Dakota Datebook

As 1930 drew to a close, North Dakotans were in a state of shock. In the early hours of December 28, the guard on duty at the state capitol building heard a noise on the fourth floor and discovered a fire. He immediately called in a fire alarm. Bismarck’s two fire trucks and three firefighters quickly responded, but the blaze was out of control. As word of the disaster spread, citizens hurried to help.

North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Six is about native contributions. It states, "Native people continue to contribute to all levels of society, from local to global, in diverse fields, including medicine, science, government, education, economics, art, music, and many more." In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll hear Alex DeCoteau, educator and enrolled Member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, share his insight into exactly what it is that Native Americans have contributed to the United States.

In 1938, Dr. George Foster and his wife Irene founded the Fargo Winter Club to boost interest in winter sports and athletics. That year, the group partnered with the WPA to build the Fargo Arena, an arena for local residents to participate in skating and other winter sports in more sheltered conditions.

Today is another story of the young preacher called from seminary in St. Louis to McKenzie County a century ago. For 10 months, the Rev. Richard C. Jahn preached in English and German, and baptized, confirmed, and buried residents. He lodged with a bachelor homesteader in a cabin east of Watford City. At age 21, Jahn attended a dying person for the first time, a man mangled by wolves.

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.

On this date in 1930, Edward Robertson, president of Wesley College, sent this typed letter to Vernon Squires, dean of liberal arts at the University of North Dakota: “Dear Friend of Thirty Years: This is a love letter. It is a bit unusual for one man to write a love letter to another man. I am not sure of the correct form or phrasing of it, but I am sure that no other sort would suit my idea of a letter that I wish to have bound together with writings of other friends in a Blue Key testimonial."

North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding Number Five is about tribal policies, treaties and sovereignty. It states, "Native people practice self-determination, developing tribal policies and practicing political activism." Despite a history of US policies and treaties that have often been detrimental, native people are members of sovereign nations that predate the US government.

Usher L. Burdick was born in Owatonna, Minnesota in 1879. His family moved to Dakota Territory in 1882. He graduated from the North Dakota State Normal School in Mayville, then worked as deputy superintendent of schools for Benson County before entering the University of Minnesota Law School. He graduated in 1904 and was admitted to the North Dakota state bar. He opened a practice in Munich, North Dakota.

North Dakotans took great pride when the United States Navy announced that a new dreadnought was to be christened as the USS North Dakota. It was a Delaware-class battleship, armed with a main battery of ten twelve-inch guns and was capable of a top speed of twenty-one knots. North Dakota newspapers declared her to be the “Mistress of the Seas.”

North Dakota’s extreme winter weather poses some limits on recreational activities. Sledding and ice skating can lose their attraction in below zero temperatures. Consequently, North Dakotans are happy to find opportunities for indoor recreation. The foundation for one such recreation was laid on this date in 1863 when James Plimpton patented a four-wheel roller skate.