North Dakota

The Oliver family settled near central Dakota Territory in the 1880s. Large game was disappearing, but wildfowl remained plentiful. While it was easy to shoot most wildfowl, getting close enough to wary cranes was challenging, even when they landed to feed.

On this date in 1912, the Bismarck paper reported that the jail in Steele was under heavy guard to prevent a man from being lynched. The incident stemmed from a senseless murder that left the community speculating about the life and career of George Baker. The previous day, Baker had killed his wife, Myrtle, and father-in-law, T.E. Glass, a wealthy retired farmer and civil war veteran.

Ponies diving from great heights into water, a log rolling contest, performances by big brass bands, and performers “leaping the fiery gap” were among the numerous attractions that drew an estimated crowd of 10,000 people to the first day of the Fargo Inter-State Fair on this date in 1907.

Nina Farley and her family were McIntosh County pioneers, having moved from Michigan in 1887. In 1891 she married John Wishek, a lawyer, banker, and politician. He was also a partner in Wishek and Lilly, a land office, which helped pioneers file homesteads. Nina and John came to be known as “Mother” and “Father” Wishek.

Governors throughout North Dakota history have given speeches to the Legislature to outline their priorities and proposals and to describe the state's outlook: a “state of the state,” it's been called. Those speeches are often given around this date, including in times of war, prosperity, gloom and uncertainty. Here’s a sampling:

A coal miner was murdered near Kenmare in late November of 1912, and it doesn’t appear his death was ever solved. The deceased was Carl Hanson, a 29-year-old born in Norway. A Soo Line section foreman discovered his body near the shore of Des Lacs Lake after following a bloody trail from the tracks

The federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay held several infamous convicts throughout its 29 years of operation, even a handful of prisoners with connections to North Dakota.

North Dakota is definitely not in the mainstream of pop culture. Most people’s only reference point to the state is the film “Fargo.” But North Dakota is found in other stories too.

Perhaps the most violent moment in Dakota territorial politics was the killing of the territorial secretary in 1873. General Edwin Stanton McCook was a distinguished Civil War veteran and one of the “Fighting McCooks,” a prominent Union military family. In February of 1872, President Grant appointed McCook as secretary of Dakota Territory, a position which also served as acting governor. McCook soon afterward arrived in the capital city of Yankton with his family.

North Dakota rarely stands out on the national political scene, but one figure did at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, which began on this date in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Future Governor George Sinner was a state senator and a delegate. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for Congress that year.