage caused by the twister that drilled through neighborhoods, especially the Golden Ridge area of North Fargo.
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On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear about the importance of interconnectedness from Dr. Teresa Delorme, educator and enrolled member of Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.
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On this date in 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn commenced. It was over quickly. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and 7th Cavalry forces met an overwhelming force of Lakota and Northern Cheyenne warriors. Custer's outfit was annihilated: 268 dead, including six Crow and Arikara scouts; 55 severely wounded, six dying soon.
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The world rejoiced at the end of World War I in 1918. It seemed as if life would return to normal. There was no way to know that the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl were right around the corner. Hard times lay ahead.
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On this date in 1929, Joseph Blanding was still living in the family farmhouse at the south end of Wahpeton. He gave a talk to the Wilkin County Historical Society that was later published in the local paper. Joseph came to the area in 1872 at age nine, before Wahpeton was settled.
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During World War I, despite American neutrality, military mobilization was already underway. North Dakotans answered the call when President Wilson mobilized the National Guard for duty along the Mexican border in response to turmoil from the Mexican Revolution and Pancho Villa’s raid on Columbus, New Mexico, in March 1916. The Guardsmen garrisoned the border, freeing Regular Army troops to pursue Villa and his allies.
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If you were standing on the riverbank in Fargo in the summer of 1882, you could watch thousands of pine logs from Minnesota forests floating north on the Red River toward sawmills in Winnipeg.
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There is no question that summer storms can bring damaging effects. On this date in 1923, newspapers reported on various storm systems that swept through portions of Canada and North Dakota, wreaking havoc as they went.
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On May 17, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Custer bid farewell to his wife, Libby, and rode out of Fort Abraham Lincoln at the head of the 7th Cavalry. He never returned. North Dakotans took his loss personally. Custer was a popular figure, and the territory was stunned when news of his defeat became known.
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.