Carole Butcher

The first automobile in North Dakota sparked a wave of excitement when it appeared in Fargo in 1897, igniting the state's love affair with cars. In 1898, Samuel Holland’s homemade steam-powered jalopy became the first car manufactured in the state. North Dakotans didn’t wait for mass production; they started building their own vehicles. Some, like Holland, sold their creations, while others, like William Walton of Neche, built them for personal use. When Henry Ford’s Model T hit the market in 1908, it sold for four hundred dollars—equivalent to about eleven thousand dollars today.

When the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1788, the framers faced a challenge: how to balance the representation of large states with fair treatment for smaller ones. They designed Congress to ensure fair representation for all states, regardless of size. The House of Representatives allotted seats based on population, giving larger states more representatives. To balance this, the Senate gave every state two senators, regardless of size.

Andrew Miller began his long law career in 1894, opening a private practice in Buffalo Center, Iowa. He served as county attorney for Winnebago County and was elected mayor of Forest City, Iowa, in 1897, serving one term. After a failed bid for a seat in the Iowa state legislature, he moved to Bismarck in 1905 and opened a private practice.

On this date in 1919, Grand Forks woke up to learn that their neighbors in East Grand Forks had suffered a devastating fire.

Arthur C. Townley was one of North Dakota’s colorful characters. Born in Minnesota, he moved west with his brother to try farming. After facing failures in Colorado and North Dakota, he turned to politics. He joined the Socialist Party, where he found success due to his organizational and oratorical skills, but his abrasive nature eventually led to his expulsion from the party. He then had to find a new outlet for his political ambitions.

During World War I, Americans were asked to make do with less. One thing in short supply was labor. The war hit farmers especially hard. They were being asked to grow more food while facing a labor shortage. Agriculture was crucial to the war effort, so many farm workers were exempt from the draft. But that didn’t stop eager volunteers from leaving the farm to join the military or work in factories producing goods for the war.

The 1930s were a tough time for North Dakota. The Depression, combined with the Dust Bowl, caused misery at every level. Banks had loaned large sums to farmers, and with heavy debt, low commodity prices, and crop failures, many farms were foreclosed, leading to bank failures. With Republicans blamed for the tough times, the 1934 elections gave Democrats a chance to make gains at the expense of their vulnerable opponents. Across the country, Democrats geared up for spirited campaigns, hoping to make gains in Congress.

There is much unknown about the life of Sacagawea before Meriwether Lewis and William Clark arrived in her village on their way to the Pacific Ocean. Their Corps of Discovery was mapping the vast expanse of land the United States had recently purchased from France. They took her husband on as a translator, and Sacagawea accompanied them. She became an important member of the expedition, teaching the Corps how to gather plants for food, make leather clothes and moccasins, and helping them obtain horses to cross the Rocky Mountains.

When North Dakota ratified its constitution in 1889, it included a provision for a forestry school. However, it took time to establish the school. In 1894, state residents voted to locate the North Dakota School of Forestry in Bottineau. Progress was slow, and by 1906, no school had yet been built. The residents of Bottineau took matters into their own hands, raising $8,000—worth over $250,000 today—and donating 15 acres of land. The North Dakota School of Forestry opened in January 1907 with 30 students.

If you look at the ingredients in some foods, especially candy, you might spot Blue Number 2 on the list. While natural red dye comes from bugs, Blue Number 2 has a different origin—it was first extracted from coal, specifically lignite coal, which is commonly found in the western portion of North Dakota.