North Dakota
The Pet Rock was hatched 50 years ago by a North Dakota native
It’s December 1975. You’re steering your boat-sized Buick down 13th Avenue toward West Acres (WAAAAAAY out west). You’re singing along to the No. 1 song, “Fly, Robin, Fly,” when a familiar Christmas worry creeps in.
I don’t know for a fact that my mother actually lived out this exact scene 50 years ago. But it sounds like her. (Except she’d be listening to the Carpenters or Neil Diamond — not Silver Convention.)
But I hope Joan Briggs didn’t think too long and hard about what we kids wanted that Christmas of ’75. We, like millions of Americans, had caught the fever of that year’s hottest gifts: the Pet Rock and mood rings. Both are celebrating their 50th birthdays this year.
As we mark the golden anniversary, let’s look back at why those gifts were such hits.
First up: the Pet Rock. And did you know a North Dakota native invented it?
We’ve probably all had that fleeting thought (particularly as we’re paying bills): If only I had that million-dollar idea!
Think Spanx. Snuggies. Post-it notes.
A North Dakota native named Gary Ross Dahl had one of those lightning-bolt ideas — the viral (before they called it that) Pet Rock. It would make him a millionaire in less than a year.
Gary Ross Dahl was born in Bottineau, North Dakota, on Dec. 18, 1936, to Richard “Arnold” Dahl and Lavone Ferm Dahl. Arnold was a projectionist at the Pasture Theatre. In the early 1940s, the family moved to Spokane, Washington, where Arnold got a job with a lumber company and Lavone worked as a waitress and welcomed a second child, a daughter.
According to Curt Eriksmoen, in his “Did You Know That” column from April 26, 2015, after his parents’ divorce, Gary said he became “an obnoxious brat, somewhere between a juvenile delinquent and just a bad kid.”
He joined the Marine Corps in 1954 to straighten himself out.
He obviously did — finding his way to Washington State University and eventually California, where he worked as an artist designing signs in San Diego. That later led to a job as an account executive for an advertising agency.
When he wasn’t writing ad copy, he and his wife, Marguerite, took care of enough animals to fill a petting zoo: two German shepherds, two cats, two goats, two chickens and a guinea pig.
This is where fate steps in.
Dahl was at a bar with some buddies one night, commiserating about high-maintenance pets. He quipped that the perfect pet would be … a rock. No feeding. No grooming. No mess. No allergies. Just pure, geological companionship.
Sure, it was a joke. But the light bulb went on — and Dahl was on his way to making millions.
He got to work packaging his new “pet,” placing a smooth stone atop a bed of packing material inside a cardboard box complete with air holes — for “breathing.” Each rock came with “The Care and Training of Your Pet Rock,” a wonderfully deadpan manual that taught owners how to command their rock to “sit,” “stay” and “roll over” (best taught on a hillside).
The Pet Rock debuted in August 1975 and immediately became a cultural phenomenon. A few months later, Dahl’s wife was telling reporters they’d already sold 60,000 of them. By Christmas, more than a million had been “adopted” nationwide.
Ten years before they brought us the hugely popular Santa Bear, the folks at Dayton’s Department Store were all in on the Pet Rock. Gift buyer Ed Hovis called it the “smash stocking stuffer for 1975.”
Here in Fargo-Moorhead, shoppers flooded into the West Acres Dayton’s, picking up their new “pets” for just $4.
Absolute seasonal silliness, to be sure. Still, in 1975, the Pet Rock seemed to delight people as much as dog and cat videos do today.
In The Forum, one columnist wrote that while the shopping crowd looked grim and foot-weary, “every person at the Pet Rock display was smiling from ear to ear.”
But not everyone was amused.
The Duluth News Tribune’s letters section erupted into figurative rock-throwing, with one writer peppering his letter with gems like: “The real rocks are in the purchaser’s skull,” “I bet in this country, with the right promotion and a box and ribbon, human waste could be sold,” and “People who put this item out, those who buy it and those who advertise it are all sick.”
Sounds like someone needed a pet rock to snuggle.
Another letter fought back that it was just for fun and “a form of social commentary, something of which we have far too little.”
By early 1976, the craze faded, despite Ross offering shoppers red, white and blue bicentennial rocks.
He tried to make lightning strike twice that Christmas of ’76 by offering the equally silly “Original Sand Breeding Kit,” which allowed “buyers to grow their own desert wasteland.”
It didn’t hit. But it didn’t really matter. That single year — 1975 — made Dahl a millionaire.
He remained active in the world of advertising, later co-authoring “Advertising for Dummies,” which surely would include a chapter on how the power of one odd idea, packaged with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek charm, can set you up for life.
Dahl always insisted, “I packaged a sense of humor for a very bored public.” And it’s hard to argue that a sense of humor might be one of the best Christmas gifts of all.
Gary Ross Dahl died March 23, 2015, at age 78. In one final, fitting twist, his obituary appeared in many newspapers on April 1 — April Fools’ Day.
And yes, if you’re wondering, the Pet Rock never really went extinct. You can still buy one on Amazon today for $29.95 — proving that inflation affects even imaginary pets.
For a man who once sold the world a rock in a box, maybe Dahl’s greatest legacy is simpler than all the numbers: for one strange, silly season in 1975, he reminded us that laughter itself is sometimes the perfect Christmas gift.
Next week: The other Christmas fad of 1975 — the mood ring — and does the one I wore in sixth grade still work?
What did Christmas shopping look like more than 50 years ago?
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GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Valley News Live) — The U.S. Space Force wants to build a $250 million space operations center at Grand Forks Air Force Base as part of President Trump’s 2027 defense budget request.
