Carole Butcher

The late nineteenth century was the golden age of the exposition, often referred to as a “world’s fair.” Exhibits sponsored by foreign countries and displays of new modern conveniences were viewed with amazement.

James Smithson was an Englishman who never set foot in the United States. He bequeathed his estate to his nephew on one condition: if the nephew died without an heir, the money would go to the United States to found “the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.”

The world rejoiced at the end of World War I in 1918. It seemed as if life would return to normal. There was no way to know that the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl were right around the corner. Hard times lay ahead.

On May 17, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Custer bid farewell to his wife, Libby, and rode out of Fort Abraham Lincoln at the head of the 7th Cavalry. He never returned. North Dakotans took his loss personally. Custer was a popular figure, and the territory was stunned when news of his defeat became known.

Following his 1820 expedition to map the American West, Major Stephen H. Long named it the “Great American Desert.” Other early explorers, like Zebulon Pike, confirmed Long’s assessment that the Great Plains were unfit for cultivation. But the East was settled — some said overly settled — and Americans needed room to grow. The brave and the dreamers packed their bags and headed west, with visions of turning the Great American Desert into the Great American Breadbasket.

The Roaring Twenties were definitely roaring in 1922. The United States was marked by postwar recovery and economic growth. Mass production made consumer goods more available to Americans. Innovations like automobiles, radios, and airplanes led to the development of new industries. There was a sense of optimism about the future, and the sky seemed to be the limit. It wouldn’t last long. But in 1922, no one knew the Roaring Twenties would crash into the Great Depression. Life was good.

Between 1825 and 1925, it is estimated that 750,000 people left Norway to emigrate to the United States. About 15 percent of those emigrants came from Trondelag. People from Trondelag are known as “Tronders.” Today, more than 450,000 Americans are descended from the original Tronder immigrants.

As settlers arrived on the Great Plains and towns began to spring up, music became an important source of entertainment. Neighbors living on isolated homesteads gathered for barn dances, and traveling musicians performed for contributions from the audience.

Printed in large quantities on cheap paper, dime novels were wildly popular. Costing just a dime, and sometimes only a nickel, they were aimed at a broad audience. The first recognized dime novel was published on this day in 1860.

Iceland is about 2,500 miles away from North Dakota. That seems very far away indeed. It is difficult to imagine that an event in far-off Iceland could have a direct effect on North Dakota, but in 1783, that is exactly what happened.