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5/16/2007: A 10-year old town called The Devil’s Colony felt its name might be inappropriate when it opened its first post office May 19, 1884 – 123 years ago this week. So they changed the name to Winona, an Indian word for first-daughter.

5/17/2007: The North Dakota Agricultural College dedicated a monument to Bjornstjerne Martinus Bjornson on this day in 1904. May 17th is the traditional Norwegian Constitution Day, similar to our Independence Day.

5/20/2007: In early April, two strange metal balls were found near Create in southeastern North Dakota.

5/24/2007: With the construction of the railroad, towns blossomed every few miles along the tracks, and each was confident that it would soon grow from a village to a prosperous city. On this day in 1946, it was much the same as a super highway was being constructed for the Garrison Dam.

5/26/2007: Tiger Woods could just as well forget it if he was to participate at the Bismarck Country Club Memorial Day golf tournament. Shushing caddies and certainly no “Quiet Please” signs were allowed.

6/2/2007: On this day in 1932 the citizens of Wahpeton were concerned with the well being of Dr. Fu Manchu, however this was not the Oriental arch villain created in 1913 by Sax Rhomer in his book, The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu. The Wahpeton version was a four legged kind, a Chinese chow owned by Dr. J. W. Pangman who was often seen in the city as a fixture in the doctor’s car as he made his rounds.

6/5/2007: Squatters, anticipating the coming of the Railroad camped at various spots along the anticipated route, counting on the tracks to come through their camp which would then become a town. Squatters with that very thought in mind braved the winter of 1871 and ’72 around what would eventually become Bismarck, and their persistence paid off when the first train arrived on this date, June 5th in 1873.

6/8/2007: When the Europeans first discovered America, some of the first immigrants of the area were missionaries who came to spread the word of God to the native inhabitants. While the Catholic priests and missionaries were more prominent in the southern part of the United States and into Mexico, missionaries were active among the natives on the Northern plains. Their efforts included not only converting the Native Americans to Christianity, but also establishing monasteries for the men and women. On this day in 1889, the New York Freeman’s Journal and Catholic Register reported on Josephine Crowfeather as the first full-blood Sioux to enter the Benedictine Novitiate.

6/10/2007: On this day in 1956, 5,000 onlookers gathered in the International Peace Gardens as Charlton Heston dedicated a monolith bearing the Ten Commandments.

6/13/2007: On this date in 1940, the evening edition of the Grand Forks Herald printed a photo of the 190 women who attended the first annual Northwestern counties’ Homemakers Rest Camp; a three day, three night summer camp for homemaking wives and mothers.