North Dakota
Lost gold at the mouth of Heart River?
The year was 1863 and the Civil War raged, far away in the East. The Sibley and Sully military expeditions had driven Dakota tribespeople westward out of Minnesota in a number of battles following the
U.S.-Dakota War of 1862
. And in Dakota Territory there was a day when the Missouri River, near present-day Bismarck, ran red with blood.
On Sept. 13, 1863,
the New York Times reported
that “a party of thirty miners” traveling down the Missouri River was “supposed to have been killed by the Indians.” More information came from the St. Paul Daily Press: these miners, returning home from Idaho gold fields, were all murdered by Dakota warriors.
The miners’ demise was wrapped in mystery, but the details became known months later when Native Americans told another group of returning miners what had happened.
The ill-fated party, consisted of 18 men, one woman, and three children in a large, flat-bottomed mackinaw boat. Anticipating trouble, they were well armed with rifles and a small cannon. Each miner carried a pouch filled with gold dust, and the boat allegedly had a false bottom that concealed more gold. They stopped at Fort Berthold, where
fur trader Fred Gerard
sold them supplies and advised them not to go further into danger. One miner did elect to stay at Fort Berthold. The others knew the potential hazards, but continued on.
On Aug. 10, 1863, at the mouth of the Heart River, a group of Yanktonai Dakota came along the Missouri riverbank, beckoning the miners to come ashore, but the miners “responded by firing the cannon three times.” The warriors vigorously returned fire.
Unfortunate for the miners, the firing of the cannon caused the boat to spring a leak. It sank, running aground in shallow water. Sensing an opening, the Dakota attacked. Nearly 200 Dakota launched an onslaught upon the miners who fought desperately to save their lives and the gold, killing 36 warriors. However, with limited ammunition, the miners were overpowered and killed. The Yanktonai reportedly used the gold from the pouches to buy ammunition.
Courtesy / The New York Public Library Digital Collections
Fort Berthold’s Fred Gerard, hearing of the disaster, sent several of his Arikara friends to the site to scrape up spilt gold. But the gold nuggets hidden in the sunken boat’s false-bottom supposedly remained.
Many people later hunted for this legendary Heart River gold, searching riverbanks several miles south of Bismarck. This raises the question: “Is the fabled Heart River gold still there?”
“Dakota Datebook” is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from Humanities North Dakota. It is edited for presentation on Forum Communication Co. sites by Jeremy Fugleberg, editor of The Vault. See all the Dakota Datebooks at
prairiepublic.org,
subscribe to the “Dakota Datebook” podcast, or buy the Dakota Datebook book at
shopprairiepublic.org.
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – The quarterfinal round of the NDHSAA State Volleyball tournament played out in the Fargodome Thursday with four teams from the west side of the state advancing to the semifinals.
In Class A, Century avenged a quarterfinal loss from a year ago to advance to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Legacy upended West Fargo Horace in an upset.
The two teams will face off in the semifinals, which guarantees that a team from the west will make the Class A State Championship game. The Patriots are 2-0 against the Sabers this season.
In Class B, South Prairie-Max and Medina-Pingree-Buchanan both advanced to the semifinals in their first ever state tournament appearance.
The Royals defeated Kenmare-Bowbells 3-0. The Thunder defeated Central McLean 3-0. That guarantees that a team from the west will also make the Class B State Championship game as the Royals and Thunder will face off in the semifinals.
Copyright 2024 KFYR. All rights reserved.
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy who is under investigation by the the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) has resigned from the department.
Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner says he was contacted by the BCI in September saying they were initiating an investigation into Deputy Carson Quam for alleged criminal activity. Jahner says the Sheriff’s Office was unaware of any criminal activity Quam was potentially involved with.
On November 21, the Sheriff’s office announced that Quam is no longer an employee of the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.
Jahner says the information was not released in September because it was an active and ongoing investigation from another agency.
“Any time criminal allegations are made against one of my employees, my Office will always collaborate with the investigating and prosecuting agencies to assist throughout the investigation and potential prosecution, working to ensure the integrity of the case. If criminal activity is substantiated, it will not be tolerated. My Office will always strive through rigorous background checks, department training, and accountability to put the best deputies in our communities to protect and serve our citizens,” said Sheriff Jahner.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says it is unable to comment further pending investigation and review by the Grand Forks and Cass County States Attorney’s Offices. Valley News Live will continue to follow this situation as it develops.
Copyright 2024 KVLY. All rights reserved.
North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks (2-2) at Loyola Marymount Lions (1-2) Los Angeles; Friday, 10 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Loyola Marymount…
North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks (2-2) at Loyola Marymount Lions (1-2)
Los Angeles; Friday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Loyola Marymount hosts North Dakota after Will Johnston scored 27 points in Loyola Marymount’s 77-71 loss to the Saint Louis Billikens.
Loyola Marymount finished 12-19 overall with an 8-8 record at home during the 2023-24 season. The Lions averaged 11.9 assists per game on 25.9 made field goals last season.
North Dakota finished 18-14 overall a season ago while going 7-8 on the road. The Fightin’ Hawks averaged 75.3 points per game while shooting 44.3% from the field and 32.6% from 3-point range last season.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Copyright
© 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
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