Dakota Datebook

On June 17, 1867, a battalion of the 10th U.S. Infantry began building a fort to protect westward travelers. The Homestead Act, combined with the end of the Civil War, had led to increased westward migration. Soldiers used oak logs to construct buildings, all arranged within a fortification made of sod. An area of ten square miles with the fort at its center was designated as the Fort Ransom Military Reservation. The fort was named after Major General Thomas E.G. Ransom of the U.S. Volunteers.

As Cold War tensions escalated in the years following World War II, North Dakota found itself on the front lines of America’s defense against a potential Soviet attack. The U.S. Air Force established a network of bases and radar stations across the state. One such installation was Finley Air Force Station, which became operational in 1951, just a mile and a half outside of Finley, North Dakota. Like the station near Fortuna, Finley was part of a broader radar defense network designed to monitor the skies for enemy aircraft and guide interceptor jets.

Founded in Chicago in 1863, Armour and Company became one of the five leading firms in the meatpacking industry. By 1880, Armour was Chicago’s most important business and helped make the city the center of America’s meatpacking operations.

According to its website, the purpose of the North Dakota Medical Association is “to advocate for North Dakota’s physicians, to advance the health, and promote the well-being of the people of North Dakota.” Much of the organization’s work is carried out by five commissions, representing Socio-Economics, Ethics, Legislation, Medical Services, and Public Relations. These commissions meet to discuss topics important to North Dakota doctors and residents, then make recommendations to the Association.

May is National Historic Preservation Month, when we remember historic sites and places around North Dakota. Today, we talk about some of these places listed on the National Historic Register because of the people associated with them.

The first decade of the twentieth century was known as the Edwardian Age, named after King Edward VII of Great Britain. Fashion was a distinctive and important element of the era. Women wore corsets and long skirts. Men wore suits. Edwardian fashion was known for its excess, elegance, and, above all, strict social rules.

Inventors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were busy perfecting self-propelled vehicles. They experimented with steam-powered as well as gas-powered automobiles. It was exciting to zip down the road at the blazing speed of eight miles an hour but the risks of such travel became apparent almost immediately. With no traffic laws and no safety features, even a slow-moving vehicle could be a menace.

In Wahpeton, there is a regal-looking house built for Ellen Seely by renowned architect Eugene Schuler. Mrs. Seely came to town in 1881 to establish residency for a divorce in the Dakota Territory. Known locally as "Madame Seely," she was a Rockefeller in-law and an opera devotee. Her son, W.A. Seely, had arrived in Wahpeton earlier and prospered. To help pass the time, he built the Seely Opera House downtown. On this date in 1885, Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice had a successful run there.

Even as he was overseeing the Civil War, President Lincoln was determined to move the country forward. In 1862, he signed several bills into law that directly affected Dakota Territory and, by extension, the land that would become the State of North Dakota.

The American economy was booming in the 1920s, but things weren’t rosy for everyone. Farmers were in trouble.