10/31/2017: It's Halloween, a date to remember the eerie, spooky, or unexplainable. One such story was recalled by James M. Foley in 1915. Around 1889, just before North Dakota became a state, Foley was visiting one of A. C. Huidekoper's horse ranches with its manager, George Woodman. This section of land was eight miles from the Little Missouri in Deep Creek, about 40 miles south of Medora.

10/30/2017: The rivalry between UND and NDSU for football preeminence in North Dakota began long ago, in 1894. At first, UND and NDSU merely contended for bragging rights, but a new element arose after 40 years of gridiron competition. It was on this date in 1937 that UND hosted NDSU in for homecoming, with the winner getting a brand-new prize – a shiny “Nickel Trophy” shaped like a gigantic Buffalo Nickel.

10/27/2017: Warnings about scams are common today. No sooner does one scheme become ineffective than a new one pops up. Today people are much less likely to fall for an email from a Nigerian prince offering millions of dollars, but they still might click on a bogus link to update their information with their bank, giving away all their personal information in the process. Sometimes an old con falls out of favor when it receives too much publicity, only to come back again when people have forgotten all about it.

10/26/2017: On this date in 1923, Walter Sharbo was born in Williston. He became a fighter pilot during World War 2, flying a P-47 Thunderbolt. Walter served with the famous 56th Fighter Group, also known as Zemke’s Wolf Pack, so-named for Commander Hubert Zemke. Zemke’s Wolf Pack was part of the 8th Air Force and flew air cover for bombers attacking German occupied Europe.

10/25/2017: On this date in 1937, Sister Boniface Timmins was laid to rest. Sister Boniface had served as the Superior of St. Alexius Hospital for 42 years, nurturing the hospital as it grew. She took charge of the institution in 1892. Under her leadership, it went from a simple medical facility to a prestigious modern operation, including a nursing school that she organized in 1915. Hundreds of people from all walks of life attended her funeral. Civic, business, and church leaders were joined by ordinary people who came to express their gratitude for her compassion for the sick and the poor.

10/24/2017: The Second Regiment of the North Dakota National Guard had been quickly assembled with volunteers having little or no military experience. Most of the officers had not seen any extensive military service since receiving commissions during the Philippine Insurrection, so it was difficult to obtain approval from the Federal Government. Many hurdles had to be overcome, but the “Smashing Second” as it was known, was eventually called to the colors to join the First Regiment at the end of September.

10/23/2017: On this date in 1914, the Pioneer Express of Pembina, North Dakota reported that livestock imports from Canada had increased substantially over the first nine months of the year. In January, just over 1,000 cattle had been imported. This number grew to over 7,000 in September. The number of imported hogs also grew, from just over 100 to over 3,000. The newspaper asserted that this was a grave concern to farmers in the state.

10/20/2017: After the original capitol building in Bismarck burned down in a fire on December 30, 1930, the current Capitol, the “Skyscraper of the Prairie,” was planned and built. Constructed during the Great Depression, many of the original plans for extra decoration were reduced or even eliminated.

10/19/2017: By the first week of October in 1917, all of the North Dakota National Guard and approximately forty-five percent of those who were drafted had left the state for Camp Dodge, Iowa or Camp Greene, North Carolina. A third segment of the conscripted men had yet to receive their date of departure. Citizens and non-citizens, and all racial segments of North Dakota’s male population 21 to 30 years of age, had been required to register on June 5th. A number of Native Americans were included, and there were two Chinese from Stutsman County two more from Grand Forks County.

10/18/2017: In the early 1880s, many settlers who considered land prices in the Red River Valley to be unreasonably high pushed farther west where the land was free. One such seeker was John L. Solberg, who selected some land near Devils Lake. He’s credited with being the earliest homesteader in what would become Normania township. He arrived in the spring of 1883.