Dakota Datebook

“The Threshers are coming!” is an aptly named collection of poems by North Dakotan Clarence Larson. It shares memories of harvesting crops with steam threshing machines.

Friendship with a lawyer from Bismarck led to famed actor Jessica Lange receiving an Oscar nomination in 1985. While she did not win, Lange went on to testify before Congress about the plight of farmers. How did a Bismarck lawyer inspire such a chain of events? It all began when Sarah Vogel of Mandan was roommates with Jessica Lange’s older sister at the University of North Dakota. Vogel had remained close friends with the Lange family.

In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Catherine Froelich, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation talk about traditional ways and values.

On this date in 1904, John F. Briggs of Wahpeton was known around the country as “Uncle Sam.” He was a popular enactor in Grand Army of the Republic parades and 4th of July celebrations. A veteran of the Civil War, he attended every national G.A.R. convention but two.

Since 1946, Fargo has been a place of new beginnings for refugees from around the world. On this day in 2000, The Fargo Forum announced that a group of Sudan’s “Lost Boys” would soon be arriving in the city.

On January 27, 1862, Captain Nelson Miner was assigned to command the first unit of the Dakota Territorial Militia in the territorial capital of Yankton.

On this date in 1976, American officials were finally getting a chance to inspect the mysterious MiG-25.

In November 1879, the Army established a military post on the west bank of the Little Missouri River. The post became a welcome bit of civilization for hunters and trappers. Civilians added a saloon, a general store, a boarding house, and the Pyramid Park Hotel which was nowhere near as grand as its name.

The barren fall of 1934 had left many areas with no produce to exhibit and, as a result, no fall festivals. But the 1935 harvest was bountiful for all crops except wheat. North Dakota was getting “its chin back up,” prompting fall festival planning across the state on this date. More than just community gatherings, these festivals reflected “a revived spirit” and a grateful heart in 1935.

As the Northern Pacific Railway made its way across Dakota Territory, it eventually reached what is now known as Billings County. The first siding there was called Fogarty, named for a railroad contractor. In 1883, it was renamed Summit, a fitting name, as the railroad was at its highest point before descending into the Badlands.