DAKOTA DATEBOOK: Speed Ordinance in Hope, ND
August 17, 2026 – In early years of automobiles, they had to intermingle with pedestrians, horses, and bicycles. The rules of the road were few, and evolving from town-to-town. On this date in 1910, the Hope Pioneer newspaper reported on a recently-passed ordinance that sought to address the regulatory challenge.
Ordinance No. 31 dealt with the speed of all things ridden, driven, or operated “on the streets, alleys, public thoroughfares or public grounds within the limits of the city of Hope,” and offered a penalty of $5 to $25 to those who disobeyed the rules.
According to this new guideline, no one was allowed to “run, race, or immoderately ride or drive any horse, mule, or other animal,” in aforementioned areas of the city at more than 10 miles an hour. That included animals hooked up to wagons. It may seem surprising to some that this was established at all; however, it is important to remember that some horses can reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. That may have been reckless on the city streets, especially when pulling a buggy with people inside.
Perhaps more surprising, the ordinance limited people from driving or by any means propelling any automobile, motorcycle, or any other sort of vehicle powered by gasoline, steam, electricity, or any other substance to the same 10 miles-per-hour.
If listeners are wondering, cars could certainly go a great deal faster by that time. Some of the fastest cars produced between 1900 and 1909 were the Mercedes-Simplex 60HP, which could go as fast as 73 miles per hour, and was recorded in 1904 as hitting 92.3 racing at Daytona Beach. In 1911, the Prinz Heinrich (also known as the Prince Henry) could get up to 85 miles per hour. The American Mercer 35R Raceabout was sold between 1910 and 1914, and could reach around 90 miles per hour. These speedy cars were used in many races.
Automobiles participating in any form of sanctioned racing within the city of Hope, such as on the racetrack or fair grounds, were able to do so without concern for the ordinance, which was specific to city traffic.
A few other safety and generally helpful rules were also put into effect. All vehicles were required to get and use a muffler, as well as “at least one light” in the front that should be lit and used at all times.
As they say, ‘slow and steady wins the race.’ In the town of Hope, it was also the law.
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
DAKOTA DATEBOOK: Business Women
August 18, 2026 – After Agnes Rex ventured to St. Louis in 1919 for the first meeting of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women, she was excited to return to North Dakota and start organizing local clubs. Soon, she was elected the first North Dakota BPW president, after starting clubs in cities all around the state. They would go on to benefit their cities for many years, and the BPW was often at the forefront when it came to women’s rights issues.
The first meeting of the first North Dakota BPW branch happened on this date in Grand Forks in 1919. Membership fees were established at $1.50 per year. Throughout their first year as a club, the Grand Forks ladies kept busy with poetry readings, concerts, fundraisers, and membership drives. In the 1920s they also operated a placement service for women seeking jobs, and ran a periodical called “The Gist of It” until 1932.
And after World War Two, the national BPW thought women should remain employed, with equal pay. So, they began a campaign that would continue for decades, and North Dakota women played their part. For example, on January 23, 1956, Irene S. Gable came from Bismarck to speak at one of the Grand Forks Business and Professional Women’s Club meetings. Other women’s business groups from the area also came to listen. Gable spoke about the importance of women advocating for workplace rights. She said men were always promoted to the higher level jobs, whether or not they were more qualified. She said this meant more women needed to register to vote; 46% wasn’t enough. She said women needed to treat jobs as lifetime commitments, rather than “stopgaps” between school and marriage.
In 1956 many people still thought women shouldn’t be working, so it’s obvious the Grand Forks ladies weren’t afraid to cause controversy with their events and goals. A brochure of theirs from 1959 had a quote from Mary Stewart: “let us be large, in thought, in word, in deed.” They knew that what they were fighting for was part of a bigger picture.
Today, only two North Dakota BPW clubs remain – in Bismarck-Mandan and Devils Lake, still actively recruiting members, granting scholarships, and providing a safe and nurturing environment for businesswomen to meet, laugh, and support each other.
Dakota Datebook written by Leewana Thomas
DAKOTA DATEBOOK: Fighting Frost with Smoke and Fire
August 19, 2026 – August is the golden month in North Dakota. Wheat stalks turn from green to gold in late July and into August; and the golden wheat brings prosperity. Yet wheat growing is fraught with anxiety for the Dakota wheat farmer, for storm or wind or hail or grasshopper or blight can obliterate the crop in a moment or an hour or a night.
One fear is an early killing frost. That happened in 1888, as a deep frost hit Eastern Dakota on the sixteenth of August. The temperatures dipped to 28 degrees at Hope, damaging wheat that had been planted late due to a cold, wet spring. At Ellendale, there was frost, “severe enough to form ice,” according to a report in the Minneapolis Tribune, and farmers had supposedly “quit harvesting and gone skating.”
In subsequent years, agricultural experts in Northern Dakota sought to educate farmers in frost-fighting techniques. On this date in 1891, Mr. W.W. Barrett, working for the state government, wrote to the Grand Forks Herald to give farmers a “frost preventative,” as he called it. The best way to fight cold was with fire, or, more specifically, with smoke.
