Carole Butcher

President Franklin Roosevelt was on the move in the fall of 1937, embarking on a cross-country railroad trip to assess the needs of the nation. Scheduled to make several speeches during his trip, his staff described the journey as “more intake than outage.” Roosevelt aimed to meet local officials and assess the needs of the American people as the Great Depression persisted.

1902 saw the introduction of a new sport in the United States when a turtle race took place in Chicago. This so-called sport became very popular in the 1920s. Gangster Al Capone took note of the popularity and realized he could introduce them into his speakeasies as an indoor betting event. In 1930, he bought 5,000 racing turtles for his saloons.

In June 1917, fourteen steamships and three Navy transports gathered in New York Harbor. They were accompanied by four cruisers, thirteen destroyers, two armed yachts, and two fuel tankers. By the end of the month, the flotilla had reached France, delivering fourteen thousand fresh American troops to join the Allied forces in World War I.

The Homestead Act of 1862 placed land in the hands of men and women willing to work hard to realize their American dream. Any qualified person who lived on the claim for five years and improved it could claim 160 acres for a small filing fee. The Act applied to "any person," meaning women and freed slaves were eligible. At the end of five years, the claimant could pay the sum of eighteen dollars to earn ownership of the 160 acres.

An epidemic of bank robberies and safecracking swept across North Dakota in the early 20th century. In 1907, the Bismarck Daily Tribune reported that “Yeggmen are still committing depredations over the state.” “Yeggmen” was a colloquial term for safecrackers.

Durum wheat was imported from Russia and first cultivated in North Dakota in the 1890s. The North Dakota Experimental Station recognized the benefits of durum and encouraged farmers to plant more of it. Durum wheat yields more bushels per acre and is more resistant to drought compared to other types. It’s also the hardest of all wheats, which means it has a high protein content and strong gluten, making it the preferred choice for premium pasta.

When the North Dakota Agricultural College opened, the need for a quality academic library became apparent. In 1904, NDAC President John Worst wrote to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and asked if he would build a library on the campus. Carnegie donated $17,400 dollars. Worst raised another $4,500 dollars and the library was underway.

On July 15, 1864, Captain James Fisk led ninety-seven wagons out of Fort Ridgley, Minnesota, bound for the gold fields of Montana. Fisk planned to avoid the most dangerous territory by following a shorter, unmapped and untried route. Unfortunately, he failed to consider the increased hostility on the part of indigenous tribes in the wake of the US-Dakota War. He was confident as the wagon train left Fort Rice. He thought a large force of soldiers under General Sully was traveling ahead of him, but eighty miles west of Fort Rice, Fisk learned that Sully veered north and the expedition was now protected by the small number of soldiers with the train.

In the 1950s and 60s, as environmental concerns grew in the United States, there was increasing recognition that the National Park and National Forest systems were inadequate to safeguard wilderness areas from commercial interests. Conservationists, alarmed by the encroachment on these natural spaces, lobbied Congress for more robust protections. This movement culminated in the signing of the Wilderness Act into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on this date in 1964.

Competition for the Great Plains was intense, as the United States, France, Spain, and Great Britain all sought its resources. Much of the early contact between the Native people and the early explorers was peaceful. The Natives brought furs to the trading posts and exchanged them for guns, tools, and food. The traders then sold the valuable furs to the European markets. The fur trade between the indigenous inhabitants and the newcomers proved to be lucrative.