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 1797, fur trader J. B. Chaboillez of the Northwest Company noted the arrival of Net-no-kwa and her sons at the Pembina post. -
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.
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It was originally called the Home Economics Practice House. Today, the house, located at 1260 University Drive North on the NDSU campus in Fargo is known as the Alba Bales House.
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John Gabriel Halland had a tumultuous end of the century in the years leading up to 1900. Originally the head of the History Department at Fargo’s Agricultural College, he ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1898. As often happens in campaigns, every detail of his personal life was dragged into the spotlight.
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The Civil War was not going well for the Union in 1862. A victory at Shiloh in April was followed by defeat in the Seven Days Battles, an inconclusive result at Antietam, and a disastrous loss at Fredericksburg.
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On this date in 1917, former Attorney General of North Dakota, Henry J. Linde, died. He had suffered a stroke three months earlier, after many years of illness. He was only 37 years old.
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The morning after Christmas is usually reserved for sitting with a warm cup of coffee while perusing newspaper ads for major sales. However, on this day in 1994, many North Dakotans likely stopped leafing through the paper in shock to reread a story about a man from California.
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After the original Capitol building burned down in 1930, a great deal of thought and effort went into constructing the new Capitol. Very different from the domed buildings most states were accustomed to, North Dakota wanted to rebuild something great and ultra-usable.
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.