Dakota Datebook

Millions of bison once called the Great Plains home. They were an essential element of the ecosystem. They were also essential to Native Americans and frontiersmen for who depended on them for food, shelter, and clothing. The bison became an icon of the west even as railroads began to cross the plains and an influx of hunters nearly wiped them out. The vast herds dwindled, and they faced extinction.

The Homestead Act of 1862 opened the American West to settlement. Newcomers could claim 160 acres after living on it for five years, paying only a small fee for the land. Along with attracting settlers, the promise of nearly free land attracted speculators who gobbled up large tracts of land and then sold it at an inflated price.

Settlers in the Dakotas faced many challenges as they crossed the plains. There were the financial pressures as they attempted to forge a living from the prairie soils, and of course the extreme weather conditions, with a great range in both temperature and weather patterns. The state’s record high and low temps occurred in the same year, 1936. The high, 5th highest in the U.S., was an astounding 121 degrees, and the low was -60, a 181-degree difference.

North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding number six is about Native contributions. It states: "Native people continue to contribute to all levels of society, from local to global, in diverse fields, including medicine, science, government, education, economics, art, music, and many more."

On this date in 1913, back when women still gave birth at home and few owned cars, the front-page news that a woman gave birth in a car must have been quite shocking.

The townsite of Beach was established when the Northern Pacific Railroad built a section house there in 1881. However, it wasn’t until 1900 when settlement really started to happen.

At the end of the Civil War, the country began waking up to the realities of recovery. Railroads and bridges had been destroyed. Farms had been wiped out. Disabled veterans were unable to support themselves and widows and orphans had been left behind. President Lincoln had promised to care for “those who have borne the burden, his widow and orphans.” But no one knew how to go about doing that.

The Dakota Territory legislature created Richland County on January 4th, 1873. It was named for Morgan T. Rich. In 1869, Rich settled on the site of what would become the city of Wahpeton. Wahpeton serves as the county seat of Richland County, tucked along the Red River in the southeastern corner of North Dakota.

In this episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll listen to JT Shining Oneside, enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa Nation, as she shares Frances Cree's story of the sweat lodge.

On this date in 1824, the St. Louis Enquirer reported the latest news about Arikara refugees from the previous year's conflict.