Lise Erdrich

In 2008, Woodrow Wilson Keeble was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush for his actions in the Korean War.

On this date in 1969, a shocking and grisly crime unfolded in the wee hours of Halloween morning. Various rumors began circulating in Wahpeton, spawning different local legends of the Halloween Horror.

Over six decades, Miss Briggs was likely the most frequently mentioned name in the Wahpeton papers. Her advertisements and activities were regular fodder.

On this date in 1904, John F. Briggs of Wahpeton was known around the country as “Uncle Sam.” He was a popular enactor in Grand Army of the Republic parades and 4th of July celebrations. A veteran of the Civil War, he attended every national G.A.R. convention but two.

On this date in 1910, newspapers reported that the battleship USS North Dakota had suffered an oil tank explosion and fire at sea. Six crewmen received the Congressional Medal of Honor for “extraordinary heroism in the line of their profession.”

Following the Dakota Conflict of 1862 in Minnesota, the U.S. military launched a punitive campaign known as the Sibley and Sully Expeditions. By mid-1863, troops had entered present-day North Dakota in a two-pronged effort to crush the Sioux between the two generals’ forces.

On this date in 1936, the Bismarck Tribune reported the passing of William Zahn at Fort Yates. Zahn was a colorful character in North Dakota history, a Native trader, interpreter, and former Army scout who accompanied Custer's expedition to the Black Hills in 1874. After returning, he quit the Army to marry Pretty Woman, sister of Chief John Grass. They had three sons. Pretty Woman died in 1886.

On this date in 1918, the Spanish Flu had reached North Dakota. The state’s first confirmed case was a U.S. Marine on leave in New Rockford. Within a week, 100 local cases were reported, along with two deaths.

On this date in 1930, the body of Vernon Squires, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, laid in state at the University of North Dakota.

On this date in 1870, the Chippewa-Sioux Peace Agreement was signed at Fort Abercrombie by leaders of the two rival tribes. The three-day event, sometimes called a treaty, was arranged by missionary priest Father Genin and attended by 900 people.