x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Dakota Datebook

Sitting Bull to Phil Jackson, cattle to prairie dogs, knoefla to lefse. North Dakota"s legacy includes many strange stories of eccentric towns, war heroes, and various colorful characters. Hear all about them on Dakota Datebook, your daily dose of North Dakota history. Dakota Datebook is made in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, and funded by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views,

society & culture

All Episodes

2:25

June 13: A Roaring Noise

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/13

A roaring noise and sudden darkness enveloped the village of Alice, North Dakota, on June 12, 1950, as twin tornadoes descended, bringing destruction in their path.

en

2:48

June 12: Pilot Arnold Weber

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/12

On this date in 1954, 2nd Lt. Arnold Weber was on a training flight out of Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, South Dakota.

en

2:37

June 11: Three Men Named Charles

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/11

What are the odds of three men named Charles being killed by a single lightning strike at the same place and time?

en

2:47

June 10: Grigsby’s Cowboys

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/10

Patriotic North Dakotans enlisted in large numbers when the United States declared war on Spain in 1898. The 1st North Dakota Volunteers were sent to the Philippines. But not all North Dakotans served in that unit and not all went to the Pacific.

en

2:55

June 9: Chief Red Cloud Comes to Washington

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/09

Sworn in as the 18th President of the United States on March 4, 1869, Ulysses S. Grant found himself in a bind. Prospectors were swarming into the West. New settlers made their way into Dakota Territory. The Transcontinental Railroad was nearly complete. Trails across the Great Plains were turning into roads. All this progress increased conflicts with Native American tribes.

en

2:52

June 6: The Longest Day

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/06

The 164th Infantry Regiment traces its roots back to the Dakota Territorial Militia, established in 1862. That militia evolved into the National Guard units of North and South Dakota. The North Dakota Guard served in the Spanish-American War as the 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry. The unit entered federal service again during World War I, becoming the 164th Infantry in 1917.

en

2:47

June 5: Where the West Begins

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/05

North Dakota has close ties with Minnesota, sharing many overlapping interests, with business being one of the biggest. On this date in 1925, the city of Bismarck prepared to welcome businessmen from St. Paul to discuss potential business ventures. In anticipation of their arrival, the Bismarck Tribune extended a “right royal welcome” to those coming to “where the West begins.” The newspaper noted that the two states shared common interests “that bind them in a lasting bond of personal interest and

en

2:43

June 4: Catching Frogs

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/04

In 1923, it was reported that a Lisbon man was making good money catching frogs and shipping them to eastern markets. He found the business quite lucrative. He said he shipped forty pounds of frog legs every day. Packed in ice, they arrived at their destinations in good condition. September, he said, was the best month to catch frogs. He planned to continue working along the Sheyenne River until it froze.

en

3:03

June 3: Isaac O. Sloan, Presbyterian Minister in...

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/03

When Reverend I.O. Sloan set foot in Bismarck in 1873, it was a “wild and wooly” Western town. Bismarck had a few new wood-framed buildings, but it was teeming with “tents and gamblers,” and loud profanity prevailed. “Pandemonium seemed to reign” in saloons and gambling places that were open 24 hours a day.

en

2:14

June 2: Farmwives Get a Vacation

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/06/02

Since pioneer days, the life of a North Dakota farmwife was often described as one of unrelenting hardship, drudgery, and isolation. On this date in 1930, the Bismarck Tribune announced plans for "a sort of paradise" for farmwives. Vacation camps with games, picnics, music programs, community singing, and recreation would be enjoyed in pleasant surroundings, "where cooking, dishwashing, laundering, and the other usual duties of the farm mother are taboo."

en

2:59

May 30: Memorial Day Programs Honor Veterans

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/30

Until 1971, Memorial Day was observed on May 30. That year, the holiday was moved to the last Monday in May. The original date was chosen by Major General John A. Logan, in his General Order No. 11, while he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, or GAR. He selected the date to ensure access to "the choicest flowers of springtime" across the country.

en

2:55

May 29: Red Thunder, Elder Statesman, Orator and...

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/29

On this date in 1895, Red Thunder was in jail awaiting trial. Though no one had been killed, sensational reports of a so-called “Turtle Mountain War” stirred fear. Canadian troops mobilized along the border, but the U.S. declined to send forces, saying the Chippewa had legal rights in the area and the situation was exaggerated.

en

2:59

May 28: The Turtle Mountain Landform

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/28

"Turtle Mountain" or "Turtle Mountains"? Tribal historian and linguist Pat Gourneau noted that Indigenous languages traditionally didn’t use the plural. The Turtle’s back, head, heart, and tail were referenced by Indigenous people as parts of one elevated landform. Travelers, explorers, and cartographers identified landmarks accordingly.

en

2:46

May 27: Farewell to Fort Ransom

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/27

On June 17, 1867, a battalion of the 10th U.S. Infantry began building a fort to protect westward travelers. The Homestead Act, combined with the end of the Civil War, had led to increased westward migration. Soldiers used oak logs to construct buildings, all arranged within a fortification made of sod. An area of ten square miles with the fort at its center was designated as the Fort Ransom Military Reservation. The fort was named after Major General Thomas E.G. Ransom of the U.S. Volunteers.

en

2:57

May 26: Finley Air Force Station

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/26

As Cold War tensions escalated in the years following World War II, North Dakota found itself on the front lines of America’s defense against a potential Soviet attack. The U.S. Air Force established a network of bases and radar stations across the state. One such installation was Finley Air Force Station, which became operational in 1951, just a mile and a half outside of Finley, North Dakota. Like the station near Fortuna, Finley was part of a broader radar defense network designed to monitor the

en

2:50

May 23: Armour and Company Creameries

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/23

Founded in Chicago in 1863, Armour and Company became one of the five leading firms in the meatpacking industry. By 1880, Armour was Chicago’s most important business and helped make the city the center of America’s meatpacking operations.

en

2:48

May 22: North Dakota Medical Association

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/22

According to its website, the purpose of the North Dakota Medical Association is “to advocate for North Dakota’s physicians, to advance the health, and promote the well-being of the people of North Dakota.” Much of the organization’s work is carried out by five commissions, representing Socio-Economics, Ethics, Legislation, Medical Services, and Public Relations. These commissions meet to discuss topics important to North Dakota doctors and residents, then make recommendations to the

en

2:47

May 21: The Renville Valley Pioneer Cemetery

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/21

May is National Historic Preservation Month, when we remember historic sites and places around North Dakota. Today, we talk about some of these places listed on the National Historic Register because of the people associated with them.

en

2:32

May 20: Rules of Fashion

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/20

The first decade of the twentieth century was known as the Edwardian Age, named after King Edward VII of Great Britain. Fashion was a distinctive and important element of the era. Women wore corsets and long skirts. Men wore suits. Edwardian fashion was known for its excess, elegance, and, above all, strict social rules.

en

2:38

May 19: The Years of Driving Dangerously

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/19

Inventors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were busy perfecting self-propelled vehicles. They experimented with steam-powered as well as gas-powered automobiles. It was exciting to zip down the road at the blazing speed of eight miles an hour but the risks of such travel became apparent almost immediately. With no traffic laws and no safety features, even a slow-moving vehicle could be a menace.

en

478 results

Similar Podcasts

Voices of Life

APG Mannheim

Promo Estereo Podcast

Promo Estereo

Talking Timelines Podcast

Talkingtimelines

גיקונומי

ראם שרמן ודורון ניר

Drømmefanger

Drømmefanger