Dakota Datebook

Nina Farley and her family were McIntosh County pioneers, having moved from Michigan in 1887. In 1891 she married John Wishek, a lawyer, banker, and politician. He was also a partner in Wishek and Lilly, a land office, which helped pioneers file homesteads. Nina and John came to be known as “Mother” and “Father” Wishek.

Located in Rolette County, St. John is one of the oldest towns in North Dakota, dating back to its 1843 origins as a trading post. The 1880s, saw towns springing up in that region as people gravitated to the area’s trading posts. Dunseith and Belcourt were organized in 1884. And the city of Rolette is a relative latecomer, incorporated on this date in 1930.

In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Kenneth Jerome Hill, enrolled member of Spirit Lake Nation, talk about how it's important to be proud to be Dakota.

The Metis are an indigenous group whose homeland is in Canada and the northern United States. They trace their heritage to North American tribes and mixed European settlers who were primarily French. The Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 legally recognized the Metis as indigenous people. In the United States, the Metis are considered part of the Chippewa tribe. The Metis developed a distinct culture and language that blended their French and Indian heritage that grew out of the fur trade.

North Dakota’s political history is marked by several people who left their legacy on the state and the nation through years of service in elected office. Quentin Burdick and Mark Andrews are two such examples, but serving between them was Hjalmar Nygaard, whose legacy was cut short before he could achieve similar status.

In America’s westward movement, new towns arose along rivers and railways, and townspeople had great hopes for their newly established communities.

Farmers saw an economic boon during World War I. They bought more acreage and invested in farm machinery. In the aftermath of the war, crop prices collapsed when the sudden decrease in demand resulted in oversupply. Farmers needing government assistance subsequently became an important voting bloc in the 1928 presidential election.

In this episode, we'll listen to Dusty Olson, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation, talk about essential understandings in our schools.

In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to Dusty Olson, enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation, talk about essential understandings in our schools.

In the summer of 1919, a United States Army motorized expedition took sixty-two days to travel 3,251 miles from Washington DC to San Francisco. The convoy tested the mobility of the Army as it became increasingly motorized. The official observer for the War Department was a young Lieutenant Colonel named Dwight D. Eisenhower.