Search results for

6/22/2015: John Elgin Elsberry was an early dairy pioneer who lived in the Minot area for many years. He and his wife had moved to North Dakota in 1901; they came from Missouri, with two daughters. A son was born during their first winter in the state.

6/29/2015: On this date in 1911, Minot was planning for a spectacular Fourth of July, with fireworks, free vaudeville acts, a baseball game, a grand mask carnival on Main Street, a "sham battle" between Company D of Minot and Company E of Williston, and more.

6/30/2015: When Franklin D. Roosevelt assumed office in 1933, more than 13 million Americans were out of work. But North Dakota was arguably the hardest hit of the 48 states. From 1929 to 1938 North Dakota received less than 20 inches of rain per year, well below average.

7/1/2015: A heartbreaking deadline arrived on this date in 1953. Residents in towns along the Garrison Reservoir were required to evacuate by July 1 as the reservoir’s rising waters swallowed up surrounding land.

7/2/2015: Herman Fjelde came to North Dakota from Norway. He practiced medicine for more than 21 years. But he is better known for his cultural efforts than his medical career. Fjelde did not want Norwegian immigrants to forget where they came from. He was the driving force behind many of the sculptures in Fargo, including the Bjornson obelisk at NDSU, the statue of Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland in Island Park, and the statue of Rollo the Viking.

7/3/2015: The problem of caring for the downtrodden poor has plagued civic government in North Dakota since territorial days. The essential question was how to care for widows, orphans and elderly persons in poverty who had no family members to properly provide for them.

7/9/2015: Norman Brunsdale is not what you would call a household name, but even though he’s not one North Dakota’s better known historical figures, he did indeed leave his mark.

7/13/2015: Emma Bates was not a North Dakota native. However, North Dakota is perhaps where she made her biggest impact.

7/17/2015: Phil Harris was a popular actor for many years on radio, television, and the silver screen. He served as a sidekick to Jack Benny, starred in several movies, and even became the voice of animated characters, such as Baloo in Disney’s "Jungle Book," and Thomas O'Malley (the alley cat) in “The Aristocats.” He and his wife Alice Faye co-hosted The Fitch Bandwagon, a comedy-variety radio program that followed the Jack Benny show on Sunday nights from 1946 to 1954. He was also known for his music, and was even an orchestra leader.

7/22/2015: James Vranna was born on April 4th 1921. He graduated from High School in Taylor, North Dakota and attended collage for 2 years. Jim joined the Army Air Force in 1942, trained as a pilot and ended up getting his wings as a 2nd Lieutenant, flying the B-17 Flying Fortress.