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I recently noticed something small and dead lying on the hiking and biking trail at Lake Metigoshe. It was obviously a small mammal, grayish brown, with the total length, including tail, of maybe three inches. It also had a long-pointed snout and small eyes. That is a shrew! Based on what I could determine, it was probably a masked shrew, which is the smallest and most common shrew in the state.

"We’re happy as a clam on our claim from Uncle Sam/Though the rabbit is not always fried the best"So sang the four bachelors of the Willow Bend Quartette, Valley County, Montana, at a schoolhouse gathering on Christmas Eve, 1916. The singers were L. O. Carter, lead; Will Lloyd, bass; Raymond Sullivan, baritone; and James Lloyd, tenor.

Thursday, August 19, 2021 - Humanities North Dakota is offering an ambitious schedule of Public University events. Here with a preview is program coordinator Sue Skalicky, along with two of the instructors: Brian Palecek and Serge Danielson-Francois. ~~~ The Aging in Community Project is an initiative from NDSU Extension that seeks to help rural communities care for older residents. Joining us to discuss the need and the strategies is Jane Strommen, Extension gerontology specialist. ~~~ Sue Balcom joins us for a Main Street Eats discussion about beets.Contact Jane Strommen at 701-231-5948 or jane.strommen@ndsu.edu

In August of 1930, men who had fought for the Union during the Civil War and were able to make the trip to Cincinnati were at a convention for the "'Boys in Blue' who marched home with a Union victory in '65."

On this date in 1909, readers of the Hope Pioneer took note of a colony of Dutch immigrants who had settled near Dickinson. The first growing season for the Dutch had been wildly successful. So successful, in fact, that they were recruiting their countrymen to come join them. Large numbers of Dutch immigrants were expected to arrive within months. A Dutch syndicate planned to travel to the state to find suitable land. The syndicate would purchase the land and sell it to the new immigrants.

On August 29, 1833, fur trader William Laidlaw wrote to his boss Pierre Chouteau about what had happened to his rival three weeks earlier.“At the Mandans they were received in the following manner. They held a council for the distributions of presents at which 'The four Bears' presided. Sublette gave them a little powder and a few balls tied up in a handkerchief. They asked him if this was the great present they expected from the Americans, and upon being told it was all they were to get, they Knoked it to one side and told him to go away as soon as possible. He then gave them a Keg of Powder, but they remained as exasperated as before, for upon examination the Keg was found to be tap[p]ed and about the half taken out. However they took his present ...”

Perhaps the disease outbreak in North Dakota’s history was the smallpox epidemic that all but destroyed the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara peoples. In June of 1837, infected passengers aboard a steamboat spread the deadly virus up and down the Missouri River.

Fire was a common on the Great Plains. On this date in 1901, residents of Oakes were assessing the damage in the wake of two recent fires. The most destructive of the two destroyed the Soo Line railroad depot. Railroad agent Anderson worked both a day shift and a night shift, essentially living at the depot. He was waiting for the Tuesday night train when he laid down on his cot to rest. When he woke up, he found his office filled with smoke.

Monday, August 23, 2021 - In an excerpt from the Conversations on Healthcare podcast, Dr. Lee Beers, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics comments on their recommendation that all kids aged 2 and older should be masked in school and daycare. She also comments on efforts to communicate the safety and efficacy of the COVID vaccines, and the AAP’s efforts to increase access to mental health services within the pediatric care setting. ~~~ Commentary from Mark Trahant on the criteria for tribal membership ~~~ Ashley Thornberg recently stopped by Assumption Abbey in Richardton, where she had a joyful visit with Brother Louie Bachand. ~~~ Tom Isern is here with a Plains Folk essay titled “Plainsman.”

Society columns were once a popular feature in newspapers. Here are some examples from this date in 1892 from the Fargo society column of the Wisconsin Afro-American.