Carole Butcher

Voters today take for granted their right to elect their United States Senators. Americans have been directly electing their Senators for over a hundred years, but it wasn’t always this way. Our Founding Fathers believed that allowing state legislatures to elect Senators would strengthen the bond between the federal and state governments. Article I, Section 3 of the United States Constitution stated, 'The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.'

In 1872, European Americans founded a modest settlement at what was called Missouri Crossing. It got its name because the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the river there on their journey to explore the Louisiana Purchase. The settlers named their new community Edwinton, after Edwin Ferry Johnson, an engineer with the Northern Pacific Railroad. Less than a year later, the name was changed to Bismarck, in honor of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, aiming to attract German immigrants.

Mount Tambora is a volcanic mountain in Indonesia. It may be hard to imagine how an eruption there could affect the Great Plains, especially from so far away on the other side of the world. But on this date in 1815, it did exactly that. The eruption began on April 5, with small tremors hinting at a major event. Then, on the evening of April 10, a cataclysmic explosion blew the mountain apart. A thick cloud of hot rock fragments and gases, known as a pyroclastic flow, rolled down the mountainside. The explosion and the tsunamis it triggered killed 10,000 people and destroyed 35,000 homes. And that was just the beginning.

No proposed tariff has ever been universally popular among all Americans. In the early 1900s, a tariff proposal highlighted the tensions between differing interests. Many Americans supported tariffs to discourage monopolies from raising prices. Industrialists believed tariffs on foreign products would protect their business interests. However, a tariff that protected one interest could harm another. New England, which produced no coal, opposed a tariff on that product. But Pennsylvania, a major coal producer, strongly supported the tariff.

Wildfires have historically played an important role in the ecology of the Great Plains. Fires on the plains help remove accumulated litter, stimulate native grass growth, and slow the spread of invasive plants.

In the United States, Arbor Day originated in Nebraska. As settlers moved west, they were struck by the lack of trees. Newspaper editor Julius Morton used his platform to stress the importance of trees. His message resonated with readers. In 1872, he proposed a day dedicated to planting trees, and Arbor Day was born.

George Haneckeyk was born in Denmark in 1886 and came to North Dakota in 1910. In 1916, he had a run-in with the law when he attacked and tried to kill a girl in Minot. He was found guilty and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. After being discharged in 1918, he opened a painting shop in Bismarck. It seemed he had changed. He was a quiet man who kept to himself and caused no trouble. He did some painting at the police office and even became friends with some officers. While he was never a police officer, he was occasionally sworn in to assist the department when extra help was needed.

North Dakota Agricultural College opened on January 3, 1892, with 123 students. Farmers were initially skeptical that "college boys" could help them improve their farms. However, they were pleasantly surprised as professors took students out into the field to consult with farmers through the extension service, offering in-person courses and consultations.

April Fools' Day has been around for centuries, with pranks and practical jokes ending in the cry of “April Fool!” Many historians trace its origins to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.

There was a hint of panic when three cases of polio were reported in Fargo in 1921. The Ward County newspaper warned, “It is certain that the disease will spread over the state at an early date.” Polio was the most feared disease in the United States, and for good reason.