The winter of 1887-1888 marked the end of the Little Ice Age, an unbroken six year stretch that featured abnormally cold weather. The Little Ice Age seemed determined to go out with a bang. The year began with a severe blizzard that affected the Great Plains from the Canadian border to Texas. On January 12, an extremely cold storm hit. As many as 300 people died. It is still considered the worst storm in North Dakota history.

Today on Dakota Datebook, we'll be hearing about sovereignty and tribal government from Diane Fox, educator and enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.

This week in 1886, readers of the previous day's Bismarck Weekly Tribune were treated to a glorious tall tale.

The early white settlers in North Dakota tended to cluster around the Army forts located along the Red, James, Sheyenne, and Missouri Rivers. The rivers allowed for easier delivery of supplies, since overland transportation was slow and difficult. That changed for Dakota Territory when the railroads arrived in the early 1870s. New settlers, and supplies to support the growing economy, could now arrive quickly and conveniently.

The adjournment of the Legislature often brings a collective sigh of relief. Sessions over the years have ended late at night, often with major issues decided in the last moments. Some sessions ended bitterly, even violently. Here’s a sampling.

Four women have served on the North Dakota Supreme Court. The first was Beryl Levine, appointed by Governor George Sinner in 1985. Voters later elected and re-elected Levine to the court. She served 11 years on the court, and retired on this date in 1996.

The early 20th Century was the heyday of hat design. Women’s hats became large and extravagant. There were hats for every possible occasion including walking, riding, morning wear, evening wear, and even hats to wear at home. Hats that incorporated feathers and even whole birds became popular. This created a tremendous demand for feathers and birds. Thousands of snow egrets, owls, herons, and other exotic birds were slaughtered in the name of fashion.

In this episode of Dakota Date book, we'll hear Josie Lawrence, enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation share a bit about how to teach by example.

In today's episode of Dakota Datebook, we'll laugh along with Spirit Lake Dakota elder Catherine Howard as she tells us about rabbit and turtle, and frog and turtle.

Two young men, one short and one tall, sat in a booth at Friendly Tavern in Minot North Dakota around 10pm in the early days of February in 1955. Both wore Levi jeans and made unremarkable conversation with one another. The bartender, Tommy Oster, made his way over to the pair. One of the two looked young, so Tommy asked for his ID. It was a North Dakota license, and it said the man was born in October of 1933. The men politely ordered their drinks and played a few songs on the jukebox. They stayed until close and drank three beers a piece.