Today in North Dakota History

July 24, 1935

A rock cairn topped by a granite cross was dedicated atop Butte St. Paul, close to Bottineau, near the spot where Father George A. Belcourt had erected a wooden cross in 1850 to thank God for deliverance from a severe storm. A 50-acre state historic site has been established on the butte.

July 24, 1946

John H. Longwell was appointed seventh president of North Dakota Agricultural College, now North Dakota State University.

July 25, 1901

Cando, the seat of Towner County, was incorporated as a city.

July 26, 1907

A post office was established at Bowman.

July 25, 1940

A new Walsh County Courthouse was dedicated at Grafton.

July 26, 1895

Pierre Bottineau, famed pioneer scout for whom Bottineau County was named, died at Red Lake Falls, Minnesota. He was born near the present site of Manvel, son of a French voyageur and Indian woman, and is reputed to have been the first son of a white man born in what now is North Dakota.

July 27, 1885

Thirty five convicts were transferred from the Dakota Territory Prison at Sioux Falls to the prison at Bismarck, which later became the North Dakota State Penitentiary. They were the first inmates at the new prison.

July 27, 1901

Elmer Ellis, who was to become president of the University of Missouri, was born in McHenry County.

July 27, 1902

North Dakota's first permanent white settler, Charles T. Cavileer, died.

July 27, 1913

The site of old Fort Rice was dedicated as a North Dakota state park.

July 27, 1942

A World War II Army Signal Corps training program for enlisted men was established at the University of North Dakota. In the next 14 months, some 1,000 men were trained.

July 27, 1954

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation authorizing establishment of Grand Forks and Minot Air Force bases.

July 27, 1920

The first contract for construction of the Liberty Memorial Building, on the Capitol grounds in Bismarck, was let.

July 27, 1864

General Sully's forces attacked the Sioux in the Battle of the Killdeer Mountains. The battle ended two days later with the complete rout of the Indians, 150 of whom were killed, and the destruction of all the Indian equipment, including 200 tons of food and shooting of 300 dogs.

July 28, 1919

The Bank of North Dakota opened for business at Bismarck.

July 28, 1864

About 150 Indians and five soldiers were killed in the Battle of the Killdeer Mountains. The Army force was led by Brigadier General Alfred H. Sully.

July 28, 1884

Nearly half of the infant city of Devils Lake was destroyed by fire.

July 29, 1886

The North Dakota Press Association was formed by a group of editors on an outing at Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

July 28, 1888

Lee S. Elmer was lynched at Wahpeton.

July 29, 1839

The Jean Nicollet Survey Party reached the Devils Lake area, after coming overland from Fort Pierre and up the James and Sheyenne River valleys. The escort was headed by John C. Fremont.

July 29, 1919

Eight people were killed and about 40 injured and property damage estimated at $300,000 was caused by a severe windstorm that hit Williams and Divide counties.

July 29, 1937

The North Dakota Board of Administration fired four faculty members and three administrators at North Dakota Agricultural College, leading to the loss of its accreditation for political meddling and eventually to the establishment of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education.

July 30, 1919

The Grand Forks post of the American Legion was organized.

July 30, 1898

The First North Dakota Infantry reached Manila Bay aboard the transport Valencia during the Spanish-American War.

July 31, 1899

The First North Dakota Volunteers sailed from the Philippines for the United States, a year and a day after their arrival at Manila Bay.

July 31, 1906

The Nelson County city of Michigan was incorporated.

July 31, 1959

The Maltese Cross cabin of Theodore Roosevelt was acquired from the State of North Dakota and moved from Bismarck to Medora as an attraction at the Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park.

July 31, 1955

Monthly oil production in North Dakota topped the one million barrel mark for the first time with 1,000,154 barrels produced.

August 1, 1961

The North Dakota School for the Blind was re-established in Grand Forks after the closing of the old school at Bathgate that was originally opened in 1908.

July 31, 1872

Fort Ransom was abandoned with the completion of the railroad to Jamestown.

August 1, 1965

The former Ellendale State College became an extension center of the University of North Dakota.

July 31, 1916

Linton, the seat of Emmons County, was incorporated.

August 1, 1894

The Grand Forks City Council approved purchase of a half block of land for the city's first water filtration plant, the first such plant in North Dakota. It was established after the city's drinking water had been blamed for a large number of deaths the same year.

August 1, 1893

Vice President Adlai Stevenson visited Grand Forks briefly while on a western tour.

August 1, 1893

The North Dakota Soldiers Home opened at Lisbon with Colonel W. W. McIlvain as commandant.

August 1, 1894

Barbers of Grand Forks raised the prices of shaves to 15 cents and of haircuts to 25 cents.

August 1, 1929

Fort Buford State Park near Williston was dedicated, with Gen. Hugh L. Scott, a former Indian fighter, delivering the main address.

August 1, 1938

Dr. Frank Eversull became the sixth president of North Dakota State University.

August 2, 1893

George Hutchings of Ransom County became the first person admitted to the State Soldiers Home at Lisbon.

August 2, 1894

About 40 buildings, covering four city blocks at LaMoure, were destroyed by fire.

August 2, 1898

The Walsh County village of Hoople was incorporated.

August 1, 1872

The second Yellowstone Survey expedition headed west from Fort Rice under General Thomas L. Rosser, with the escort commanded by Colonel D.S. Stanley. There were several Indian attacks in western Dakota and eastern Montana.

August 3, 1856

William B. Purcell, U. S. senator from North Dakota 1910-11, was born in Flemington, N. J.

August 3, 1881

Valley City was incorporated as a village.

August 4, 1950

First potato flake plant in North Dakota is established at Grand Forks.

August 5, 1917

North Dakota National Guard units mustered into military service for the World War I combat duty.

August 6, 1919

State Mill and Elevator Association purchased mill at Drake.

August 7, 1965

The first Minuteman Missile in the northeastern North Dakota was installed in its underground silo near Inkster.- The first Minuteman Missile in the northeastern North Dakota was installed in its underground silo near Inkster.

August 8, 1823

Major Stephen H. Long marked the international boundary at Pembina, putting that community and its 350 inhabitants under the jurisdiction of the United States.

August 9, 1890

Governor Frank A. Briggs died at Bismarck.