The facility would be about 180,000 square feet and built as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, designed to handle top-secret information. It would house highly classified missile-warning and missile-tracking operations, as well as the space data network.
The project would bring more than 100 Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office personnel to the base across two to three fully manned squadrons, according to North Dakota Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer.
“This new project puts Grand Forks right at the center of what’s next in space operations,” Cramer said in a statement. “It speaks to the depth of our Airmen and Guardians’ expertise and why this base keeps getting tapped for the most important and modern missions.”
The facility builds on the low-Earth orbit satellite mission already at Grand Forks, which serves as the backbone of U.S. military communications. Hoeven worked to establish that mission and has been pushing to add missile-tracking and advanced fire-control capabilities.
The three-story facility will include a 500-person auditorium for secure briefings and conferences, as well as a dining area to support 24/7 operations, according to the Space Force.
Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, said he spoke with Space Force Chief of Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman about the proposal this week. He said he will work to secure funding through the annual appropriations process.
Design is expected to start later this year if Congress approves the funding.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
North Dakota has been on a roll recently on the recruiting trail, trying to add to their 2027 recruiting class. They did just that when they received a commitment from La Crosse (WI) Aquinas High School athlete Brady Lee on April 16.
“I committed because the coaching staff, the school, and the community made it the right fit for me,” Lee said.
He received his first offer from the Fighting Hawks on November 22, when he was in Grand Forks for the South Dakota State game, and met with head coach Eric Schmidt beforehand. Despite the UND setback that day, they made quite the impression on him.
“Coach Schmidt had me meet him on the sideline before their game against South Dakota State, and he basically told me I did everything they asked and then he offered me. The game was great, I loved the energy of the Alerus Center, and I got to watch my former teammate, Shane Willenbring, who plays for SDSU. The coaches made me feel like a priority, even though it was a huge match-up.”
The coaching staff was one of the main reasons he committed, and he was able to catch up with Schmidt and safeties coach Keaton Wilkerson when he made it out to practice on March 28.
“I love Coach Wilk and Coach Schmidt. They have made it clear to me that they are in my corner. When I was there at practice, they and the rest of the staff showed nothing but love for me, and it felt like I was at home.”
COMMITTED. #JYD @UNDfootball @Coach_SchmidtE @CoachWilk0 pic.twitter.com/G6NY5jMzeg
— Brady Lee (@BradyLee834) April 16, 2026
Recapping last season
Last season, Lee, who plays safety and wide receiver, was named an All-Region selection by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association and an All-State Honorable Mention. He helped lead Aquinas to an 11-1 record and made it to the third round of the playoffs.
“The season went well. We had a tough loss at the end of the year, but we went 11-1. I had a slow start to the season, but things really picked up at the end of the year for me.”
That playoff loss still doesn’t sit well with Lee and the rest of the Blugolds, who still have it on their minds.
Had a great time coming back up to Grand Forks. UND never disappoints!!@UNDfootball @Coach_SchmidtE @CoachWilk0 @IsaacFruechte14 @ghaugii7 @TrevorOlson62 @JosephDotty14 @Thomas_Kiesau pic.twitter.com/2DADQJL9oH
— Brady Lee (@BradyLee834) July 25, 2025
“The offseason has been very well. My teammates and I have been grinding, no doubt about it. We definitely have unfinished business.”
The recruiting process is a different experience for every prospect, and it certainly was for Lee. In addition to the Fighting Hawks, he also had offers from North Dakota State and South Dakota.
“My recruitment was overwhelming, but it was still a blessing. I had a bunch of visits and some offers, but nowhere felt like North Dakota.”
Lee adds to a North Dakota 2027 class, which is currently rated No. 79 nationally by 247Sports, and includes three-star quarterback Caden Gutzmer, Andrew McGee, Jonah Cummings, Ethan Howey, Carson Wilson, and Marlowe Strain.
Updated Junior Season Highlights++
-6’2” 195: SAF/ATH — Brady Lee (@BradyLee834) February 17, 2026
-Allowed 1 catch as a junior
-1st team All-conference
-1st team All-tribune
-1st team All-region
-HM All-state pic.twitter.com/fGNaxFv6Dn
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Minnetonka (Minn.) quarterback Caden Gutzmer committed to North Dakota earlier this month.
Gutzmer, a higher three-star on Rivals and the Rivals Industry Ranking, is a significant addition for the Fighting Hawks and chose them over the presence of several other offers. Head coach Eric Schmidt and his staff had much to do with that.
“There are many reasons,” he said. “First being the entire coaching staff is very welcoming, and experienced. And with Coach Schmidt leading the way, the culture there is awesome. I have been to a lot of schools, but based on what I saw with UND, they are building a championship winning team in a strong Missouri Valley Conference. And lastly, the most important thing for me is having an opportunity to play. They really believe in developing players from high school. Could I possibly go to a bigger program, yes. But I don’t want to chase a logo to sit behind kids coming from the portal, you need to opportunity to prove it.”
Gutzmer knows that based on how UND recruits and develops though, that he will have healthy competition within his position group when he gets there.
“We went into depth about the quarterback room and plan,” he said. “Obviously I need to prove myself — everything is earned, and they have a strong quarterback room.”
With his recruitment now behind him, Gutzmer is working towards the ultimate goal for his senior season.
“The biggest focus for me this offseason is to continue to work on my speed and agility, and of course working with my QB coach on everything both physical and mental,” he said. “And get reps with my teammates. Two big goals for the season: stay healthy and win a 6A state championship.”
Gutzmer is ranked by Rivals as the No. 8 junior in Minnesota.
As a junior, he passed for 1,147 yards on 65-of-103 passing for ten touchdowns and zero interceptions.
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