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8/25/2017: Like hundreds of other communities that came and went in early Dakota, the outpost of Kirk, North Dakota, began with a post office. On this date in 1911, a farm post office was established for Kirk, about twenty-two miles southwest of Rhame. Kirk was named after a local rancher in Bowman County.

8/29/2017: The soldiers of the First North Dakota Volunteer Infantry had acquitted themselves well in the Spanish American War and the Philippine American War in 1898-1899. At that time, it was considered unconstitutional to utilize the National Guard outside the United States. North Dakotans resigned from the Guard so they could enlist in the Volunteers.

8/30/2017: Quite some distance from North Dakota’s two least-populated counties of Slope and Billings is Sheridan County, the state’s third-least populous county. Sheridan is at the very center of the state, home to the centermost city of McClusky, which is also the county seat. In east is Goodrich, born along the railroad, but with a story unlike other North Dakota towns.

8/31/2017: A stretch of U.S. Highway Two in North Dakota has a string of towns with English names. York, Norwich, Surrey and Leeds. Leeds, dates back to 1886. The Great Northern Railroad founded the town at the site of a community previously known as Barker. It’s about 30 miles northwest of Devils Lake.

9/5/2017: The Missouri River was a formidable obstacle to travel in North Dakota. Travelers were thrilled when the situation was resolved.

9/7/2017: When tractors were first introduced in the beginning of the twentieth century, farmers regarded them with healthy skepticism, but acceptance grew with the labor shortage of World War I. By 1915 there were 25,000 tractors on American farms. By 1920 that number had grown ten-fold, to 250,000. And by 1930, the number reached a million.

9/12/2017: Until the end of summer in 1917, the war was still somewhat impersonal for most North Dakotans. Many young men seeking adventure had joined in the early months of the war, but most communities were not affected and deaths were few. Those who enlisted over the summer had departed as individuals or in small groups amid the fanfare of patriotic celebrations. The main units of the North Dakota National Guard were still stationed within the boundaries of the state. With few North Dakotans in harm’s way, the war was more of an inconvenience. Rationing had not yet become a part of everyday life, but people were asked to conserve most resources. For many, it was not until the first call of draftees that the reality of war was brought home.

9/18/2017: On this date in 1917, many of the state’s young men were in military camps around the state, having been mobilized through the draft or as members of the National Guard. Consequently, an increase in crime was seen as the absence of so many young men made it harder for the citizenry to counter criminal behavior.

10/12/2017: Clarence lay in his life raft and knew he was going to die. He was only 20 years old.

10/17/2017: On this date in 1918, the Hope Pioneer reported on the meeting of the Woman’s National Council of Defense in Sherbrooke. The Council was an American organization formed during World War I. The purpose of the group was to support the war effort by coordinating resources, promoting financial support for the war, and supporting public morale.