Dakota Datebook

The earliest telephones were very basic. One telephone couldn’t call another phone directly unless the two were connected. The caller needed an intermediary. Phone users called an exchange instead of the person or business they wanted to reach. Telephone operators connected them. On this date in 1878, Emma Nutt became the first woman to work as a telephone operator. She started a trend, and it wasn’t long before virtually all telephone operators were women who worked out of their own homes.

Steamboats and ships were an important means of transportation in early years, and newspapers frequently reported on the shipping activity. In 1911, Williston papers published a number of interesting reports.

In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Dr. Twyla Baker, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, talk about building a better society.

Late August signals the beginning of a new school year for thousands of students in North Dakota. As schools welcome children for another term, lunch remains an important part of the school day. How have school lunch menus changed over time, and what can they tell us about the past?

Edmund Halley was an English astronomer, mathematician, and physicist. In 1720, he was named the second Astronomer Royal. He produced a map of the stars in the southern sky and received many awards and accolades. On this date in 1682, he made the finding for which he is still remembered today. It was then that Halley identified the comet that still bears his name.

In August of 1930, men who had fought for the Union during the Civil War and were able to make the trip to Cincinnati were at a convention for the 'Boys in Blue' who marched home with a Union victory in '65.

On this date in 1916, citizens of Fargo were reading about an attempted escape from the Cass County jail. According to the local papers, "Only the eternal vigilance of Sheriff John Ross and his force of deputies" prevented the escape from happening.

On this date in 2009, a rather unusual event occurred in North Dakota when residents in the Minot area felt the earth tremble. The earthquake measured 4.2. An earthquake of this magnitude is considered light to moderate and often goes virtually unnoticed.

Society columns were once a popular feature in newspapers. Here are some examples from this date in 1892 from the Fargo Society column of the Wisconsin Afro-American.

Wolves once thrived in North Dakota. Early settlers considered them a danger to livestock and to the settlers themselves. In the late 19th century, eradication efforts largely drove them out of the state. Local governments began offering bounties on wolves. In 1893, the Emmons County Record reported that the county board approved paying wolf bounties.