Dakota Datebook

North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding number three is about sharing and generosity. It states, "Native people have rich traditions of sharing and generosity, which include gifting, shared meals, powwow gatherings, shared living spaces, and care for relatives, including the environment, natural resources, and waters."

People have proven remarkably adaptable to the extreme winter weather of the northern Great Plains. It is easy to overlook one item that has kept people warm for almost 250 years, and North Dakotans have a teenager from Maine to thank for it.

In 1932, North Dakotans were on the alert at the prospect of something big: gold in North Dakota! Earlier in the year, free flake gold was reportedly washing up in the Missouri River near Denbigh. On this date, mining engineer Deane Purves declared to Williston residents his belief that it is “possible there is gold enough on the Missouri bottoms in the vicinity of Williston to create profitable employment to many men out of work.”

Here is another sampling of musicians from far and wide who have performed in North Dakota. Perhaps you’ll remember some!

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.