North Dakota
Get out and discover the beauty of southwestern North Dakota
AMIDON, N.D. — Let’s face it, most of North Dakota’s historic sites aren’t on the way to anywhere special. They are their own destination. While that makes them less frequently visited, it means a journey to these sites is a monumental event. Since moving back to North Dakota 13 years ago, I have been on a mission to visit North Dakota’s historic sites.
After having thoroughly enjoyed experiences such as camping in Icelandic State Park, hiking the Pembina Gorge, biking the Mah Dah Hey trail, camping in the Turtle Mountains, hiking to North Dakota’s lone natural spring in the Sheyenne Grasslands, visiting the Reagan Minuteman Missile site, and many more, this summer I set my sights on southwest North Dakota.
Sorely neglected by tourists, the region west of Bismarck, and south of I-94, is a beautiful place of small towns, cattle ranches, expansive grasslands and rolling hills. It is also the ancestral home of North Dakota’s original inhabitants. On this trip my family and I were headed to two historic sites in that part of the state – Medicine Rock and White Butte.
Journeying west from Fargo, our journey broke south at Salem, site of “Salem Sue,” the largest Holstein cow in the world. Our first stop was Medicine Rock State Historical Site south of Elgin. Prior to visiting Medicine Rock, I consulted the state historical society in order to get guidance on how to respect this sacred site. Located along the north fork of the Cannonball River, Medicine Rock is one of six American Indian rock art sites in North Dakota. About 30 feet in diameter, the rock itself contains detailed pictures, called glyphs, of animals and sights seen in the region in the past. Among the images are a rider on horseback, turtles, bighorn sheep and a bear paw. These are fascinating clues to the region’s ecological past.
The Mandan and Hidatsa Indians consider the Medicine Rock to be an oracle. On a regular basis, elders would come to the rock to perform ceremonies, in anticipation of receiving revelation of things to come, such as expectations of a good hunt that season. For individuals wanting to ponder the history of our land, and acknowledge that people had lived here for many generations prior to the arrival of European immigrants, Medicine Rock is a good place to do it.
On day two we drove west, gradually transitioning from rolling grasslands to rocky buttes. Our destination was White Butte, the highest point in North Dakota at 3,506 feet. The trail was shorter and more gradual than anticipated, which allowed for more time to scout around. The weather was perfect and the breeze on top of the butte was restorative.
We took our lunch sitting on a rocky outcropping, feeling the summer breeze dry our sweat. Watching birds glide through the sky, buffeted up by warm summer updrafts was tranquil.
Why did I feel such pride sitting on North Dakota’s highest point? It might be my irritation at being treated as a flyover state, where our beauty and our people are easily ignored. It could also be the underdog effect where we in North Dakota often feel the need to defend or justify ourselves. But this pride actually comes from a deeper and truer source, the sense that this is home. This is where I live, it is part of who I am, and I am proud of it. I don’t need to justify living in North Dakota, and I don’t need to persuade others that they should too, I can just live my best life in this beautiful place I call home.
Some people erroneously think that North Dakota is all flat. But those people have probably not traveled west of Valley City. Many parts of North Dakota have beautiful terrain and breathtaking views, the southwest part of the state being among the best. I have visited many of North Dakota’s most historic and beautiful sites, and there are many more to see. Did you know that North Dakota is home to North America’s first Muslim Mosque? A trip to Ross, where it is located, is surely in my future.
To learn about North Dakota’s best outdoor sites, visit ndtourism.com or parkrec.nd/hiking.
Mark Strand, Fargo, is a professor in the Pharmacy Practice and Public Health Departments at North Dakota State University.
North Dakota
Live box score: No. 7 UND at No. 2 North Dakota State
FARGO — The 117th meeting between North Dakota and North Dakota State will take place Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Fargodome.
Recaps of scoring plays as they happen will be posted below.
NDSU 7, UND 0, 10:39 left: The Bison move quickly on their first drive. After a questionable 15-yard pass interference on Antonio Bluiett, NDSU’s CharMar Brown scores from 2 yards out.
