RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Legislation was considered to split Dakota Territory east-west at the Missouri River instead of the current north-south split that was approved in 1889.

A retrospective released by the state of South Dakota on the 125th anniversary of statehood noted that the east-west proposal did have some support.

The East/West Dakota would have followed the Missouri River and aligned regions with similar geographic and cultural identities.

The north-south border decision was motivated partially by resentment between the northern and southern portions of Dakota Territory over the location of the state capital. In 1883, the territory’s capital was moved from Yankton to Bismarck.

Other reasons cited included separate railroad systems, economic ties to major eastern cities (Sioux Falls and Fargo) and the growth of separate systems of public institutions.

This fact brief responds to conversations such as this one.

Sources

State of South Dakota, 125th anniversary story

BigThink.com, East and West Dakota? Here’s What Those States Would Look Like

Medium, A Tale of Two States

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• Wisconsin softball lost to Texas, 9-0, in the NCAA Tournament’s Austin regional.
• Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan held the Badgers hitless until the fifth inning while the Longhorns jumped to an early lead.
• Wisconsin will play an elimination game against either Baylor or Wagner.

Wisconsin softball could not keep up with the reigning national champions.

Texas – the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament – run-ruled the Badgers, 9-0, in six innings on May 16 in the Austin regional of the NCAA Tournament, easily sending UW to the consolation side of the double-elimination bracket.

Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan took a no-hitter into the fifth inning until Alivia Bark’s single. The Badgers’ only other baserunner during Kavan’s five innings in the circle was on a walk in the first inning.

The Badgers did not have a runner in scoring position until the sixth inning, when Emily Bojan hit a double off Texas reliever Cambria Salmon.

The Longhorns, meanwhile, wasted no time in distancing themselves from the Badgers with their bats. They scored three runs in the first inning after back-to-back hits by Kayden Henry and Katie Stewart, a sacrifice fly by Viviana Martinez and a two-run home run by Reese Atwood.

Texas scored another two runs on a Henry double in the second inning, prompting the Badgers to pull UW ace Shelby Jacobson. One day after her complete-game win over Baylor, Jacobson gave up five earned runs against the Longhorns in 1 ⅓ innings pitched.

Texas piled on with two more runs in the third inning in small-ball fashion after loading the bases, and completed the run-rule win with Henry’s two-run homer in the sixth inning – her third hit of the afternoon – off UW reliever Jordan Felci. (The mercy rule in college softball is eight runs after five or more innings.)

All three UW pitchers to face the Longhorns – Jacobson, Berritt Herr and then Felci – each gave up at least two runs against the host and SEC tournament champion.

When, who will Wisconsin softball play next

The Badgers will look to keep their tournament run alive later today in a consolation game against the winner of the Baylor-Wagner game. (The winner of UW’s next game would then need to defeat Texas twice on May 17 to win the Austin regional.)

UW defeated Baylor in the first round following Hannah Conger’s walk-off double in the ninth inning. Wagner is coming off a 9-1 loss against Texas. The first pitch of UW’s second game is expected to be at approximately 5 p.m., depending on the duration of the Baylor-Wagner game.

This story will be updated after Wisconsin’s second game against Baylor or Wagner.

Every year, the NFL schedule bring upon something new for the Detroit Lions. This year, it’s a trip to Germany, a rare “Sunday Night Football” game at Carolina, and an early bye week. Oh wait, scratch that last one. It happens all that time.

Another constant on the Lions’ schedule is their divisional opponents. Like every other team, Detroit’s six divisional games make up over a third of their entire schedule. That means Detroit’s record within the NFC North will likely be crucial toward their regular season success. And with all three of their road divisional games crammed into the final four weeks of the season, how Detroit fares in those contests will almost certainly decide where they land in the postseason picture.

Last year, Detroit was swept by both the Vikings and Packers, and even though they ended up sweeping the division-winning Chicago Bears, it wasn’t enough to punch their ticket to the playoffs. So today’s Question of the Day is:

How many division wins will the Lions pick up on their 2026 schedule?

My answer: I’m going with three.

First off, let’s get this straight. There is no universe where getting swept by the Vikings again in 2026 is acceptable. I understand their defense is a very tough matchup for an offense-heavy team like the Lions, but Minnesota’s roster just doesn’t compare to the rest of the division right now—especially with the questions at quarterback. Because the Vikings still always play the Lions tough, I’ll give them a split of the series.

And I’m going to be boring with the other two teams, too. I expect a split with each series. I think Ben Johnson will have a chip on his shoulder after getting swept by Dan Campbell last year and find a way to win one of those games. And while I’m really tempted to predict a sweep of the Packers, I’m just having a hard time seeing it given how well they tend to play against Detroit. The Lions will have the benefit of the bye week going into their first matchup, but a Week 18 game in Lambeau will be tough, even if the Lions managed to beat them in that exact scenario during the 2022 season.

How many division wins do you think the Lions pick up this year? Vote in the poll below and share your reasoning in the comment section.