Residents of Crosby, North Dakota found a missing keg of dynamite on this day in 1908. In December, a fire ravaged a business block of Crosby, spreading from one building to the next. Planning on blowing up an office to stop the spread of the blaze, residents brought a keg of dynamite from the hardware store, but when they arrived back to the fire they decided not to use the dynamite in case the blast threw burning embers onto adjacent buildings. After the fire was finally extinguished, the keg went missing. Residents began a search, but couldn’t find the keg anywhere. Five months later, two hunters were returning to town when they spied a barrel leaning against an old sod barn. Thinking the old keg would make for excellent target practice, the men shot at the barrel....and the town of Crosby found their keg of dynamite.

Source:
The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican (Evening ed.). April 28, 1908: p.2.

--Jayme L. Job

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