Advertise on podcast: Dakota Datebook

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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, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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October 23: The Siege of Fort Abercrombie

2026/10/23

Fort Abercrombie was built in 1857 along the heavily wooded Red River, 15 miles north of the present-day towns of Wahpeton, North Dakota, and Breckenridge, Minnesota. Both towns were founded at the “Head of the Red” in 1858 by Pierre Bottineau, a French-Chippewa frontiersman and railroad surveyor. He led a team of men from St. Paul who spent the winter there to hold the claim.

October 22: First Special Session and First Presidential Election

2026/10/22

October is Archives Month, when archives around the country celebrate the records in their holdings and recognize the archivists who collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to information of lasting value. The North Dakota State Archives is part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

October 21: Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy Was Here

2026/10/21

A shaggy dog tale was told about a sighting of Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy at Wahpeton long ago. Any evidence? Doggoned right there is!

October 20: History Preserved by North Dakota Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology

2026/10/20

October is Archives Month, when archives around the country celebrate the records in their holdings and recognize the archivists who assess, collect, organize, preserve, and provide access to information of lasting value. The North Dakota State Archives is part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

October 19: Bismarck’s New Flour Mill Opens

2026/10/19

Flour milling has a long history in North Dakota. With wheat a major agricultural commodity, flour production was important to the state’s economy and became a political issue the Nonpartisan League championed. While the State Mill and Elevator in Grand Forks may be more familiar, fewer people may know about Bismarck’s flour mill.

October 16: The Flying Bug

2026/10/16

South Minneapolis native Alexander Heine, born in 1885, worked for the Milwaukee Railroad. But the railroad wasn’t his first love. Alexander became enchanted by the magic of powered flight and caught the flying bug at an early age. He ventured to California, where he attended the Curtiss School in San Diego. When he returned to Minnesota, he couldn’t afford to buy an airplane, so he built one.

October 15: Pilot Clarence Bates

2026/10/15

On this date in 1900, Clarence Bates was born in Albany, New York. Bates enlisted in the Navy during World War I and served as a wireless radio operator. In the 1920s, Clarence decided to learn to fly and took pilot training at Hamilton Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After Bates got his pilot’s license, he got a job flying the mail route to Chicago, Fargo, and Winnipeg, with a plane equipped with skis during the winter.

October 14: A Mecca for Homesteaders

2026/10/14

Adams County was created in 1907 with land that was broken off from Hettinger County. It is located in southwestern North Dakota and encompasses 987 square miles. The county was named for John Quincy Adams, a Milwaukee Railroad official who was a distant relative of President John Quincy Adams.

October 13: International Risk Reduction Day

2026/10/13

Direct global disaster costs reach about $200 billion annually, but the overall economic impact goes as high as $2 trillion as the economy suffers disruption. Wealthier countries suffer the most when it comes to economic costs, but developing countries suffer more in terms of human suffering.

October 12: Traveling Jenny (Remembering Jim Davis)

2026/10/12

We're saddened to share the news that longtime Dakota Datebook writer Jim Davis has passed away. To honor his many contributions to this program, we're re-airing a favorite Datebook: Traveling Jenny — the tale of a super cow in the Killdeer Mountains.

October 9: The Manhattan Project

2026/10/09

In August 1939, a group of concerned scientists drafted a letter warning of the potential development of powerful bombs of a type never seen before. They urged the United States to begin acquiring stockpiles of uranium ore and to support Enrico Fermi’s research into nuclear chain reactions. The letter was signed by Albert Einstein and delivered in person to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

October 8: Opinions of the ND State Constitution During 1889 Convention

2026/10/08

In 1889, men met at the Constitutional Convention in North Dakota to work on framing the state’s foundational document. They met from July 4, 1889, until August 17. There were various topics of interest under discussion, and while they debated, the public watched and voiced their own opinions and concerns—such as in the case of the establishment and location of public buildings, including government offices, universities, and the state hospital.

October 7: Getting on Track

2026/10/07

Railroad tracks finally began creeping west from Duluth, Minnesota, in 1870. On a cold New Year’s Eve in 1871, the railroad finally reached the Red River at Moorhead. Construction on a railroad bridge across the river continued through the winter. The residents of Fargo eagerly watched a locomotive sitting on the tracks, waiting for the completion of the bridge. On June 6, 1872, a group of women boarded a ferry and crossed the river. They decorated the engine with flowers and were then invited to climb aboard the train. The locomotive got up steam, the whistle blew, and the train moved majestically across the bridge and into Dakota Territory.

October 6: The Age of Train Robberies

2026/10/06

At one time, the stagecoach was a tempting target for outlaws. They could stop a coach far from the prying eyes of the law, stealing the cargo and robbing the passengers. As trains began moving across the country, they replaced the stagecoach for long-distance transportation. They also became the new target for outlaws. Train robbery was common in the United States and is associated with outlaw gangs in the American West.

October 5: A Knight of the Air

2026/10/05

World War I broke out on July 28, 1914. At first, airplanes were used only for reconnaissance, but it didn’t take long for the shooting to break out in the air. On August 25, two French aviators shot at and damaged a German plane, which managed to escape. In September, a Russian pilot destroyed an enemy airplane, but instead of shooting it down, he rammed it with his own plane. The crews of both planes were killed.

Podcast reviews

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4.9 out of 5

15 reviews

★★★★★

Cand94 2024/11/22

Love these Historical Flashbacks

I love learning ND history. Its even better when someone else reads a summarized version to you! The Meadowlark tune warms my heart and reminds me of...

★★★★★

Leewana Thomas 2018/07/13

Dakota Delightful

Glad these amazing tidbits are making the podcast leap! I believe you can also see the entire collection (they’ve been going on for several years) at...

★★★★★

RabidPrarieDog 2018/03/02

The historical “snack food” for North Dakota

Great podcast on historical tidbits from North Dakota. I learn something. everyday that makes me even more proud to live here

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