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3/22/2013: Veins of lignite coal radiate around and through the hills and coulees of Burlington Township in Ward County, located just eight miles from Minot. A 1915 plat-map of Burlington Township showed six coal mines in operation – the Mouse River Lignite Coal Company; Davis Coal Company; Dakota Lignite Coal Company; Burlington Coal Company; Peoples Coal Company; and a mine on the property of August Larson.

3/22/2013: In 1914, the Great Northern Railroad changed the name of the Banks town site in McKenzie County to Watford. This caused confusion with the Pierce County town of Wolford. As a result, Great Northern officials decided to change the name of Wolford to Orkney.

3/23/2013: The dangers of an active imagination came to light on this date in 1921.

3/25/2013: Avid fans of weather history and of Dakota Datebook may recall that in mid-March of 1941, a blizzard swept across the upper Midwest, reaping death in its wake. Out of more than 70 victims, at least thirty-five fell in North Dakota.

3/26/2013: In the early settlement of the state of North Dakota, many men tried their hand at homesteading. Some women homesteaded, too, but for the most part, traditional roles prevailed, with the women taking care of the home front and any children who came along.

3/27/2013: On this date in 1963, the North Dakota State University school newspaper, The Spectrum, published its first edition under new editor, Everett Richardson. With this issue launched a new school controversy.

3/31/2013: Fargoan Florence “Treetops” Klingensmith made the history books as a female aviator. In 1929, intent on making a living as a pilot, she sought to obtain a plane for use "in civic advertising, promotion of projects in line with a greater Fargo development and good will flights."

3/29/2013: In 1921, the conference of the district of International Association of Rotary clubs, which are service organizations, was held in Fargo. Rotarians had travelled from around the region for the two-day conference, which culminated on this date.

4/3/2013: Few North Dakotans have likely heard of Jefferson Kidder, although most have heard of Kidder County, which was named for the 19th century North Dakotan. Kidder’s many and varied roles ranged from Lieutenant Governor to State Senator, and ran from his native Vermont to the wilds of Minnesota and Dakota Territory. His son was killed in action under Custer, and his grandson went on to become one of the greatest lawmen of the Old West, but Kidder himself made his name in politics.

4/6/2013: William McClelland arrived in North Dakota in 1921. The native New Yorker had been hired as superintendent of the state’s Training School, a juvenile reformatory outside of Mandan.