The vast plains of the Midwest are hardly considered hot tourist stops. This may be especially true for our northerly border state. Today in 1926, however, one man made Lakota, North Dakota one of his stops on a walking tour around the world. Frank Svab, originally of Prague, noticed the one phenomena North Dakota is most famous for: its hospitality. He said he had more offers for rides in this “land of wheat” than in any other state through which he had trekked. Svab gave the town of Lakota an account of his adventures thus far and invited anyone to keep in touch with him or contact him with inquiries about the publication of his travels.

Svab began his world traveling at an early age. After his parents died when he was six years old, Svab left home and was adopted into the circus by a woman named Mrs. Carmen. He stayed with them for several years when Mrs. Carmen died in an accident. The loss was a difficult one for Svab, and he left the circus for France. There, he attended a university before joining the Foreign Legion in Morocco. He spent five years with the Legion, then left to begin his world travels.

In fifteen years, Svab covered 15,000 miles. He traveled through all the European nations before going to South America. The continent held many poor memories for Svab. His wife had been traveling with him when she died in Peru. There, in the middle of a desert, Svab buried his wife and continued his journey alone. He walked up through Mexico and into the United States. He visited many states and was pleased with what he saw. Here, he said, people lived a very comfortable life with many opportunities compared to other places he had been. He stayed in Chicago for a while before continuing the journey that led him to Lakota. From Lakota, Svab planned to travel through Canada to Alaska and cross into Asia to explore China, Manchuria, Hong Kong, Siberia, Turkestan, and Australia before returning again to Chicago.

By Tessa Sandstrom

Source: “World hiker in Lakota,” The Lakota American. July 29, 1926.

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