Dakota Datebook

[Dakota Datebook: 100 Years of Women Voting is produced in cooperation with the North Dakota Woman Suffrage Centennial Committee.]

Governor Lynn Frazier had called a special session in late November 1919 that addressed, among other issues, the proposed 19th Amendment to the US Constitution to grant women the right to vote. The House and Senate both voted in favor by December 1st, and it was signed by both branches on December 4th.

[Dakota Datebook: 100 Years of Women Voting is produced in cooperation with the North Dakota Woman Suffrage Centennial Committee.]

The right for women to vote was disputed for decades. Women and men alike populated both sides of the debate. Proponents united in rallying behind the push for change, which eventually resulted in the passage of the 19th Amendment.

In the early days, when the eastern states were still colonies of Great Britain, farmers were bound by the doctrine of common law. Farmers who owned animals that were likely to roam, like cattle or horses, were responsible for any damage done by those animals. This made fencing necessary to keep animals in, as opposed to fencing grain or vegetable acres to keep animals out. This rule came from England and made sense in densely populated areas.

On this date in 1886 Theodore Roosevelt married Edith Kermit Carow in England. Although he had forgone the thought of another marriage after the death of Alice Hathaway Lee during the birth of baby Alice, TR and Edith, his dear and close childhood friend, renewed acquaintances, and the spark of love ignited. 

Edith would become mother to five Roosevelts including Alice, who was a fascinating, unorthodox celebrity.

Arguably, the greatest U.S. invention in the 1800s was the railroad, because railways tied the nation together, building commerce across the land. If a town had a railway, it had life, conversely, if a town did not get a railway, it died.

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving. On this date in 1889, North Dakotans were also celebrating their first Thanksgiving as members of a new state.

North Dakota had become a state earlier in the month. The Bismarck Tribune reported on that by saying, "No sooner was the news of the receipt of this telegram upon the streets than Bismarck was one grand cyclone of cheers and shouts, music and cannonading."

Our world got a new glimpse of Theodore Roosevelt in November of 1906 when he did what no other sitting US president had done – visit a foreign country.

Roosevelt’s history-making excursion to Panama was to witness the progress of the Panama Canal. TR’s 17-day trip to Panama and Puerto Rico allowed the president to inspect the waterway that would connect Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean.

Thanksgiving is two days away, and many people are excitedly thinking of stuffing, turkey legs, and of course, mashed potatoes. Potatoes have always been a vital staple at Thanksgiving, and they were also one of the late Yogi Berra’s favorite foods, and on this date in 1985, Berra received a special gift for Thanksgiving. Around 8 am in freezing rain, a truck pulled up to his house driven by two members of the Red River Valley Potato Growers Association. Inside, it contained 23 tons of North Dakota potatoes which were unloaded in his front yard.

On this date in 1897, G.B. Norton was on trial for shooting and killing a man named Shelton. It seemed like the verdict was a foregone conclusion. People who knew Norton thought it would be impossible for any verdict except murder in self-defense. People waited anxiously for the result.

On this date in 1895, it was announced that Jacob Aaron had been taken into custody by Canadian authorities. Aaron was wanted in Grand Forks for arson, accused of trying to burn down the home of a police officer. He had made threats against Officer Ziskin, promising to burn down the policeman’s home.