Dakota Datebook

Twenty-four people were injured and one man died in a train derailment on this date in 1887 near Sterling, in Dakota Territory.

On this day in 1990, the Fargo Forum ran a profile on the pastor of Bethel Evangelical Free Church in Fargo, not for his ministry, but for his work two decades earlier as a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter.

Originating in Chicago in 1914, the movement known as “Baby Week” sought to raise awareness of the high infant mortality rate in the U.S. and to educate young mothers and girls about early childcare. Researchers from the Children’s Bureau estimated the infant mortality rate in the U.S. at nearly one in ten in the 1910s. National attention fastened on the issue, and Baby Week was born.

On this date in 1952, the public was invited to a tree planting ceremony on the state capitol grounds at Bismarck. The Washington, DC Evening Star reported that North Dakotans were dedicating a tree by the Senate entrance to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Reclamation Law sponsored by Senator Henry Hansbrough. Members of the North Dakota congressional delegation and their staff participated in the ceremony.

On this date in 1908, newspapers published a proclamation by North Dakota Governor John Burk, establishing an annual Arbor Day celebration.

A sundog is an optical phenomenon well known in North Dakota. It often appears as a rainbow-like spot on each side of the sun. When especially bright, sundogs can look like extra suns flanking the real one, sometimes connected by a glowing halo. In rare cases, a third bright spot appears above the sun. Sundogs form in extremely cold weather, when sunlight bends as it passes through ice crystals in the atmosphere, creating bright spots and halos.

Local organizations and clubs often invite distinguished guests to share information and provide programming. Bismarck’s Rotary Club hosted such a guest at its April 22, 1936, noon lunch, when North Dakota’s Department Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Philo George Harrington, spoke on the Spanish-American War.

In February of 1898, Mrs. Ina Cooks of Detroit, Michigan, came to Wahpeton. Her purpose was to establish the 90-day residency required for divorce in North Dakota. She rented rooms and lived quietly until the court proceedings in June.

The North Dakota economy faced serious challenges during the 1920s. The state relied heavily on agriculture, which had boomed during World War I. But when the war ended, demand dropped suddenly and dramatically. Many farmers had invested in new equipment during the boom years, only to see their income fall as European agriculture recovered. As markets for North Dakota’s crops shrank, farm foreclosures increased. Farmers who had borrowed against their land to expand now found those debts coming due.

Henry Stahl sank a well near his home in Williston. It took him several weeks to dig down twenty-four feet and install a pump. He thought nothing of it, his only goal was to have a convenient source of water. But it turned into something more.