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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As World War I progressed, North Dakota began to suffer the consequences, even though the state was far from the battlefields of Europe. On this date in 1917, North Dakota newspapers were filled with reports of shortages affecting people across the state. -
In spite of the clear skies and wide-open spaces, North Dakota ranks among the states with the fewest UFO sightings. Unidentified flying objects just do not seem very interested in North Dakota. One possible explanation is the state’s low population density. There are simply fewer people to notice what is happening in the sky. South Dakota has similar results. California appears to be the UFO capital, with more than 16,000 historical reports.
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The election of 1912 was one of the few times North Dakota supported a Democrat for president. It was a time of rapid social and economic change. Voters had a great deal to consider about the role of government in regulating the economy and protecting the rights of citizens against the undue influence of corporate power.
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If you ever see a meteor in the nighttime sky, you will likely be either speechless with wonder or poetic in awe. It is unlikely you would be indifferent. For 62-year-old William W. Barrett, words came easily as he described a summer Saturday-night meteor display in 1894.
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In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll be listening to Leander Russ McDonald, an enrolled member of Spirit Lake Nation, in part one of "Storytelling and Humor."
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It was early June 1863, when over 3000 soldiers under the command of General Henry Hastings Sibley marched into Dakota Territory to engage the Sioux Indians in a punitive campaign following the events of the 1862 Minnesota-Dakota Conflict.
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It’s not uncommon for a newspaper to highlight a local citizen turning 100 years old. But the centenarian featured in The Fargo Forum on this date in 1994 held a special place in the hearts of people across North Dakota. Mable Leet Guy was the mother of William L. Guy Jr., North Dakota's longest-serving governor.
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Modern-day people don't know much about oxen, unless they refer to someone as a big ox or being strong as an ox. Some might know about Red River ox carts or maybe Babe the Blue Ox's statue in Bemidji.
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William "Bill" Hamann was a mover and a shaker in the western North Dakota cattle industry. He was born near Richardton in 1904 and began working with livestock in the late 1920s.
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By 1928, brothers William and Harvey Erlenmeyer, ages 16 and 18 respectively, had worked for nearly a decade on their small produce farm. It was referred to as a "truck garden" because the produce was transported by truck to nearby cities. Through their work in the garden, they earned enough profit to pay for their college education, with money left over to help cover living expenses and support their younger brother.
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.