Finding Myself

In the crowded, elbow bumping aisles at Scheel’s Arena during the Pride of Dakota show, a booth for  Dacotah Trails Books from Bismarck stopped me. Several large bookcases, filled to overflowing, stood in the allotted space and begged me to stop and look. This proprietor probably doesn’t have every North Dakota community’s history or school yearbook, but it’s not for lack of trying. Yes, he had centennial books for Sheldon and Enderlin.

His business card says he specializes in ND history, old west, and special interest books. One of those books looked very familiar. Sure enough, it was the first book I published 13 years ago, Paha Sapa Tawoyake: Wade’s Stories. Of course, that was a conversation starter, and I was even handed a pen to autograph it. His wife said she was going to keep it for herself. 

A bit of background as to how this book came about might interest. While looking around in Wahpeton’s School of Science library, 45 years or so ago, I found an edition of it on the shelves. It looked interesting enough to check out and take home to read. Not finding any copyright date, I presumed it was in the public domain and made a copy of it for my own library.

The stories in it fascinated me. In his early working days William Wade had been a seafaring man and later found work as a wagoner driving yoked teams across the prairie. He worked in the employ of Don Stevenson whose large wagon trains crossed Ransom County on their way west. But Wade wanted a life as an independent operator and set up a ranching operation on the west side of the Missouri River. Reminiscent of his days at sea, he named it the Anchor Ranch. 

His story drew me in, especially after my wife said that this spread was immediately adjacent to the place where she grew up near Raleigh, North Dakota. The Voigt family owned it then and she would occasionally babysit for Duaine and Alma Voigt. Not so many years ago, we drove to the place to meet with Duaine who had a great story to tell about being displaced by the Garrison Dam and trail driving their herd to this new ground. In addition, he took us on a tour of the large ranch that Wade established and four-wheeled to the top of a tall butte where his family had placed a stone marker engraved “Wade Ranch.”

I was hooked and knew I needed to pursue the Wade story. First, I searched out descendants of William Wade and found a great-granddaughter closest to the source. She endorsed my effort, and we agreed I would reprint the Wade book as well as adding pertinent information that we had found. 

Another consideration was to translate the Lakota terminology of “Paha Sapa Tawoyake” that Wade used on his original book. The “Paha Sapa” part was easy because I knew it was Lakota for Black Hills. Try as I might, I couldn’t find any reference to Tawoyake. Remembering the United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, I drove in there one day and began looking for someone who could interpret the word. School was not in session then, so finding an indigenous person who could help took a search.

Eventually, I found two men in an office to ask. They looked puzzled and couldn’t come up with a translation. One of them picked up the phone and called to ask an elderly relative, but he couldn’t provide a quick answer. A phone conversation ensued with give and take on  both ends. Finally, they agreed on a solution. It meant something akin to “finder.” So there it was, “Finder of the Black Hills.”

A bit of knowledge of Indian humor explains it. Wade knew and liked his Indian neighbors there on the west side of the Missouri River, and they in turn reciprocated. He was asked to accompany a group of them traveling south to meet with the U. S. government officials to discuss treaty problems. As the group rode along, Wade spotted the outline of the Black Hills on the horizon and shouted out, “There they are.” Wade became a victim of his companions wry humor when they named him the “Finder of the Black Hills.” They knew where they were and had a good laugh about it. He could take a joke and related so many more rich anecdotes in his writing that I’ll need to save until next time.

We walked a little way down the aisle and were greeted by a couple of friendly faces who were representing the “North Dakota Magazine.” I hadn’t seen a copy of that publication in awhile and had heard it was closing up shop. Here they were and when I asked, they said, “Yes, we were on the brink of closing down, but then we found support to continue, so here we are.” They were more than happy to sign us up for a year to receive six new issues. With our payment, they reached back and gave us their last two issues for samples. They contain interesting articles along with beautiful color pictures. North Dakota is well represented in its pages.

Travels

We recently returned from Branson, Missouri, where we attended some of the entertainment  that city offers. We have been there several times now,  all being on organized bus tours. By doing so we turn the planning for tickets, rooms, and meals over to experienced travel companies. All we need to do is write a check.

So it was that we saw Daniel O’Donnell’s show again, I believe for the fourth time. His is a show where people come away feeling good about themselves, and such a gentleman he is to boot. After the show he stood for a long line of mostly ladies wanting to have their picture taken with him. Another great show, a biblical one,  took place at the Sight and Sound Theater. The title this year was “David.” Previously, we’ve seen “The Temptation of Christ,” and “Noah.” To describe the staging for these productions is beyond my descriptive powers since you have to see it in person to appreciate it.

