9/12/2008:
From the onset of the horseless carriage, North Dakotans have had a love affair with the automobile. The railroads set their stations about 7 and a half miles apart -- that was a convenient travel distance with horse drawn vehicles that traveled 3 or 4 miles per hour. But at thirty miles per hour cars and trucks traveled ten times as far. As transportation improved, the smaller towns died out.
The first laws governing the actions of an automobile came in 1905 and dealt mainly with a speed limit set at 8 miles per hour through town and no more than twenty-five miles per hour in the country. But cars required better roads than those used by horses and road building required funding. By 1911 legislators had also became enamored of the automobile --- they had recognized the endless possibilities of extracting fees for the use of these contraptions on public roads Most of this taxation would come in the form of registration and license plates.
Initially these plates were set up with a double standard- Fords and non-Fords. The numbers 1 through 50,000 were reserved for Ford car owners and the numbers upward from 50,001 were given to non-Ford owners. In other words, the plates for Ford owners could contain anywhere from one to five digits but non-Ford owners always had at least five digit license plates – which made them more difficult to read. On this date in 1924, the state announced that they would eliminate the longer five digit plate numbers to make it easier to catch speeders or spot stolen cars. Beginning in on January 1, 1925, all plates would be numbered consecutively beginning with the number 1 but the license plates for Fords would contain the letter “F” -- so there could be two #1 plates in North Dakota- a #1 for the first non-Ford and an #F-1 for the first Ford registered each year.
And for all drivers out there, it may be prudent to point out that this year marks the 85th Anniversary of the adoption of House Bill 59, introduced by Nellie Dougherty of Minot, and better known as the first Intoxicated Driver Law. This occurred in 1923, ironically during Prohibition in a state which never had allowed alcoholic consumption. Back then it was punishable with a fine not exceeding $500.00 and up to a two-year suspension of driving privileges. So today, like in 1923, whether you have a Ford or a non-Ford, if you drink don’t drive.
Sources:
Nelson County Arena September 12, 1924
Session Laws of North Dakota 1905, 1911, 1917, 1919, 1923.