North Dakota Today
Stories with information about North Dakota today, or stories that would be of specific interest to readers living in today's North Dakota.
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A Square Deal: the Story of William “Bill” Johnson
Published in the October 2024 edition of the Cowboy Chronicle: For Love of Country “A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.” – Theodore Roosevelt Rural cemeteries dot the North Dakota prairies. Many of the towns they belong to have long since vanished; succumbing to the elements and dissolving in to the prairie. Along the outskirts of what little is left of Charbonneau, North Dakota, lies one of these cemeteries. In the corner of one side, a simple cross stands marking the grave of William Johnson, a Spanish- American War veteran. In the weathered wood…
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The Battle to Save Roosevelt’s Horses
https://dakotahorsemagazine.com/articles/the-battle-to-save-roosevelts-horses/ Update: On April 25, 2024 Senator John Hoeven announced that he had “secured a commitment” from the National Park Service to maintain the wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park Sierra Schmidt grew up visiting and getting to know the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). She says the memory is still in her mind as clear as the day she first saw ‘Cloud’ and his band walking down the road near the prairie dog town in the park. She was ten and had been coming to the park since she was three to see the horses. Cloud was an amazing stallion with a big white face…
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North Dakota Farmers and Ranchers Go to Washington!
“Proudly owned by the North Dakota Farmers Union” is not something you would expect to see over the door of a popular restaurant in Washington DC, just a mile away from the White House. Yet there it is, proudly serving locals and visitors since 2006. The farmer owned Founding Farmers restaurant is the first of its kind anywhere. Along with six other restaurants now in its group, these restaurants serve and educate 45,000 people a week. Through their ownership of the Founding Farmer Restaurant Group farmers are helping consumers and Beltway residents better understand and appreciate family farm agriculture and rural America. The restaurants food is sourced from family farms…
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On the Edge of History: A Profile of Medora’s Doug Ellison
“It is the romance and drama of history that still holds my interest. Growing up on a ranch was a reflection of the Old West, so that is the era that first attracted my attention. All of history is interconnected, so one theme leads to another.” Doug Ellison There has always been a certain romance to the American West. There is mystery, excitement, beauty and wide open spaces where adventure and opportunity awaits. Indeed this was true even back in the day when the west was first being settled. Men and women living in crowded tenements and working long hours in often grueling jobs, saw the west as the land…
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Telling the Stories of North Dakota
Published in the Summer 2022 edition of North Dakota Horizons magazine Over a thousand years ago, a Native American carved symbols into the rocks at what is now Writing Rock Historic Site in Divide County. These were not random symbols; each had purpose, meaning, and told a story. Humans have built their cultures, preserved and passed on knowledge, communicated ideas, and entertained with storytelling since the beginning of their existence. What began as oral tradition, evolved to stories written, acted and, in the modern world, also presented on film. Canticle Productions, a North Dakota-based film and theater production company, showcases stories that are as personal to North Dakota as the…
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North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame Celebrates Twenty-five Years
The North Dakota Horizons magazine published a shorter version of “Sentinel on the Prairie” in their Summer 2020 edition and online. https://www.ndhorizons.com/articles/86/north-dakota-cowboy-hall-of-fame-celebrates-25-years.aspx The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of fame is celebrating its 25th anniversary. One man’s dream of preserving the stories and character of the state’s forebears has become a renowned center of western culture. Phil Baird thought about this for a long time. So many stories and moments were passing through time, drifting like the wind across the prairies. Countless hours were spent embracing all the memories and history he could. He hated the thought these stories would be lost to time. Those moments wove together the fabric of…
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Sentinel on the Prairie: Celebrating Twenty-five Years of the Preservation and Protection of North Dakota History
He had been thinking about this for a while now. So many stories and moments, friendships and connections were passing through time. They drifted like the wind across the prairies, and he hated the thought they could all be lost. Countless hours were spent visiting with folks and embracing all the memories and history he could. The stories they told may not have been notable markers in history, but they embodied the character and the essence of the generations. These moments in time woven together were the fabric of America’s western history and an important part of a great national epic. Those who built North Dakota, who dreamed, sacrificed and…
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Knowing Your Past Carries You into the Future
The past meets the present and future in a quiet little town; from the last lynching in North Dakota to the fellowship of burgers in the park and a farmers market on Saturday nights. Showcasing it all is the Lewis and Clark Trail Museum. Motoring down Highway 85 you now bypass the town of Alexander where traffic and trucks lumbering through town used to be an all-day occurrence. All that commotion goes around town now, but beckoning passersby is a highway sign pointing the way for some quiet moments and a glimpse into the past. In the 1960’s McKenzie County and its towns were as they had been for many…
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The Wild Horses of Roosevelt’s Badlands
He was an old man, arthritic and without a family band, but still wild and free. Singlefoot was the oldest stallion living in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). He may have been on his own but he still found the energy to play and enjoy life. He looked out over grasslands and rolling hills interrupted by dramatic and colorful badland formations where his ancestors once roamed. The history of the plains horse dates from prehistoric times; disappearing from North America about 11,000 years ago and returning in the 1500’s with Spanish explorers. Singlefoot and the other horses in the park descended from those brought by the Spaniards and other…
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The Wild Horses of Roosevelt’s Badlands for The Cowboy Chronicle
He’s an old man now – arthritic and without a family band, but Singlefoot, the oldest stallion living in Roosevelt National Park (TRNP)still roams wild and free where his ancestors did, looking out over grasslands and rolling hills interrupted by dramatic and colorful badlands. The history of the plains horse dates from prehistoric times; disappearing from the North America about 11,000 years ago and returning in the 1500’s with Spanish explorers. Singlefoot and the other horses in the park are descended from those brought by the Spaniards and other domesticated stock. Once domesticated, they are feral animals, not “wild” horses as they are generally called. Regardless, these beautiful animals seen…
