ABERCROMBIE — Long before lumber yards, Germans from Russia built their North Dakota homes from the prairie itself — clay, stone, straw and even manure — and a strong turnout heard how July 12, at Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site’s latest ND250 commemoration program.

Wyatt Atchley, an education coordinator with NDSU Libraries’ Department of Special Collections, traced the group’s journey from German lands to the Black Sea region and finally to the Dakotas, where their descendants now make up an estimated 30% to 40% of North Dakota’s population.

Fleeing war, taxes and religious suppression, Germans first settled in Russia under Catherine the Great’s 1763 invitation, Atchley said. The Black Sea Germans who would later populated the Dakotas came under Alexander I’s 1803 invitation, which promised free land, religious freedom, cultural autonomy and exemption from military conscription — promises made “in perpetuity.”

Russia revoked those promises in the late 1800s, requiring military service beginning in 1874 and restricting the German language. Between 1873 and 1914, more than 100,000 Germans from Russia emigrated to the United States, settling heavily in the “German-Russian Triangle” of central and southern North Dakota. Those who stayed behind saw their communities destroyed by Soviet collectivization and World War II.

Arriving on a treeless prairie much like the steppe they had left, the settlers used vernacular architecture — homes built by nonprofessionals from local earthen materials using puddled clay, rammed earth, adobe brick, and stacked or cut stone, Atchley said. He emphasized they did not build sod houses, a method associated with Norwegian settlers, because Germans from Russia brought generations of earthen-building experience with them.

Many of the homesteads survive in the Father William Sherman collection at NDSU, roughly 13,000 photographs and documents gathered in the 1970s that form one of the largest homestead collections in the country.

Site supervisor Lenny Krueger said the free program drew visitors from as far as Fargo and Delaware.

“We’re always learning something new about North Dakota, even as the staff here,” Krueger said.

Manisha Reddy is a reporter for the Wahpeton Daily News and Richland County News Monitor. Manisha can be reached by calling (701) 291-3581 or emailing manisha.reddy@wahpetondailynews.com.

MANSFIELD — The North End Community Improvement Collaborative, Inc. (NECIC) will host a Community Visioning Session in partnership with Heritage Ohio, Inc. on Tuesday, July 28 at 6 p.m. at the United Steelworkers Hall, located at 376 West Longview Avenue in Mansfield.

The public is invited to attend and share input on the future of Mansfield’s North End, with a focus on strengthening neighborhood revitalization efforts and identifying opportunities for continued growth and investment.

The session is part of an upcoming visit from Heritage Ohio’s Downtown Assessment Resource Team, also known as D.A.R.T. The visit is designed to help communities explore next steps for revitalization and introduce the key building blocks of a successful long term revitalization effort: organization, promotion, design, and economic vitality.

NECIC reached out to Heritage Ohio as part of its ongoing work to support revitalization in the North End, especially near the corner of Springmill Street and Bowman Street, where NECIC has been focusing recent revitalization efforts.

Since joining the organization in early 2025, NECIC President & CEO Matthew Benko- Scruggs has placed a strong focus on revitalization near the corner of Springmill Street and Bowman Street.

This work has included the organization’s move back into the neighborhood, continued investment in the area, and community centered efforts such as the Springmill Spring Cleanup event.

During the Community Visioning Session, residents, business owners, stakeholders, and other community members will have the opportunity to learn more about Heritage Ohio, the revitalization process, and ways they can help shape the future of the North End.

“We want this process to be rooted in the voices of the people who live, work, and invest in the North End,” said Benko-Scruggs. “This session is an opportunity for the community to share ideas and help guide what revitalization can look like in our neighborhood.”

Heritage Ohio, Inc. is a statewide nonprofit organization that supports the development, redevelopment, and improvement of downtowns and neighborhood districts throughout Ohio through technical assistance, training, networking, and advocacy.

Community members are encouraged to attend and take part in the conversation.

For more information, contact Director of Community Organizing Emily Schwan at 419-
522-1611, ext. 109 or Emily@necic-ohio.org.

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley said the most recent legislative session produced 10 bills he championed, covering areas including THC regulation, foreign campaign contributions, AI-generated deepfakes, firearm suppressor deregulation and DNA data protection.

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