From the article:

He acquired an unparalleled collection of Mandan and Hidasta goods. And he kept detailed illustrated journals that would in sheer historical detail put the earlier, more famous explorers’ notes to shame.

Now the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn is featuring Prince Maximilian and the work of the gifted artist Karl Bodmer, who accompanied him, as a way to celebrate the 175th year since their journey.

I read last week that there will be a Christmas open house at the Former Governor’s Mansion tomorrow, December 7.  Unfortunately, it’s not a good day for me to go, so I hope someone who has the chance to go will write back and let me know what they learned.  It’s a part of North Dakota’s history I’m sad to miss out on.  Maybe I’ll catch a tour next summer.

Interested parties can read more about the Former Governor’s Mansion here.

The final explosion took place this morning.  A video link will be available through KX News around noon today.

It’s hard to say goodbye to a landmark, but I have to admit, I’m beginning to look forward to seeing the north view of the Missouri unimpeded as I travel across the new bridge.

According to this KX News article, there are less than 500 Nakota horses in the nation. 

My favorite part of this article:

Emma Zeigler made the move all the way from Sweden to Linton to be with the Nakotas

Emma Zeigler / From Sweden: “North Dakota is a very special place I think. I really, really like the prairie [and] the rolling hills. When the sun is going down it gets this golden color on the green hills. It is just so pretty, it is just a good atmosphere. People are very friendly, very open.”

At least in my case.  I am not muslim, but I belong to a religion that is largely misunderstood, sometimes even persecuted.  I haven’t experienced that here.  I’ve found I’m able to talk freely about my religion, and people listen without fear.  That doesn’t mean they embrace what I believe, but they don’t attack or shun me, either.

For me, that’s a precious measure of peace, freedom and security.  I don’t have to worry about my children in school or my husband at work.  We have found friends in abundance.  I suspect that’s true for most people in situations like ours. 

Stories like the one I linked to above always bring strong feelings to the surface.  If I could, I would reach out to every muslim woman in North Dakota to let them know they are treasured for who and what they are.

To everyone else, I would encourage a moment of reflection.  After all, North Dakota was home to the first Mosque in America. 

Read more about that here and here.

The textbook is called “North Dakota History: Readings about the Northern Plains State.” It includes articles published in state historical journals since 1906.

Kathy Davison, editor of the textbook and the State Historical Society of North Dakota, says it’s like “a series of snapshots of the state.”

It sounds like something that I would enjoy reading.  I’ll be watching for a copy at the library.

The site is located 14 1/2 miles northeast of Grenora, North Dakota, almost as far northwest as you can go and still be in the state.  For those who are interested in the Bakken oil formation area and come here to visit, this may be a fun side trip.

“It’s funny how North Dakota sticks with me,” he said.  “It’s what I long to build and create around me, wherever I am.  It is all things good and honorable.” 

It’s been a busy year for Everson.  Besides working on the raku art form and teaching it to others, he founded the Grizzly Groundswell blog site, began work on an online conservative radio station, and seriously considered running for the Minnesota House of Representatives.  

Everson, who said Grizzly Groundswell is more about faith and conservative living than politics, said the timing for holding public office just wasn’t right.  He decided to take the road less traveled.  He pulled out of the race in order to concentrate on building an online network of conservative bloggers.   

“I found that it tied my hands too much just as my site was taking off, so I am stepping back and reinvesting my energy into the online empire I am creating.  A big decision for me was looking at the political landscape here in my backyard.  It is volatile and I knew I could affect it more as a blogger than as a candidate.” 

Pulling out of the political race to work on politics in a different way was a bold move that was rooted in North Dakota history. 

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Everson explained how his great-grandfather, E.W. Everson, immigrated from Norway, settled in North Dakota, and became involved in politics.  According to Chad Everson, E.W. Everson was responsible for initiating the Independent Voters Association, which successfully challenged the Non-Partisan League and stopped some seriously socialistic maneuvers.

Generations later, Chad Everson said E.W. Everson was his inspiration and motivation for creating the Grizzly Groundswell site.

“This new media, to me, is my great-grandfather’s North  Dakota,” he said.  “It’s the last frontier, the last chance to homestead.”

E.W. Everson’s courage to stand alone in the face of political heat helped Chad Everson with his own decisions, including how he wanted to run Grizzly Groundswell.  The blog site aims to have at least one conservative political blogger in every state.  The variety of people and perspectives is important.

“It’s like a good North Dakota quilt,” Everson explained.  “If it doesn’t have all the colors and textures, it wouldn’t be as beautiful.”

The ultimate goal of the Grizzly Groundswell site and Grizzly Groundswell Radio is to be able to oppose small socialistic changes that may spread from one state to another without much notice.

“You can really head things off before people get the political machines moving,” Everson said.  “If you see something in someone else’s back yard, you know it’s coming to yours.”

“I looked at all the online media,” he said.  “There’s a lot of talent and a lot of good things going on, but no one seems to be working together.  I’m hoping that one day we’ll be so strong and so visible that we’ll whisper and people will hear us.”

Meanwhile, Everson and his wife Michelle focus on creating a simple, peaceful way of life.  They call their home ‘Dream Fulfilled’ and surround it with animals, fruit trees, and a large garden. 

“I still live like prairie land demands, honest and joyfully,” Everson said.  “I bring my inviting North Dakota smile and eye contact to lands where passerbyers seldom glance in each other’s direction.  I still insist corruption and socialism is not how business in my backyard is done.”

Everson, a North Dakota ambassador, is currently writing a book about E.W. Everson.  He said the book will be called ‘Better Man than I:  The Greatest American Story Socialists Never Wanted You to Hear.’ 

“So far it is my story as well, looking back to my great-grandfather’s heroism and gift so that I would be the man God has intended me,” he said.   

The Battleship Texas was one of four United States ships to be named after Texas.  North Dakota has had only one, also a battleship, that was decommissioned in 1923.

With Johnny Horton’s “The Sinking of the Bismarck” marching through my brain, I reflected on a resolution that passed the North Dakota State Legislature in April, 2007.  The resolution called for the Secretary of the Navy to name another ship after North Dakota.  After walking the U.S.S. Texas, I have a better understanding of what a ship named after a state can do for that state, and I wish whole-heartedly for a second U.S.S. North Dakota. 

The battleship U.S.S. North Dakota was sold for scrap in 1931.  A model of the battleship is on display at the North Dakota Heritage Center.  Pictures and more information on the U.S.S. North Dakota can be found on its Wikipedia site and  on the Naval Historical Center site; more sites are available if you search on google or yahoo.

(Incidentally, I discovered on the way home that ND isn’t any flatter than the parts of South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Texas and Louisianna we visited.)

The remains were found in southwestern North Dakota in 1999.  Tyler Lyson, who found and owns the remains, said they could be on display for about three years.  Read the entire article here.