All the other shows made for worthwhile viewing, too. The Haygoods, The Presleys, Dolly Parton’s horse show, an in-the-round show called “Where Jesus Walked,” and a gospel quartet show. How many more times we’ll go is unknown. The average age of the riders on our bus was 77 years, and we’re well beyond that now. We will have our memories, though.

We usually write some thoughts on paper for major events like these bus tours and came across one I wrote twenty years ago. It documents a trip titled “Northeast Fall Foliage Tour - 2005.” It was enjoyable to sit and read through and reminisce about the sights and feelings we encountered on this tour. Here is that somewhat edited piece.

We arrived home from an 18 day bus tour to the northeast on Thursday, October 13, 2005, after traveling through twenty states, the District of Columbia, and one Canadian province, riding 5,020 miles, and burning 800 gallons of diesel fuel. The itinerary let us visit many sites we had never visited before and can now be satisfied for doing so.

Our experienced driver drove through traffic in major cities with a confident air and took us to such places as New York City, Washington, D. C., Boston, and Philadelphia.  As I look back on  meaningful highlights and impressions, the history found in them mattered most to me. How many times in a person’s life has he heard of Monticello, Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Washington, D. C., the Smithsonian Institute, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Fanueil Hall, Ellis Island, Plymouth Rock, Old Ironsides, the Old North Church, Ford’s Theater, the White House, the U. S, Capitol, and Arlington National Cemetery? We walked in those places.

If we have read once, we have read many times the names of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. We walked in their footsteps.

Hundreds of thousands of lives have been taken on battlefields of the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the World Wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. We had the opportunity to contemplate their sacrifice at the face of their memorials.

The most profound experience for me was the tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. I remembered studying how men had slaughtered each other on that plain in Pennsylvania for a cause we named the Civil War. At the heavily contested summit of Little Round Top, I gathered three acorns fallen from their mothering tree. Somehow it seemed significant for me to pick them up and bring home. That tree might’ve been a “witness tree” from which its roots found nourishment through the blood spilled there and soaked into the ground.

In the vicinity of the battlefield could be seen a contemporary site of some importance. President Eisenhower’s retirement farm was adjacent to the battlefield. And we saw other places of this ilk: President Coolidge’s birthplace and museum in Vermont, President Kennedy’s library in Boston, and a stepping stone on the shore called Plymouth Rock.

Mild excitement occurred while I stood high in the Washington Monument looking toward the adjacent White House. The reason for men with rifles standing on the roofs of nearby buildings soon became evident. A flight of three helicopters appeared headed toward the landing pad on the lawn, then two lifted away while the third one set down. A man and a woman stepped from the craft and started walking toward the building where a small crowd welcomed them. It was President and Mrs. Bush.

We walked on the campus of Harvard University and saw among other buildings its library, the third largest in the country with 3.5 million volumes. Only the Library of Congress and New York City’s are larger. I regretted not being able to step inside.

We observed re-enactors  in period costume on the board the Mayflower, in Plymouth Village, and in Colonial Williamsburg. There in Williamsburg we watched men using an old style printing press while making pamphlets. They told us there was freedom of the press at the time and you could print what you wanted to.

The governor in Williamsburg, representing the king of England, hung an implicit threat consisting of hundreds of muskets and swords on the ceiling and walls of the entry in his mansion. Our history now illustrates that this mere threat of arms could not prevail against the written word.

That concluded my thoughts of 20 years ago. We’ve seen all the states now, mostly by bus tour,  except for Delaware, and I don’t think I make it there. Sometimes we run into folks we’ve traveled with before. On this trip, Bob and Mary Gruman from Lucca traveled, too. The last we’d seen them was on a Texas trip. We stood together for a picture of us standing on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

Random Thoughts - Dec 3, 2925

 Random Thoughts - 

Getting old is like a roll of toilet paper - the more you use, the faster it spins … I called for a heart screen and was told I’m too old (no joke) … A favorite song is Glory Days, because we sit around telling “boring stories of glory days” … Age is an issue of mind over matter - if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter … today in 1967 was the first heart transplant, the recipient lived for 18 days … The Flying Dutchman came to Venlo, returned to Venlo, and  promises to return … So much to do that I don’t get anything done … General Grant died 140 years ago - Sheldon Progress wrote  “Weep America! Your greatest, noblest truest heart is silent forever” … A wintry picture of our old mailbox.

Thanksgiving, 2025

                                     My boys have outgrown me!

