Sitting Bull to Phil Jackson, cattle to prairie dogs, knoephla 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.
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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.
You can find all Dakota Datebooks from 2018-today below. Our archive of Datebooks from 2003-2017 can be found here.
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Before the railroad ran to Reynolds, North Dakota, steamboats brought the mail and supplies to nearby Frog Point. Residents traveled there by wagon to deliver their crops for shipping and to pick up supplies and mail. When the railroad arrived, an organized community began to take shape. Roads were laid out and sidewalks were built of pine boards. A town government was organized. -
In this episode of Dakota Datebook we'll listen to Gladys Hawk, enrolled member of the Standing Rock Nation, as she talks about language and culture loss.
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The United States Constitution empowers Congress to conduct a census every ten years. While every state is allotted two senators, the number of representatives is determined by the population of each state. The census counts the people for an accurate allocation of representatives. -
In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Dr. Twyla Baker, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in part two of “To Us It Wasn't Discovered.”
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Home schooling is accepted in North Dakota today, but there was a time when home-schooling was illegal. Compulsory school attendance laws required that children aged 7 to 16 be educated, with public-schools the main providers. However, Catholic schools and other parochial schools had become available as alternatives.
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Few critters in North Dakota might be as storied as the black-footed ferret – an endangered and mischievous species. Poisonings targeting prairie dogs led to the ferret’s demise in the early 20th century, and it was thought to be extinct until a small group was found in Wyoming in 1981. The ferret’s comeback through captive breeding has been decades in the making. -
After midnight, on this date in 1952, Spike Jones and his City Slickers were still playing their notorious “Musical Depreciation Revue of 1952” for over seven thousand fans at the UND Fieldhouse.
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On this date in 1905, the Bismarck Daily Tribune published a list of acts recently passed by the state legislature. Along with authorizing a Board of Embalmers and establishing fees to reimburse witnesses in trials, the legislature addressed the dangers of the pool hall.
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On this date in 1968, North Dakota State University's student newspaper, The Spectrum, carried a report about police raiding a keg party, but it very well could have been an April Fool’s joke.
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Until the early 1900s, people traveled by real horsepower – the kind fueled by hay. Then the automobile began changing American life. In those early days, driving was something of a free-for-all. There were no stop signs, traffic lights, proper lanes, brake lights, crosswalks, or speed limits. No driver’s license was necessary. Pedestrians crossing the street had to dodge any passing cars. One account stated: “Screaming pedestrians were scattered like ninepins. Some were bowled over or tossed against store fronts.”
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.