NDSU 14, UND 0, 2:18 left: After picking up a third-and-7, Cam Miller goes deep for Bryce Lance. Lance beats Clayton Bishop deep for a 36-yard touchdown connection.
North Dakota
Vote 'yes' on North Dakota Measure 1, but 'no' on Measure 3
Two statewide measures on North Dakota’s upcoming ballot offer residents a chance to make a difference in the future of the state — one is based on new economics, the other on new social norms and courtesies.
Measure 1 seeks to make changes to how the state Constitution defines institutions in Grafton, Devils Lake and Jamestown. Measure 3 seeks to decrease the funding that can be expended from the Legacy Fund during a single biennium.
Here’s a look at each:
Although a simple majority vote in the Legislature is required to place a proposed constitutional amendment before the voters, Senate Concurrent Resolution 4001 passed without a single “no” vote during the last legislative session.
The real surprise isn’t that the proposal was unanimously passed, but rather that it’s taken this long. Specifically, the measure seeks to change the official name of the state institutions to be more in line with societal evolution that has taken place over the decades. It would change the State School for the Deaf and Dumb in Devils Lake to the State School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; the State Hospital for the Insane in Jamestown to the State Hospital for Individuals With Mental Illness; and the Institution for the Feeble Minded in Grafton to a “facility for individuals with developmental disabilities.” The latter already has been called the Life Skills and Transition Center, but Measure 1 will make it official.
We urge a “yes” vote on Measure 1, and may this be the last time those phrases are used in print.
A statewide vote in 2010 established the Legacy Fund, a piggy bank for the people that collects 30% of tax revenue from oil and natural gas extraction in the state. In its first 13 years, the fund grew past $9 billion.
Now, a constitutional amendment seeks to decrease the amount of principal available for spending each biennium, from 15% to 5% of the total. The amendment would provide for distribution from the Legacy Fund to a Legacy earnings fund, rather than have the accrued earnings be sent to the state’s general fund, as currently happens.
We don’t like the proposal. Why put constraints on future spending, especially if some sort of tragedy or emergency occurs?
And what about the next great idea — one we cannot fathom today but one that might require a large and expedient expenditure to push it to fruition?
Measure 3 seems like an idea not to spend money. We believe North Dakotans should embrace the state’s prosperity. The Legacy Fund was established to provide a better future for the state, and it’s time to start thinking about what that future will look like.
Vote no on Measure 3.
This Forum Communications Co. editorial represents the views of Forum Communications Co., this newspaper’s parent company. It was written by the FCC Editorial Advisory Board.
North Dakota
ORLP Program awards North Dakota a grant of nearly $4.5 million for development projects
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KFYR) – A grant of nearly $4.5 million from the National Park Service is giving the City of Grand Forks a chance to begin one of its projects that will create more recreational activities in the area.
Thanks to the funding the state received from this grant, the City of Grand Forks is being provided with $3,489,750 to cover phase one of a three-phased masterplan to enhance the Grand Forks Downtown Gateway and Greenway.
“This funding was available, and we met with the North Dakota Parks and Recreation, with Char, and said ‘Is there any chance at all that our project would qualify for funding?’” said Kim Greendahl, Greenway specialist for the city of Grand Forks.
This is the first time the state of North Dakota has qualified for this grant since the beginning of the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program in 2014.
This year, the program awarded the largest grant investment in its history, giving nearly $254 million in 24 states. To qualify, communities needed to have populations of 30,000 or more.
“Before, the requirements were more stringent; populations of 50,000, so a lot of the cities in North Dakota didn’t qualify, but this year it was opened up to multiple cities,” said Char Langehaug, grants coordinator for the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department.
Residents and visitors of Grand Forks can expect phase one to bring a playground area and outdoor learning space, a picnic shelter and a nature promenade. Phase two and three will bring people closer to the water and the addition of a pedestrian bridge.
“The community has really gotten behind this project and it’s exciting, lots of outdoor recreation whilst still being in a flood plain,” said Greendahl.
The City of Grand Forks says it predicts the construction of phase one will officially begin in 2026.
One million dollars of the funds given to North Dakota will be used to enhance the Turtle Mountain Family Recreation Area.
Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.
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