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.
-
Walter Burleigh was one of Dakota Territory’s early politicians. He was an Indian agent accused of shady dealings who went on to become a delegate to Congress, wielding influence over who got territorial jobs. He was also a witness at President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment trial. -
In March 1929, as ice broke up in the Missouri River, local federal meteorologist O. W. Roberts watched, issued advisements, and recorded what was going on. He wrote: “As long as there is ice on the Missouri river, there is danger of a flood.” Many others also watched the river. The Bismarck Tribune commented the “banks of the river between Bismarck and Mandan were crowded with spectators.” They watched huge logs in the river and reported seeing muskrats riding downstream on cakes of ice.
-
Monuments and tributes to the past are sprinkled throughout North Dakota towns and parks. Many towns have veteran and war memorials. Mandan, Minot and Medora have a statue of President Theodore Roosevelt. Grand Forks has a sculpture commemorating the 1997 Red River Flood. Some towns pay tribute with a local symbol, like Salem Sue in New Salem and Tommy the snowmobiling turtle in Bottineau.
-
In March of 1929, ice on the Missouri River began to break up early. Some of the ice flowed free, but some piled up in ice gorges, blocking the waterflow. The threat of flooding loomed. One large ice gorge formed at Huff, 18 miles south of Bismarck. The jam was 25 to 30 miles long — solid, and stuck.
-
In today's episode of Dakota Datebook we'll hear Kenneth Jerome Hill, enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, share a bit about how nature heals.
-
On this date in 1900, the Bottineau Current announced the arrival of a much-anticipated play. “The Old Maid’s Convention” had already been staged in Bismarck, Jamestown, and other places in the state before reaching Bottineau. The play was performed at the Bottineau opera house, garnering rave reviews.
-
Many small towns across the state slowly shrank after a peak population of 680,000 in 1930, a number that would not be reached again until after 2010. People had moved to larger cities, farms consolidated, and various economic busts meant many small towns lost their schools, businesses, churches, and post offices. However, the majestically named town of Napoleon was noted to be prosperous on this date in 1986.
-
In 1916, revolutionary leader Pancho Villa controlled much of northeastern Mexico. As a part of his campaign to destabilize United States interests in northern Mexico, Villa launched an attack on US mining executives. Eighteen Americans were killed.
-
Railroad executive James J. Hill is a giant of North Dakota history. Overcoming the disadvantages of an impoverished childhood, Hill took the helm of the Great Northern Railway and was responsible for the company’s huge expansion across the northwest that was in large part responsible for the settlement of the state.
-
On today's Dakota Datebook, we'll hear about the importance of developing understanding from Dr. Twyla Baker, enrolled member of the Mandan Hidatsa, Arikara Nation and president of Nueta Hidatsa, a Sanhish College.
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.