North Dakota
Golis: On the road where the bison and the antelope play
“When you get to the four mailboxes, turn left and go six miles …” — Directions from a Montana rancher
MEDORA, North Dakota
Back in March, I worried a shortage of electric vehicle chargers would keep us from visiting North Dakota. But here we are in Medora, the town that bumps up against Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
OK, so we cheated. We drove our EV to Missoula, Montana, and then rented a gas-powered car to take us into the far reaches of northeastern Montana and then to neighboring North Dakota.
You can drive a long way in northeastern Montana and parts of North Dakota without seeing another person, much less an electric vehicle charging station. (In EV sales, North Dakota ranks second to last among the states.)
So, yeah, we cheated.
The (many) miles of wheat fields, beef cattle, wide-open prairie and the eroded formations that came to be called badlands and river breaks remind us that eastern Montana won’t be confused with the parts of Montana defined by big mountains and big trees.
Eastern Montana is beautiful, too, but it is different.
And there’s a lot happening, including celebrations of Lewis and Clark, the retelling of injustices committed against Native Americans, dinosaur museums, the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, the Missouri Breaks and the American Prairie Reserve, an ambitious conservation project that aims to “re-wild” large sections of the prairie. (Some ranchers are not fans.)
We began in Fort Benton, hard on the Missouri River. It happens to be the oldest town in Montana, and before the transcontinental railroad, it was the last stop for Missouri River commerce. The statue overlooking the river honors Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and Sacagawea for their contributions to the exploration of the West. Historian Stephen Ambrose wrote of their “undaunted courage,” and that seems about right. They came through these parts in 1805, 41 years before the founding of Fort Benton.
East of Big Sandy and south of Havre (pronounced have-er), we ventured into the confusion of unmarked gravel roads that pass through the Bear’s Paw Mountains and link to some sizable ranches. (The 66,000 acres of the IX Ranch were recently listed for $66 million.)
We drove 60 miles of bumpy roads, and we might still be wandering this picturesque landscape, save for the kindness of strangers.
“When you get to the four mailboxes, turn left and go 6 miles,” explained the rancher who has lived on this land for 51 years. “Then turn right at the old stage cabin.”
He seemed bemused that these city folks would be wanting to explore an area with fewer road signs than pronghorn antelope and pheasant.
“If you get lost, just ask someone for help,” counseled a grocery store clerk in Big Sandy, “you’ll find nice people out there.”
She was right. The grocery store clerk, the hotel clerk who called his hunting guide brother (not once but twice), the guy who happened to come by for a grocery store coffee, the squirrel hunters with their own relief map, the rancher who spent his life on this land — all were kind and generous with their time, eager to save us from the embarrassment of being lost.
Or more lost.
Back on Highway 2, known locally as the Hi-Line, we came to the “Middle of Nowhere,” the title now claimed by the citizens of Glasgow, Montana.
Using data gathered by researchers at Oxford University, the Washington Post sought to identify cities of more than 1,000 people found to be the farthest distance from cities of 75,000 or more people, and Glasgow was the winner.
Some cities might have bridled at being described as the Middle of Nowhere, but Glasgow — on Highway 2, not far from the Canadian border — put up signs celebrating its newly won recognition.
Like other towns along Highway 2, Glasgow (pop. 3,192) feels like its own world. To the west, it’s 69 miles to Malta (pop. 1,868), and to the east, 49 miles to Wolf Point (pop. 2,578).
We drove south from Glasgow to what is still the largest earthen dam in the country. Fort Peck Dam and Fort Peck Lake are astonishing in their scale. The dam is 4 miles long. The lakeshore is longer than the California coast. The dam contains 48 times as much water as Warm Springs Dam. At the height of the Depression, this Works Progress Administration project employed 10,500 people here.
Montanans are exercised right now about a run-up in property taxes. We even saw a sign blaming the conservative Republican governor, Greg Gianforte.
FARGO — As North Dakota voters cast their ballots for the June primary election, choosing candidates won’t be the only decision they’ll face.
Voters will also decide whether future ballot measures must be composed of just a single subject.
The Legislature placed the matter on the ballot in 2025, when it passed
Senate Concurrent Resolution 4007.
Some lawmakers argue the measure, if passed, will work in favor of voters by making future amendments more digestible and less jumbled for voter comprehension.
Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, one of the lawmakers in favor of the measure, said it would prevent any “bait and switch” tactics to pass unpopular amendments against the wishes of unassuming voters. Hogue sponsored the legislative resolution that placed the measure on the ballot.
The Seante passed the resolution with outspoken support, only one lawmaker voted no. However, the resolution faced more resistance in the House, passing in a vote of 57-36.
