Dakota Datebook

Verne Leslie Skjonsby of Hickson, North Dakota is remembered in the US Naval Academy Virtual Memorial Hall with words written upon his graduation. In part is reads: “…wherever he may wander to, he will radiate a warmth of friendship and a strength of character that success is sure to follow.”

Some Republicans were relieved when Teddy Roosevelt was named as McKinley’s vice president since it was so rare for a vice president to become president. One Roosevelt opponent breathed a sigh of relief saying, “Now that darned cowboy will never be president.” That abruptly changed when an assassin shot and killed President McKinley, making Roosevelt the President.

The North Dakota Votes for Women League was organized in 1911. The organization was inspired by a visit from Sylvia Pankhurst, the noted English suffragette. On this date in 1912 the North Dakota Votes for Women League announced that their conference would be held at Fargo’s Civic Center on October 18. Every woman in the state was invited.

A P-40 Warhawk is on display at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot. It’s the type of plane flown by North Dakota native, Oswin Elker, who served with distinction in WWII with the Flying Tigers.  He was shot down twice, and escaped both times through enemy territory. A hanger at the museum is named for Oswin.

Oswin didn’t fly the Warhawk at the museum, but the plane is part of the interesting history of Granger Taylor, who was born in British Columbia on this date in 1948. He was very intelligent, but was shy and introverted, spending many hours alone. He quit school after the eighth grade and went to work for a mechanic. Taylor, as it turned out, was a mechanical genius, who could fix almost anything.

Sauerkraut. The very word, brings to mind pungent thoughts, smells and memories. Overpowering aromas of zesty, naturally fermented cabbage – called “sour cabbage” – empowers strong reactions.

Either you love sauerkraut or you don’t.

The German-Russians who founded the town of Wishek embraced sauerkraut, holding it close to their collective hearts, so much so, that Wishek has become the self-proclaimed “Sauerkraut Capital of the World.” Every second Wednesday of October, the townspeople celebrate “Sauerkraut Day” – the day when all who come to Wishek get treated to a meal of sauerkraut with wieners and mashed potatoes. A sauerkraut feast served for free.

October is National Book Month, and TR is the writing champ of all the US Presidents, having penned some 35 books, which also include compilations of his hundreds of essays and articles.

The prolific president with a pen made more income from his prodigious writing than from any of his government jobs. One of his books is entitled “A Booklovers Holidays in the Open.” Two of his books about the West were written while in Medora.  In October of 1913 alone, he turned out four books including his long-awaited autobiography.  He was also an avid reader. Historians estimate that he read 20,000 books in his lifetime.

On this date in 1912, the Jamestown Weekly Alert announced two more towns would spring up near Jamestown. C.S. Buck filed a plat for the town of Sydney, and Jamestown Junction would be situated between Jamestown and Sydney, on the Midland Railway line.

On this date in 1908 it was announced that an odd railroad shipment would head out of Fort Yates. The bodies and tombstones of officers, enlisted men, civilians, and Indians buried there were being transported for reburial in Keokuk, Iowa. This had to do with Fort Yates being decommissioned in 1903, which meant the cemetery there was no longer being cared for. It was overgrown with weeds, and the tombstones were tipping over. It made sense to move the bodies to an active fort with a cemetery caretaker.

As we heard last week, the first North Dakota Industrial Exposition was held in Bismarck in 1911. It was a smashing success, and plans were immediately made to repeat it the following year, and it was on this date in 1912 that the Second North Dakota Industrial Exposition opened in Bismarck. The expositions were designed to bring in out-of-state visitors and encourage investment in North Dakota. The state hoped for thousands of new settlers.

In 1914 a Centennial Exposition was held in Kristiana, Norway to recognize the passage of the Norwegian Constitution in 1814. The exhibition was seven years in the planning and was a wild success. Among the 1.5 million visitors was Governor L.B. Hanna of North Dakota. The state has long had close ties to Norway. In fact, two North Dakota governors were native Norwegians. It was said that being born in Norway was as politically advantageous as being a native North Dakotan.