Wikipedia fail? Governor Langer barricades himself in the mansion

August 6, 2010 6 Comments

Volumes have been written about our colorful Governor Bill Langer. But, like most people, I don’t really want to know every last thing about him. Just enough to get by. The internet says:

  • He was a member of the NPL (farmers’ political party)
  • Kicked out of office in 1934 for some questionable dealings.
  • In the drama of getting ousted, he barricaded himself in the governor’s mansion and declared martial law.
  • But he was reelected as Governor by 1937.

Governor's Mansion Museum, near downtown Bismarck. Housed ND Governors until 1960.

I didn’t think I’d ever need to know anything more. Not even when I started volunteering at the Information Desk at the State Historical Society where task number one is directing visitors to the bathroom.

But I was wrong.

My co-anchor at the desk is a 92-year-old expert on North Dakota Governors. He not only remembers the Langer era, he wrote his thesis about it. So, on my first day,  just to be deferential as well as to show I’d done my homework, I asked, “Tell me about the time Bill Langer barricaded himself in the Governor’s mansion.”

I was imagining Langer pushing the state davenport  against the front door of the green victorian.  The Lieutenant Governor with torch and hot tar on the other side. I wondered if there were scars left on the door jambs. It’s a great story for the mansion museum!

“Bill Langer never barricaded himself in any mansion,” he said.

Then he elaborated. He’d heard many wild stories, but not that one.

And he talked about it every week after that. He offered to bring me books. He told me about Langer’s wife. He told me about Langer’s various antics in office.

Then he’d bring up the barricades again. We’d just be sitting there at the desk waiting for visitors. All quiet. And he would shake his head, “I just can’t imagine where you read that Bill Langer barricaded himself in the mansion.”

Mansion entry hall. Summer. Doors wide open

Now it’s clear that I do NOT know enough about Bill Langer to get by. So, I learned more just so I could hold my head up when you come looking for the toilet:

Wikipedia says (bold emphasis mine):

He was found guilty of fraud in 1934, in a trial presided over by Andrew Miller, a longstanding political rival.[3] The North Dakota Supreme Court ordered him removed from office due to his conviction on a felony charge, and on July 17, 1934, the Court declared Lieutenant Governor Ole H. Olson the legitimate governor. Langer gathered with about ten friends, declared North Dakota independent, declared martial law, and barricaded himself in the governor’s mansion until the Supreme Court would meet with him.

At the Governor’s Mansion museum, they disagree: No barricade. And martial law was never enforced.  However, they note that Langer refused to leave the mansion after he lost office, and the state didn’t force it.

Master bedroom. Langer's portrait above bed

Finally, The Bismarck Tribune microfilms from 1934 say:  Langer declared martial law and “went into seclusion.”

At this point I’ll leave it to you. You could argue that going into seclusion and refusing to vacate is the same as barricading. Or you could find Wikipedia wrong.

Whatever sits best with your personal world view.

Back stairs. Used by servants and Governors who wished to come and go in private.

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Filed under History

North Dakota State Fair Iron Lung Surprise

July 26, 2010 3 Comments

Today we traveled to Minot for the North Dakota State Fair. As with most state fairs, we find livestock, baked goods, and agricultural displays. There are fine musical acts. And, best of all,  you don’t have to sell your soul for a good parking spot…

But unlike most state fairs, this one has the county museum on the premises.  And that’s what I really want to talk about. This museum has something I’ve NEVER seen in any museum before:  An iron lung!

This vintage iron lung was purchased by the town in 1939…and sorry to say I don’t remember any of the details. I was just so intrigued with the ….  I mean, what do you really know about iron lungs?

I realized that everything I knew about them came from  brief appearances in old TV shows, usually when the plot required absolute proof that the current suspect couldn’t possibly have committed a crime because <surprise!> he is in an iron lung!

Plus, I’ve long remembered  someone once told me that if the power went out, the people in iron lungs suffer the most.

But I couldn’t say what ever caused someone to need an iron lung, and why you don’t hear about them anymore much. I’ll save you the trip to wikipedia:

Originally for treatment of coal gas poisoning.

Most famous use in the mid-1900s for victims polio.

Entire hospital wards were filled with rows of iron lungs at the height of the polio outbreaks of the 1940s and 1950s.

Since the development of modern ventilators that control breathing via the direct intubation of the airway, the use of the iron lung has sharply declined.

There are approximately 30 patients in the USA still using an iron lung.

Guinness book of records lists as the person who spent the longest time in an iron lung died aged 83 in Melbourne, Australia.

You only have to visit a few prairie museums before you start seeing the same things over and over: The old school house. The turn-of-the-century kitchen. The primitive tools. It’s a great museum trip when I can’t wait to get home and learn more about something. Right on Ward County Historic Society!

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Filed under History Tagged with , , ,

North Dakota License Plate Ideas

July 9, 2010 7 Comments

The North Dakota license plate is supposed to raise awareness for the Peace Garden, I suppose.