If passed, the resolution would require the Secretary of State’s office to verify that future amendments meet the single-subject requirement.
One outspoken voice in opposition of the resolution is House Minority Leader Zac Ista, D-Grand Forks, who said he voted against the resolution fearing it would introduce a “layer of bureaucratic review” to the ruling process. Ista also added there is not clear criteria for determining what meets the requirement.
“I think in North Dakota, if we entrust the secretary of state and attorney general of being the sole arbiters of what is and is not a single subject, that’s really going to handcuff voter initiatives in the state,” Ista said.
Contrary to this, Hogue feels the resolution would not require any complex review to determine whether or not future amendments meet the single rule requirement.
“I don’t think it’s a legal judgment. I think if you’re trying to pass two different measures in one, that’s a common-sense judgment.” Hogue said.
Measure 1 is the first of four constitutional amendments on the North Dakota ballot for this upcoming election cycle, three of which won’t be voted on until this November.
Early voting in some counties begins Tuesday, June 2. Election Day is Tuesday, June 9.
How Measure 1 will appear on the ballot
“This constitutional measure would amend and reenact section 9 of article III and section 16 of article IV of the Constitution of North Dakota, relating to requiring each resolution adopted by the legislative assembly proposing a constitutional amendment and each initiative petition and measure proposing a constitutional amendment be comprised of a single subject. The proposed amendment is summarized as follows: constitutional amendments would be limited to one subject. The Secretary of State shall not approve an initiative petition for circulation if the Secretary determines that the proposed amendment comprises more than one subject. Additionally, the legislative assembly is required to limit proposed amendments to the constitution to one subject.
“The estimated fiscal impact of this measure is none.”
Text via the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office.
Brennan Collins is a reporting intern who started at The Forum in May 2026.
MCHENRY, N.D. — A 58-year-old man was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash Saturday, May 30, south of Devils Lake.
According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, a Neche man was riding a 2017 Harley Davidson Tri Glide Ultra Trike eastbound on Highway 15 at an unknown speed, 11 miles northwest of McHenry. The trike struck an area of broken payment and rolled over.
The driver was not wearing a helmet and was seriously injured. He was taken by air ambulance to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo.
The Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
McHenry is located in Foster County, roughly equidistant between Jamestown and Devils Lake.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
“The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.” Genesis 12:7
These verses have been used to justify all kinds of land disputes in the Middle East. Indeed, I have heard people in Christian circles in our own country use this verse to justify their support for Israel in wars to preserve “their” God-given land, because the Israelites were the children of Abram (later called Abraham).
While that is true, Abraham was the father of two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. Jewish and Christian believers consider themselves descendants of Abraham through Isaac. Muslim believers consider themselves descendants of Abraham through Ishmael. Therefore, the land God gave to Abraham, and his descendants is not Jewish land, Muslim land or Christian land. It belongs to all of these “cousins” who believe in God/Yahweh/Allah (etc.….).
One of the most alarming trends in the world of faith is the rise of religious nationalism. According to Wikipedia, “religious nationalism is the fusion of national identity with religious beliefs, where a nation is defined by a shared faith, and religion serves as a central pillar of its political and social life. It seeks to align government policies and laws with religious doctrines.” This happens among all of the cousins of Abraham’s descendants. There are Islamic nationalists, Jewish Zionists, and Christian nationalists, and they are all dangerous.
In the same way Zionists will claim the Middle East as given to them by God, religious nationalists use the beliefs and texts (Bible, Koran) out of context to rationalize their political views, policies and even wars. They attempt to convince people that one political viewpoint supports their faith, and others do not. In the United States, Christian nationalism is on the rise. Politicians repeatedly use scripture to support their policies and ideals, attempting to convince us that what they are doing is the “Christian” thing to do, when, in fact, quite often these policies and ideals not only have nothing to do with the Christian faith, but they also occasionally go completely against it.
I once heard a state politician say, “It’s my God-given right to carry a gun.” Say WHAT??? God did not give anyone the right to carry a gun. Period. That’s just foolishness. And nobody even commented about it, which tells me it doesn’t bother us to hear people say things like that.
Our faith in God, no matter which branch of the family tree we come from, should “inform” our political and ethical views, but we cannot become like other countries and base our laws on one religious belief or another. Especially in a country where we are diverse in our religious beliefs. This is not a “Christian” nation, a “Muslim” nation or a “Jewish” nation. It is a nation of people who come from all kinds of faith traditions, and we are promised the freedom to practice our religion, no matter what it is.
God gave the descendants of Abraham – all of the descendants of Abraham — blessings too numerous to mention. We can be grateful for those blessings without trying to claim all of them as our own.
Rev. Janel F. Kolar is the pastor at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Dickinson, North Dakota.
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