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Dakota Datebook
6:42 am, 8:42 am, 3:50 pm, 5:44 pm, and 7:50 pm CT

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.

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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  • Adolph Marcus Christianson the Third was born in February of 1944. Known as Marc, he was the grandson of North Dakota Supreme Court Justice, A. M. Christianson, known as the Lincoln of North Dakota; and the son of A. M. Christianson the Second, an Army flight instructor who later founded the Bismarck Zoo.
  • Snow is a common occurrence in North Dakota, but not in June! That’s what the Seventh Cavalry endured for two cold, wet days, stuck in camp in the Badlands, while marching west from Fort Abraham Lincoln. The expedition was headed into Montana Territory, where Plains Indians would later defeat Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his men at the Battle of Greasy Grass, or Little Bighorn.
  • Elizabeth Bodine of Velva, North Dakota, was revered within her family and community for her life of devotion to God, husband, and her children. her story spans two continents and eight decades.
  • On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear a story about going to California as part of the US Government's Indian Relocation program from Edna Kavanaugh, Spirit Lake Elder.
  • This date in 1914 began a two-day pageant at the University of North Dakota. With UND hosting the annual meeting of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, students honored the convocation with their presentation of “A Pageant of the Northwest” at the Bankside Theater along a bend of the English Coulee.
  • Ranching has been a part of the landscape and economy of western North Dakota since territorial days. Today, family ranching operations still carry on a cowboy culture that traces back to the woolly wild West. One club that is still strong in its 56th year is the “50 Years in the Saddle” club, formed on this date in 1957.
  • Memorial Day is fast approaching, occurring on or around this date. Here's a sampling of how communities throughout North Dakota have observed the day of military remembrance, from picnics to parades to poppy sales.
  • The front page of the Fargo Forum on this date in 1918 was covered with news about World War I. On the very bottom was a tiny announcement that two boys from North Dakota were going to enter West Point: Frank Henning Jr. of Lakota and Sidney Hinds of Wahpeton.
  • Today we take a look back on past concerts in Bismarck. Perhaps you will remember some, or be surprised at who performed in the capital city!
  • In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Dr. Wayne Fox, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation talk about learning with laughter.

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.