Mr. Barrett instructed farmers to build smudge piles made up of “new, dry hay” covered with a layer of “wet, well decayed manure.” He advised farmers to place plenty of these smudge piles on the north and west sides of the vulnerable wheat fields. A smudge pile made up of “half rotten straw” would also suffice to fight frost.
The best time to light the smudge piles was near 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. and to keep the smoke rising until dawn, when the sun would ward off Jack Frost. The coldest time in the August night would be at 3 a.m. in the Red River Valley; while in the west, the coldest time came just before sunrise. Smoke would protect the wheat crop just like a blanket would protect tomatoes, by holding the heat already in the soil near to the fruit or grain.
Barrett tested his principles at his own farm near Church’s Ferry, in Ramsey County, and he found that his smoke screen raised the air temperature surrounding his tender wheat crop as much as three to four degrees, thereby saving the wheat for harvest.
Smoke as a frost preventative is also well known in modern times with citrus growers in Florida and California fighting frost by means of smudge pots.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Steve Hoffbeck
“Dakota Datebook” is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from The Study ND. See all the Dakota Datebooks at prairiepublic.org, subscribe to the “Dakota Datebook” podcast, or buy the Dakota Datebook book at shopprairiepublic.org.
DAKOTA DATEBOOK: Twister
August 20, 2026 – A 1911 postcard carried this hand-written message:
“This is how the storm looked as it passed over Antler … wrecked a barn and killed one man, 1 ½ miles from where I am working.”
On the front of the postcard is a picture of the tornado that hit on this date in 1911 – a large black mass extending down toward some buildings.
Whoever took the photo must have had a hard time of it, worrying about the approaching twister. By that time, gelatin emulsions had made it possible to take pictures with shorter exposure times. Film could be bought ready-to-go, and developing could take place well after the fact – improvements that made tornado photography much easier. The earliest tornado photograph was taken in 1884 near Howard, a Dakota Territory town now in South Dakota.
On the day of the Antler tornado, there were also pictures taken that show the destruction. All that remained in place of one house was the floor, with the roof sitting nearby. Another house was demolished, with wooden boards scattered across the yard.
Antler’s newspaper detailed the damage to homes and crops, proclaiming property losses would total more than 100,000 dollars. The paper also told the story of those caught up in the storm.
The twister hit one home where more than 20 people had gathered. Most fit in the cellar, but there wasn’t space for one man. He hid in the trees and came away with only a “scalp wound.”
There was also a group at the picnic grounds on Mr. Manning’s property that day. Mr. Manning offered up the space so frequently that many forgot the land was private. The “Pride of Antler,” with its welcoming shade and natural beauty, the picnic grounds had hosted 150 people earlier that day. Most left when they saw the approaching storm, but by the time the twister headed towards the picnic grounds 15-20 people remained. Taking shelter in the pavilion, many were injured as the place was lifted from its foundation and the structure was destroyed. All had initially survived the tornado, but several died of their injuries.
Mr. Manning pledged to restore the picnic grounds, so in time the place would regain its former glory.
Dakota Datebook written by Alyssa Boge
DAKOTA DATEBOOK: Pembina County
August 21, 2026 – When Europeans arrived in the area along the Pembina and Red Rivers in the 1600s, the land was already home to the Assiniboine and Lakota. They were later joined by the Chippewa, who migrated from the east and became the dominant tribe, pushing the others farther west.
The Indigenous inhabitants formed trading relationships with French trappers, who often married Native American women. Their descendants continued to live in the region, hunting and trapping.
After the French defeat in the Seven Years’ War, the Chippewa adapted and learned to deal with the British. By the time of the War of 1812, they supported the British, hoping a British victory would halt the encroachment of Euro-American settlers on their land. But when the Canadian border was finalized, the Chippewa found themselves living on land now considered part of the United States.
What is now Pembina County was originally part of Minnesota Territory. On this date in 1867, it became the first county in what would eventually become the state of North Dakota, following the organization of Dakota Territory.
Pembina County was originally enormous, encompassing what would later become many other counties, including Cass, Traill, and Richland. In 1887, it began to shrink as new counties were organized, eventually taking on the size and shape we recognize today.
The name “Pembina” is derived from the Chippewa word for the high bush cranberry, which grew in abundance along the Pembina River.
Pembina was home to a significant population of Métis descendants of French fur trappers and Native Americans. The Métis developed the Red River cart, a unique form of transportation with high wheels to handle mud, brush, and streams.
The carts had no metal parts, making them easy to repair. Pulled by oxen, they could carry up to 900 pounds of fur and meat to markets in Canada and St. Paul, returning to Pembina with much-needed supplies.
The largest single ethnic group to settle in Pembina was Icelandic. They were joined by Irish, English, and Scottish settlers from Canada followed by Scandinavians, Germans, Russians, Belgians, Ukrainians, and others from around the United States.
As a result, Pembina County is home to a rich, diverse, and very interesting cultural mix.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
“Dakota Datebook” is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from The Study ND. See all the Dakota Datebooks at prairiepublic.org, subscribe to the “Dakota Datebook” podcast, or buy the Dakota Datebook book at shopprairiepublic.org.