The Peace Garden State

But I don’t think it’s working. There simply are not enough of us to get the message out. For example in 2007, the politicos made an example of the Peace Garden when they were upset about earmarks and pork spending.  Rep. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said, “No one in America seriously believes that … peace gardens … are more important national priorities than bridge and road repairs.”

Speak for yourself, Senator. The International Peace Garden is like a National Park to me, but we don’t call it a national park because Canada pays for part of it.  And there are some touching monuments donated by various other countries. I’ll blog more about that later, though.

Traveling around, I thought, then, what SHOULD our license plate represent if not the Peace Garden?

I started thinking about state pride. I started thinking about attention from the national media and our quiet Northern European heritage. Then I started thinking about all those poor states and countries going bankrupt everywhere.

I came up with this idea:

Quietly minding our own business state

And I was pretty happy with that until I went downtown Bismarck last night. I walked all over. Kuntsler would call it a horror:  Buildings with blank walls facing the sidewalk, 1960s urban renewal. There’s  nothing to look at. Nothing to discover. It’s bad.

So, without naming names, I talked to some people who explained why this is such in downtown Bismarck and, without going into too much detail…

I have a new idea for our state license plate.

The don't make me walk state

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Filed under Roadside

Dear Lenny & Susan: My 4 reasons you should road trip North Dakota

June 13, 2010 2 Comments

[My old Fort Collins friends have said politely, in the comments of this Bismarck blog, that they might come for a visit...someday. Lenny is a folk music DJ, trolley driver, and bird watcher. Susan is a hiker and lookout tower historian/preservation activist. I know nobody ever vacations here, but okay, here's my best shot at luring friends to Bismarck and all of North Dakota. If you write and say YOU might come here, I'll find four reasons for you to visit too.]

Dear Lenny and Susan,

Here are my 4 reasons you should road trip North Dakota:

1. A lookout Susan has not yet visited. It’s just feet away from the geographical center of North America. That is, the farthest you can be from the ocean. Susan, can you even resist clicking through to see this full size?

2. The potholes. Thousands of vernal pools and sloughs all along the central flyway. Surely you will add a duck to your life list.

3. The view from atop the State Capitol. See Bismarck the way the local turkey vultures do.

4. The Metisfest at the International Peace Garden August 26-29. I just got back from hanging out at the Peace Garden with a bunch of Canadian and Chippewa fiddlers, and I can vouch. They are the coolest people in the world.

There is also a trolley near Bismarck. The Missouri River. And as an added bonus: If you are here on a Sunday, I know a place where they will speak English at church:

What do you say?

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Filed under Roadside

Arthur Link 1914-2010

June 4, 2010 4 Comments

When I moved to Bismarck, ND,  in February, I looked forward to two things especially: Seeing the northern lights and meeting Art Link at least once.

Link was former governor and the subject of the documentary When the Landscape is Quiet Again. He’s remembered in that film for his firm environmentalism at a time when many thought North Dakota ought to be “sacrificed” for the benefit of the rest of the country during the 1970s oil crisis.

He also played the fiddle. Redwing, usually.

Unfortunately, he died Tuesday, at the age of 96. There will be a procession and viewing tomorrow (Friday) at the State Capitol here in Bismarck.

He seemed like a good man, and I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet him. This is my Bismarck Stories blog tribute to Governor Link:

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Filed under History, People

Hank at the Fort Lincoln Internment Camp

June 2, 2010 3 Comments

Fort Lincoln is now part of the campus of the United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck. But over Memorial Day, the school hosted a different kind of alumni…former prisoners and families of prisoners from when Fort Lincoln served as a War Relocation Camp during WWII. The weekend conference was open to the public, so we went over to take the afternoon tour of the old facilities.

To my surprise, very few “public” were there. To my delight, that meant we were surrounded by these alumni and family and had them mostly to ourselves.

This is Hank Naito. He’s 84 and lives in Hawaii.  When he was 18 he was taken from his home in Los Angeles and put in this North Dakota camp. He introduced himself to my 14-year-old son, and said, “Remember me in 20 years.”

I asked how it felt returning. ”Well, it’s good memories and bad,” he said.

Barracks of old internment camp, now United Tribes dorms

My son asked if Hank had his citizenship papers before he was sent to Fort Lincoln. We quickly explained that Hank was born here, didn’t require any more papers than my son did.

He walked with us, and explained that America can be a good place and a bad place. He explained why he didn’t stay angry. He told how he made a life for himself after the war, starting with a tour in the Air Force, fighting in Korea. He explained that there was more to the internment than suspicion of Japanese Americans–how certain people were especially interested in taking the farm lands the Japanese Americans had improved in the San Joaquin valley.

He told us more stories of his life, then and now, and then he said it to my son again. “Remember me in 20 years.”

I took a picture to make sure of it.

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Filed under History, People

Larsen Brothers: Norwegian ranch boys sing

May 31, 2010 9 Comments

In North Dakota, they call the Larsen Brothers, Lowell and Paul, treasures. Now in their 60s, the two have been harmonizing together for more than 50 years.  So, you’d think with that kind of fame and history,  they’d be all over the internet.

They’re not. Can’t find their records. Can’t find a video. Best you can do is find a listing for a gathering where they might be playing. Then maybe you can pick up a CD there.

