Dakota Datebook
by Prairie Public
Sitting Bull to Phil Jackson, cattle to prairie dogs, knoefla to lefse. North Dakota's legacy includes many strange stories of eccentric towns, war heroes, and various colorful characters. Hear all about them on Dakota Datebook, your daily dose of North Dakota history.Dakota Datebook is made in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, and funded by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Episodes
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November 9: Transitioning to Steam
Steam-powered threshers revolutionized agriculture as farmers began transitioning from horses to steam power. A crew using one of these machines could process a harvest in days rather than weeks. There was, however, a significant problem: the machines were dangerous.
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November 6: Help is on the Way
When the Great Depression hit in 1929, 15 million Americans were thrown out of work. They lost their jobs, their savings, and their homes. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, he believed it was the federal government’s responsibility to pull the country out of the financial...
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November 5: Early November History
Today, we share a few nuggets of early November history in North Dakota.
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November 4: Wagons West
The first wagon train of pioneers arrived in California after a 1,730-mile journey that took five months. The Bartleson-Bidwell Party was the first organized wagon train to successfully cross the Rocky Mountains and reach California, arriving on this date in 1841. The group’s success demonstrated...
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November 3: Meatless and Wheatless
On this date in 1917, the Bismarck Tribune proudly announced that 18,312 North Dakota families had signed the Food Pledge.
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November 2: Oh, Canada!
On this date in 1911, an article in the Bismarck Tribune informed readers that Representative Champ Clark, the Speaker of the House, strongly favored annexing our northern neighbor.
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October 30: On The Loose
On this date in 1971, a mysterious, hopping, hairless creature was loose on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. Armed with a rake and a burlap sack, Morris Baker spotted and captured the creature on Halloween at his farm near Belcourt. Dubbed “Whatsit,” the unknown animal was taken to the…
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October 29: Halloween
There was a ghost haunting the streets of Bismarck in 1892. At least, that's what the Bismarck Tribune reported as Halloween neared, stating: "Bismarck does not claim for itself anything out of the ordinary, but it does, just at present, rejoice at the possession of something which does not fall…
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October 28: A Bad Case of Hiccups
For Vincent Baltulis of Fargo, the hiccups started on a December day in 1936, and they wouldn’t go away. Vincent tried every home remedy he knew. First, he tried holding his breath. Then he tried taking “nine swallows of water in rapid succession.” Nothing worked for the 74-year-old, who had…
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The Birth of Online Shopping
The mail-order business began when Montgomery Ward launched the first mail-order company in 1872.
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October 26: Original Draft Constitution’s Road to the State Archives
In December 1930, when the original Capitol building burned, many people turned out to watch. Some, however, came to save what they could. Secretary of State Robert Byrne was one of those who joined in the heroics. He broke a window into his office, cutting his hand on the glass and singeing his...
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October 23: The Siege of Fort Abercrombie
Fort Abercrombie was built in 1857 along the heavily wooded Red River, 15 miles north of the present-day towns of Wahpeton, North Dakota, and Breckenridge, Minnesota. Both towns were founded at the “Head of the Red” in 1858 by Pierre Bottineau, a French-Chippewa frontiersman and railroad…
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October 22: First Special Session and First Presidential Election
October is Archives Month, when archives around the country celebrate the records in their holdings and recognize the archivists who collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to information of lasting value. The North Dakota State Archives is part of the State Historical Society of North...
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October 21: Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy Was Here
A shaggy dog tale was told about a sighting of Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy at Wahpeton long ago. Any evidence? Doggoned right there is!
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October 20: History Preserved by North Dakota Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology
October is Archives Month, when archives around the country celebrate the records in their holdings and recognize the archivists who assess, collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to information of lasting value. The North Dakota State Archives is part of the State Historical Society of...
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October 19: Bismarck’s New Flour Mill Opens
Flour milling has a long history in North Dakota. With wheat a major agricultural commodity, flour production was important to the state’s economy and became a political issue the Nonpartisan League championed. While the State Mill and Elevator in Grand Forks may be more familiar, fewer people…
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October 16: The Flying Bug
South Minneapolis native Alexander Heine, born in 1885, worked for the Milwaukee Railroad. But the railroad wasn’t his first love. Alexander became enchanted by the magic of powered flight and caught the flying bug at an early age. He ventured to California, where he attended the Curtiss School…
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October 15: Pilot Clarence Bates
On this date in 1900, Clarence Bates was born in Albany, New York. Bates enlisted in the Navy during World War I and served as a wireless radio operator. In the 1920s, Clarence decided to learn to fly and took pilot training at Hamilton Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After Bates got his pilot’s...
