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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

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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.

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3:00

May 16: The House That Divorce Built

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/16

In Wahpeton, there is a regal-looking house built for Ellen Seely by renowned architect Eugene Schuler. Mrs. Seely came to town in 1881 to establish residency for a divorce in the Dakota Territory. Known locally as "Madame Seely," she was a Rockefeller in-law and an opera devotee. Her son, W.A. Seely, had arrived in Wahpeton earlier and prospered. To help pass the time, he built the Seely Opera House downtown. On this date in 1885, Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice had a successful run there.

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2:53

May 15: Lincoln’s Vision

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/15

Even as he was overseeing the Civil War, President Lincoln was determined to move the country forward. In 1862, he signed several bills into law that directly affected Dakota Territory and, by extension, the land that would become the State of North Dakota.

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2:34

May 14: The McNary-Haugan Farm Relief Plan

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/14

The American economy was booming in the 1920s, but things weren’t rosy for everyone. Farmers were in trouble.

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2:40

May 13: Camping Out

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/13

In 1912, the first Boy Scout encampment in North Dakota took place in Valley City. It was clear: the Boy Scouts were a big hit.

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2:44

May 12: Converting the Badlands into Theodore...

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/12

The North Dakota Badlands have much to offer visitors and travelers—if cultivated into a national park, proclaimed Delta R. Connolly on this date in 1927 to readers of the Hettinger County Herald.

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2:49

May 9: Edible Wild Cattails

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/09

We live in a time of abundant food, easily found at the grocery store, a big-box retailer, or a restaurant. Some people prefer natural food stores, farmers markets, or their very own gardens. A few stalwart purists even pursue wild foods, foraged from nature. Today, we’re taking a look at one of the best edible wild plants ever known: the cattail.

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2:50

May 8: Rain Follows the Plow – Or Does It?

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/08

The country was in dire straits when Franklin Roosevelt took office in March of 1933. He immediately declared a four-day bank holiday and signed the Emergency Banking Act to ease the banking crisis. But there was little he could do to improve the weather.

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2:47

May 7: A New County Seat

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/07

Sykeston was considered the county seat when Wells County was organized. In November 1884, Fessenden received more than three-fifths of the votes in an election to formally decide the county seat, but the matter was not settled, even with the vote. Newspapers reported that “Wells County is all torn up over a county seat fight.”

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2:39

May 6: A Badlands Journey

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/06

Herman Stern arrived in North Dakota from Germany in 1903 to work at the Straus Clothing Store in Casselton, which was owned by his cousin. He became the manager of the company’s second store in Valley City and made his home there for the next seventy years. Herman became a community leader and an enthusiastic booster of North Dakota. He was active in the Rotary and the Masons and was a strong supporter of the Boy Scouts.

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3:03

May 5: William Henry Leder

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/05

On this date in 1918, William Henry Leder was born in Flasher, North Dakota, to Carl Benjamin and Helena Augusta Leder. Bill went to school in Mandan and, after graduating from Mandan High School, went on to the North Dakota State Teachers College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

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2:40

May 2: Unwelcome Callers

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/02

On this date in May of 1884, another wild weekend began in Wahpeton. Some homeless individuals showed up at a house south of the Northern Pacific depot. The Wahpeton Times reported that one man "picked up a plate and knocked the mistress of the establishment down. She got up with a revolver in her hand, ordered the intruders out, and started shooting. The fly chaps flew, and it was thought that one of them went away with a perforated hide and took the train the next morning for the east."

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2:52

May 1: Becoming American

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/05/01

Becoming an American citizen was a chaotic process in the early days of the United States. During what became known as the Old Law period, there was no official federal oversight of the citizenship process. Early laws allowed any municipal, county, state, or federal court to grant citizenship and did not require courts to issue certificates.

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2:54

April 30: Bad Weather and Bad Drivers Make an...

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/04/30

The end of April sees North Dakota firmly into the spring season. Winter’s grip is largely absent, and the excitement of warmer weather and planting gardens brings optimism and happiness. Still, the weather sometimes has a few surprises for the region.

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2:46

April 29: Mrs. Weber Gets Mad, Horsewhips Judge Dow

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/04/29

On this date in 1892, Wahpeton papers reported that Gertrude Weber had traveled to St. Joseph, Missouri, in search of her husband. With help from local police, she found him working at a shoe factory. To avoid arrest, Mr. Weber pretended to be overjoyed to see his wife and agreed to return with her to Wahpeton. He asked for a few hours to settle his affairs and gather his belongings. He took Mrs. Weber to a hotel but then escaped by train with the notorious Madam Dollie Anderson. Mrs. Weber soon

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3:00

April 28: JD Allen, taxidermist and artist

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/04/28

John Delbert Allen was born in New York State in 1851 and grew up in Paw Paw, Michigan. He began experimenting with taxidermy at the age of 12.

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2:58

April 25: The Great American Desert

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/04/25

General Stephen H. Long was truly a renaissance man. He was a civil engineer, a soldier, an explorer, a surveyor, and an inventor. He made advances in the development of steam locomotives with his new designs. He taught mathematics at West Point. And although his career as an explorer was relatively short-lived, he covered over 26,000 miles in five expeditions.

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2:55

April 24: Settling the West

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/04/24

In the early 1800s, the government had to figure out what to do with people already claiming land in the West. On this date in 1820, Congress passed the Land Act, allowing settlers to purchase the land they had claimed. They could buy 160 acres at $1.25 per acre. The Land Act made it possible for people of modest means to purchase land and settle down. It also marked the beginning of an organized effort to settle the West.

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2:50

April 23: Sheriff Rickert and the Trouble with Trimble

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/04/23

In April of 1904, Wahpeton had four newspapers, each with its own political slant. At the time, J.A. Rickert was a prominent figure in Richland County. He’d served as County Commissioner, County Treasurer, County Sheriff, and President of the Board of Education. Rickert owned a significant amount of property and was known for his success in both farming and business, including a mercantile store in Lidgerwood.

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2:26

April 22: Small hands, big lives

Dakota Datebook ·

2025/04/22

On this date in 1911, The Bismarck Tribune reported an incident involving a 4-year-old boy in Jamestown. The child, Johnny, was playing with other small boys when he slipped and fell into an abandoned well. A passerby saw Johnny and rushed to help, managing to pull him out. Despite falling around 20 feet, Johnny was uninjured aside from some cuts and bruises.

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