Advertise on podcast: Dakota Datebook

Rating

★★★★★

4.9

from

15 reviews

Description

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.

Unlock Dakota Datebook podcast Email contact info,
Listeners & Audience details

Email contact information

Direct podcast contact details

Listeners

Audience numbers & engagement insights

Audience details

Podcast Insights

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Dakota Datebook podcast

November 13: Browder v. Gayle

2026/11/13

From the 1880s onward, many American states enforced segregation through what were known as “Jim Crow” laws. States could impose legal punishments intended to prevent people from associating with members of a different race. Local governments could also pass their own Jim Crow laws. Racial intermarriage was banned in many places, and other laws required businesses to maintain separate facilities for white people and members of other races.

November 12: A Small Town Marvel

2026/11/12

The grain elevator is the centerpiece of many small North Dakota towns and is often the tallest and most impressive structure. On this date in 1909, the Golden Valley Chronicle said of the newly completed grain elevator in Beach, “Few towns twice or thrice the size of Beach have anything to compare with it.”

November 11: The Spirit of the West

2026/11/11

North Dakota’s cowboy culture has been shaped by a variety of well-known figures, from ranching pioneers to stars of the silver screen. It has been said that Buffalo Bill Cody invented the Wild West.

November 10: McClusky, North Dakota

2026/11/10

Although a post office named McClusky, North Dakota, began operating in 1903, the town itself wasn’t laid out until 1905, when the railroad reached the area.

November 9: Transitioning to Steam

2026/11/09

Steam-powered threshers revolutionized agriculture as farmers began transitioning from horses to steam power. A crew using one of these machines could process a harvest in days rather than weeks. There was, however, a significant problem: the machines were dangerous.

November 6: Help is on the Way

2026/11/06

When the Great Depression hit in 1929, 15 million Americans were thrown out of work. They lost their jobs, their savings, and their homes. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, he believed it was the federal government’s responsibility to pull the country out of the financial disaster. He established government programs to accomplish that task.

November 5: Early November History

2026/11/05

Today, we share a few nuggets of early November history in North Dakota.

November 4: Wagons West

2026/11/04

The first wagon train of pioneers arrived in California after a 1,730-mile journey that took five months. The Bartleson-Bidwell Party was the first organized wagon train to successfully cross the Rocky Mountains and reach California, arriving on this date in 1841. The group’s success demonstrated that the journey was feasible and marked a pivotal moment in westward expansion. More settlers were encouraged to make the attempt.

November 3: Meatless and Wheatless

2026/11/03

On this date in 1917, the Bismarck Tribune proudly announced that 18,312 North Dakota families had signed the Food Pledge.

November 2: Oh, Canada!

2026/11/02

On this date in 1911, an article in the Bismarck Tribune informed readers that Representative Champ Clark, the Speaker of the House, strongly favored annexing our northern neighbor.

October 30: On The Loose

2026/10/30

On this date in 1971, a mysterious, hopping, hairless creature was loose on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. Armed with a rake and a burlap sack, Morris Baker spotted and captured the creature on Halloween at his farm near Belcourt. Dubbed “Whatsit,” the unknown animal was taken to the jail in Belcourt in poor health, where he was vaccinated against rabies and nursed back to health.

October 29: Halloween

2026/10/30

There was a ghost haunting the streets of Bismarck in 1892. At least, that's what the Bismarck Tribune reported as Halloween neared, stating: "Bismarck does not claim for itself anything out of the ordinary, but it does, just at present, rejoice at the possession of something which does not fall to the lot of every city; it owns a real, live ghost, with the white robe and all other appendages of dress, the possession of which is absolutely indispensable to the fashionable personal appearance of a well-dressed ghost."

October 28: A Bad Case of Hiccups

2026/10/28

For Vincent Baltulis of Fargo, the hiccups started on a December day in 1936, and they wouldn’t go away. Vincent tried every home remedy he knew. First, he tried holding his breath. Then he tried taking “nine swallows of water in rapid succession.” Nothing worked for the 74-year-old, who had worked as a highly skilled tailor for many years.

The Birth of Online Shopping

2026/10/27

The mail-order business began when Montgomery Ward launched the first mail-order company in 1872.

October 26: Original Draft Constitution’s Road to the State Archives

2026/10/26

In December 1930, when the original Capitol building burned, many people turned out to watch. Some, however, came to save what they could. Secretary of State Robert Byrne was one of those who joined in the heroics. He broke a window into his office, cutting his hand on the glass and singeing his hat. Inside, he opened the storage vault and rescued the original state constitution, which luckily suffered no damage. Without his efforts, the constitution might have been lost or damaged, as happened to records from some other state agencies. His quick thinking saved this founding document.

Podcast reviews

Read Dakota Datebook podcast reviews

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

check all reviews on apple podcasts