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October 14: A Mecca for Homesteaders
Adams County was created in 1907 with land that was broken off from Hettinger County. It is located in southwestern North Dakota and encompasses 987 square miles. The county was named for John Quincy Adams, a Milwaukee Railroad official who was a distant relative of President John Quincy Adams.
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October 13: International Risk Reduction Day
Direct global disaster costs reach about $200 billion annually, but the overall economic impact goes as high as $2 trillion as the economy suffers disruption. Wealthier countries suffer the most when it comes to economic costs, but developing countries suffer more in terms of human suffering.
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October 12: Traveling Jenny (Remembering Jim Davis)
We're saddened to share the news that longtime Dakota Datebook writer Jim Davis has passed away. To honor his many contributions to this program, we're re-airing a favorite Datebook: Traveling Jenny — the tale of a super cow in the Killdeer Mountains.
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October 9: The Manhattan Project
In August 1939, a group of concerned scientists drafted a letter warning of the potential development of powerful bombs of a type never seen before. They urged the United States to begin acquiring stockpiles of uranium ore and to support Enrico Fermi’s research into nuclear chain reactions. The...
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October 8: Opinions of the ND State Constitution During 1889 Convention
In 1889, men met at the Constitutional Convention in North Dakota to work on framing the state’s foundational document. They met from July 4, 1889, until August 17. There were various topics of interest under discussion, and while they debated, the public watched and voiced their own opinions and...
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October 7: Getting on Track
Railroad tracks finally began creeping west from Duluth, Minnesota, in 1870. On a cold New Year’s Eve in 1871, the railroad finally reached the Red River at Moorhead. Construction on a railroad bridge across the river continued through the winter. The residents of Fargo eagerly watched a…
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October 6: The Age of Train Robberies
At one time, the stagecoach was a tempting target for outlaws. They could stop a coach far from the prying eyes of the law, stealing the cargo and robbing the passengers. As trains began moving across the country, they replaced the stagecoach for long-distance transportation. They also became the...
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October 5: A Knight of the Air
World War I broke out on July 28, 1914. At first, airplanes were used only for reconnaissance, but it didn’t take long for the shooting to break out in the air. On August 25, two French aviators shot at and damaged a German plane, which managed to escape. In September, a Russian pilot destroyed…
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October 2: No Place Like Home
On this date in 1908, newspapers reported on the arrest and seasonal enterprise of a serial thief pursuing his third hitch in the state penitentiary. Mr. Malloy, alias Kennedy and Murphy, allegedly stole men’s overcoats in autumn in order to secure food and shelter for the winter. The Grand Forks...
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October 1: ND State Constitution at the North Dakota State Archives
For years, many residents in Dakota Territory wanted to split it into two halves, but it wasn’t until the Enabling Act, passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Grover Cleveland in February of 1889, that Dakota Territory was allowed to split into the separate states of North and South...
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September 30: The Red House
Iowa schoolteacher Walter L. Carter came to Dakota in 1888 with the Patterson brothers. They organized the Wahpeton National Bank with $50,000 in capital. On this date in 1889, the bank opened for business.
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September 29: Vietnam Protest in Fargo
The Vietnam War was a divisive issue in the United States, sparking protests across the country. North Dakota was no exception. On this day in 1969, a peaceful anti-war demonstration was held in Fargo.
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September 28: Liberty Calling – Buy Bonds!
North Dakotans were not overly enthusiastic about America’s entry into World War I, but they were resigned to the reality of it. At the time of the declaration of war, the economy was functioning at full capacity. Diverting the necessary supplies to the war effort required decreasing what was...
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September 25: Ups and Downs — Speed Limits in North Dakota
In 1905, North Dakota automobile speed limits were 8 miles per hour in town and 25 on open roads. By 1911, the highway speed limit was raised to 30.
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September 24: Time for New Leadership
The political climate in 1968 was one of turmoil and division in the United States. There were major protests against the Vietnam War. Martin Luther King was assassinated in April of that year, followed by the assassination of Robert Kennedy, the leading Democratic candidate for president and the...
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September 23: In Search of the Welsh Indians
Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and their intrepid Corps of Discovery were integral to the expansion of a new country. The expedition set out to begin mapping the immense territory that Thomas Jefferson had purchased. They chronicled the vast wilderness and the rich resources it contained. Lewis...
