World War I

As the Eighteenth Century faded into the rearview mirror, things were changing at a mind-boggling pace. Americans began to take to the roads in automobiles. Horse-drawn streetcars were giving way to electric vehicles. Visitors to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis marveled at flying machines and electric coffee makers and dishwashers. The world was on the verge of a new age.

When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, suspicion fell on German Americans. Anti-German sentiment led to the prohibition of teaching German in schools, the closure of many German-language newspapers, and persecution for speaking German in public or on the phone.

In October, 1918, World War I was winding down, and would concluded in less than a month. Newspapers were still full of war news, with maps and details of troop movements dominating the front pages. However, on this date in 1918, the war was pushed off the front pages of North Dakota newspapers by news of devastating fires that afflicted Minnesota. While readers could still learn about President Wilson negotiating the end of the war and German forces retreating, the headlines focused on the death and destruction caused by the massive fires in Minnesota.

As the 19th century turned into the twentieth, German immigrants found a promising home in the United States. Many of them moved to the Great Plains where they broke ground and established farms. They found a comfortable and stable home where opportunities abounded. Many German Americans rose to positions of influence. Others became successful businessmen. That changed when the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, entering World War I.

After World War I, people across the country waited anxiously for the soldiers to make the long trip home. Towns from coast to coast jumped into action to prepare parades and events for the returning heroes.

World War I made a shambles of the European economy. Starvation was a real threat as farms became battlefields and agricultural workers became soldiers. When the United States entered the war in 1917, the country became an active partner with the allies, and Americans faced shortages of their own.

The front page of the Fargo Forum on this date in 1918 was covered with news about World War I. On the very bottom was a tiny announcement that two boys from North Dakota were going to enter West Point: Frank Henning Jr. of Lakota and Sidney Hinds of Wahpeton.

The Reverend Eben Saunders of Fargo was not only a minister, but a well-regarded historian of the Red River Valley. In 1918, from May to June, the Reverend Saunders wrote a column in the Fargo Forum in which he wrote brief biographies of North Dakota pioneers.

American attention on World War I shifted from idle curiosity to intense interest when the United States entered the war in April, 1917. Americans enthusiastically found ways to support the boys who were “over there.” They bought War Bonds, donated to charities, and joined the Red Cross. Posters, ads, newspapers, and the movies made patriotic appeals. Hollywood stars like Mary Pickford sold bonds and appeared in patriotic movies.

World War I put a heavy burden on the country’s food supplies. Men and horses were taken off the farms and sent to war. German submarines blocked the importation of nitrate fertilizer and food. Decreased agricultural output led to food shortages. It became common to see women and children standing in line to buy food. Lower food supplies led to higher prices and hoarding.