That’s why I uploaded this telephone-quality clip here. Best I could do. But listen for those beloved harmonies:

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Filed under Arts/Music Tagged with , , , , , ,

Bismarck Bike Trail reviews: Pebble Creek loop

May 27, 2010 Leave a comment

Hay Creek crossing

Summary: One steep hill, a couple of pretty creek crossings. Otherwise some of the most boring landscape possible. May I suggest some art to doll it up?

Terrain: Paved

Equipment: Cheap hybrid bike, helmet.

Length: ~3 miles loop

Map: Pebble Creek loop and part of Hay Creek , http://www.bisparks.org/ParksAndTrails/map.asp

The first time I attempted this loop, I made it 1/4 mile down the trail and the skies darkened, rain fell, and then all the sirens in town went off–announcing an impending tornado.  So, that at least was interesting.

But honestly, there is no landscape more boring to me than a golf course. Tamed and combed over. Short of a dramatic weather event, few surprises await you on this loop. Throw in a busy intersection crossing at Century Avenue and some suburban sprawl neighborhood riding, and it’s completely unmemorable.

I guess there’s a good hill climb, if you’re trying to build up some endurance and leg strength. And that means there’s a good hill drop, which I’m always up for. Add part of the Hay Creek trail, and there are some pretty stream crossings and a nice pond to visit.

But I don’t mean to be all negative about this ride. I think there’s a great opportunity for some public art squirreled along this trail. For Bismarck that often means statues of bald eagles, but a little Banksy under the bridge would make this a whole different ride, IMO!

Banksy's Balloon Girl digitally added to Bismarck underpass.

Directions: Park at the end of Lilac Ln . Head east on the Hay Creek trail toward the pond (shown below) and under the I-94 underpass. When you reach the Pebble Creek loop, go clockwise for a longer, easier hill climb. Go counterclockwise to take your hill all at once.

Pond near parking area. Go after a rainstorm to avoid sounds of local lawn mowers.

Tips

  • While Bismarck Stories is a big fan of good street art, she in no way condones defacing public property without permission…especially if you have nothing more striking to say than “420.”

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Filed under Bike trail reviews

Bismarck Bike Trail reviews: Dakota Zoo to Pioneer Park

May 26, 2010 6 Comments

Summary: An easy ride with lots of wildlife, keptlife, and deadlife.  Great example of why Bismarck is the out-of-shape cyclists’ outdoor paradise.

Terrain: Paved

Equipment: Cheap hybrid bike, helmet.

Length: ~6 miles out and back

Map: Pioneer Park to Expressway, www.bisparks.org

This is a toodle of a ride from the Dakota Zoo to Pioneer Park along the Missouri River.  Go at around sunset in late spring, and your odds of seeing deer and beaver rise significantly. Plus there isn’t as much motorized activity on the river compared to that on weekends.

Directions: Park near the Dakota Zoo and head south toward the Bismarck Expressway to start the trail. Turn right (west) and follow the trail just north of the Expressway toward the river.  Look to your right as you pass the south edge of the Zoo if you want to see the camels.

Camels not shown

Follow the trail as it turns north (don’t go south into that tunnel on the south!). Now it’s all frogs, swamps, and birds, even as the trail stays flat, wide, and smooth. About half a mile up, you’ll see the entrance to the Mills Interpretive Trail. If you’re on a mountain bike or hybrid, I’d say add that 1-mile gravel loop for even more frogs, swamps, and birds. Plus a family of beaver. But that’s another trail review.

Following the main paved trail north (now I’m assuming you DIDN’T divert on the Mills Interpretive Trail), it’s hard to get lost. Just keep heading north and don’t ride up the hill away from the river or take any bridges across it.

There’s a little bit of sidewalk riding along Riverside Park Road, then various developed parks and parking lots, but you’ll be back to paved trail, frogs, swamp, and birds soon enough.

You’re near the turnaround  when you get to an unfenced, unmarked graveyard by the trail. That’s the deadlife I mentioned before–a pet cemetery dating from mid 1950s to late 1980s.

Inky rests

Turn back when the trail tries to cross the street and make you bike up a steep hill.  There’s no need for that.

Going back is slightly down hill most of the way.

Tips:

  • We didn’t see many people on the trail this time. But if you’re coming up on a pedestrian from behind, they like it when you say, “Passing on your left.” Then you pass on their left.
  • Smart cyclists travel faster than the mosquitoes and ticks where possible.

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Filed under Bike trail reviews

Lost and found fence

May 18, 2010 4 Comments

On the south side of Bismarck, on 12th street before you get to University of Mary, they take interesting trash and nail it to fence posts. My friend Sue says, “I pass by almost daily on my way home and always look for something new.”

Sue calls it the Lost and Found Fence. Which I think is perfect.

We have rural trash on display on my end of town too. We have acres and acres of it right across the street from the new Super Wal-Mart up here on the north side.

My son and I drive by it most days. We don’t really look for something new each day. Instead we argue about who should clean it up. I have my opinions:

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Filed under Roadside

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