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September 22: Crossing the Red River
As the railroad moved out onto the Great Plains, settlers followed. Small gatherings began to form wherever the railroad workers set up their camps. These rudimentary communities usually started as a collection of tents, with frame buildings gradually taking shape as the neighborhoods became...
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September 21: Fort Berthold
The 1950s are remembered fondly by most U.S. history textbooks. Known as the Eisenhower era, the post-war years were considered a new height of prosperity, with median family purchasing power increasing as much as 30%.
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September 18: Labor Unrest in Minot
In 1904, seven men met in Chicago and laid the foundation for the International Workers of the World. Attendees included radicals and trade unionists from across the United States.
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September 17: Finding Freedom in Dakota Territory
President Abraham Lincoln began considering emancipation for slaves in states that were in rebellion, which would exempt border states that remained in the Union, like Kentucky. This would be the first step on the road to abolition while keeping the border states loyal to the Union.
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September 16: UFO
How often do you get to experience a UFO, or unidentified flying object, in your backyard? On this date in 1966, newspapers from the state reported on an 11-year-old boy in Sargent County who got to do just that.
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September 15: Recession? What Recession?
The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers was the climax of the subprime mortgage crisis. When attempts to negotiate financing for reorganization failed, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy involving more than $600 billion. On this date in 2008, the Dow Jones fell by more than 500 points, a drop of 4½...
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September 14: The 1918 Yellowstone Expedition
In 1819, Secretary of War John C. Calhoun authorized an expedition to the American frontier. Calhoun’s goal was to establish a military outpost at the mouth of the Yellowstone River in present-day North Dakota.
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September 11: A New Volunteer Fire Department
Fire was always a danger in early North Dakota. Early firefighting often consisted of community members responding and forming bucket brigades. The first organized firefighters were volunteers who trained together and collected rudimentary equipment. But as clusters of homes grew into towns, and...
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September 10: Durum Day
The hardest variety of wheat is durum. Its high protein content makes it ideal for producing pasta. In fact, it is often called “pasta wheat.” While common wheat, also known as bread wheat, is valued for its elasticity and bread-making properties, durum is renowned for its exceptional hardness,...
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September 9: The Original Social Media
Social media has become an important part of modern life. Although the technology that allows for two-way communication is modern, the concept of social media is nothing new. People have always been interested in what other people are doing, and they have always had ways of finding out.
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September 8: Shared Sacrifice
The 1916 presidential campaign occurred during the Mexican Revolution and World War I. Americans wanted no part of foreign wars. Woodrow Wilson campaigned with the slogan, “He kept us out of war.” But Wilson was a practical man. He knew he had to have a plan in case it became impossible for the...
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September 7: Buffalo Graveyard, Devils Lake
It doesn’t happen very often that a large lakebed largely dries out. Yet that is what happened at Devils Lake. North Dakota’s biggest natural lake was full of water when the town of Devils Lake was founded in 1882, with the lake sitting at 1,439.08 feet above sea level. But after that, the water...
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September 4: Moffet’s Battle Against Corruption
William Moffet, editor of the Bismarck Pioneer, was a controversial but respected journalist known for his no-nonsense reporting style. A staunch prohibitionist, he frequently used his newspaper to expose corruption among public officials and businessmen. His reporting style earned him…
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September 3: Oliver Evans, Photographer
In late August, 1911, a horrible fire in Topeka, Kansas did more than one hundred thousand dollars damage in the business district. The reports noted that the J. C. Gresser furniture company, and the Grebbs clothing company were hit the hardest, but what caught readers’ attention in North Dakota...
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September 2: The 1892 Tariff Conference
By the 1890s, relations between the United States and Canada were evolving. Both countries were growing, and their markets were becoming more integrated despite tariffs. This period laid the groundwork for future trade agreements and deeper economic ties. The two countries developed a powerful...
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September 1: Getting Connected
The earliest telephones were very basic. One telephone couldn’t call another phone directly unless the two were connected. The caller needed an intermediary. Phone users called an exchange instead of the person or business they wanted to reach. Telephone operators connected them. On this date in...
About this show
Sitting Bull to Phil Jackson, cattle to prairie dogs, knoefla to lefse. North Dakota's legacy includes many strange stories of eccentric towns, war heroes, and various colorful characters. Hear all about them on Dakota Datebook, your daily dose of North Dakota history.Dakota Datebook is made in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, and funded by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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