Pie Day

 Pie day at the Sons of Norway. My menu consisted of a ham smorbrod sandwich, cup of mushroom soup, side of salad, and a piece of sour cream peach pie. Filled me right up!

Random Thoughts - Wed, Nov 19, 2025

 It’s been awhile since my last “Random Thoughts.” Well, here is one today…

Some will soon realize their hideous tattoos are permanent … In my life there have been 15 presidents; therefore this, too, shall pass … When they cremate me, I want them to fill me with popcorn so I go out with a bang … On this day Nov 18, 1872, Susan B. Anthony was arrested by a deputy marshal and charged with illegally voting … In Branson, one restaurant throws the biscuits at you … In Dolly Parton’s, they serve a Cornish hen to each/ it takes a big flock … Too bad Carson Wentz got hurt … High school football came and went … What will result from the release of the Epstein file? … I’m still reading history and watching the PBS Revolutionary times … In one of the Branson theaters, this sign hung over a doorway + Some of the riders at Dolly Parton’s.

Seasons Pass Me By

As we write this, a hearty wind is blowing, gusty and damp, as if saying, “get ready, something stronger is right around the corner.” We leave behind the summer season of growth. The more I age the more I appreciate the summer hatches of geese, the flowering plants, the rustling leaves, the gentle breezes combing the grass. But with that cycle completed the earth has started to rest and will soon pull a blanket of snow over itself to sleep. 

Quite a few seasons have passed me by, and when I stop to look back I can add some memories up as lists. For instance, fifteen different men have held the office of president in my lifetime. Franklyn Delano Roosevelt was the first for me, although I do not remember anything about him. I’ve read many history books about that time, so it seems I have some false memories of him. I do remember his successor in real time, Harry Truman, who took office upon the death of FDR. 

The closer we get to the present day, the more clearly they appear. After FDR and Truman came Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, Trump, and Biden. I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln's favorite saying “This too shall pass”

after I look at the list and realize its reality.

Thirteen governors of North Dakota have served the state in my lifetime, beginning with John Moses, the twenty-second governor.  He was born in Strand, Norway on June 12, 1885. His education was attained in Norway, where he attended high school and junior college. After moving to the United States, he continued his education at the University of North Dakota, earning both an undergraduate degree and law degree. Moses was a popular governor who connected with constituents by giving speeches in English, German, or Norwegian depending on the audience. Elected to the U. S. Senate, he served only three months before dying while in office.

If we look at the state’s first governor, John Miller was a bonanza farmer and business man in North Dakota. He served from 1889 to 1891, after it was admitted as a state to the union.

Born of Scotch ancestors in New York state, Miller had moved to Dakota Territory in 1878. With a partner, J. W. Dwight, they bought thousands of acres of land in Richland County.

We can travel back to the first Dakota Territorial governor, William A. Jayne, a medical doctor and  Abraham Lincoln's personal physician. He set up the first territorial government in Yankton. Ten other men followed him in the territorial governor’s chair prior to statehood.

One other group interests me, and I am sorry to say no women have yet appeared as “movers and shakers” in North Dakota’s politics. The group is made up as representatives to North Dakota’s Constitutional Convention in 1889. While in session woman suffrage concerns were led by a historic lady in state politics named Linda Warfel Slaughter. When all was said and done, North Dakota gave women the right to vote on school issues only. Unfortunately for them, women did not receive full suffrage rights until the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.

In order for the convention to function, delegates were chosen to help draw up the constitution that had to be adopted before the state could achieve official statehood. Delegates came from predetermined districts. While looking at the background of the six men representing this area, including Cass County, something interesting reveals itself. They all came from somewhere else. Andrew Sandager of Lisbon, from Iowa; Reuben Stevens, Lisbon, from New York; Samuel Moer, LaMoure, from Iowa; Eben Chaffee, Amenia, from Connecticut; Enos Gray, Embden, from Maine; William Clapp, Tower City, from Massachusetts.

When you look at the complete roll of all 75 delegates, almost all of them came to Dakota Territory to make their home. The same can be said for the other states that wrote their constitutions at the same time, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington, 136 years ago.

Now plans are being made for The United States Semiquincentennial, a fancy term for this country’s 250th birthday on July 4, which is only about eight months from now. 

I liked the way the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute anticipates this anniversary when they said it isn’t just about dates and documents. It’s about people, places, and stories—millions of them. It’s about how a group of colonies came together in 1776 to declare independence and how that moment set the course for the country we live in now. 

Reaching 250 years is a significant event for any nation. It offers a chance to learn more about how the United States began, how it grew, and how it has changed over time. Every era of American history has shaped the present in some way, from early settlements to westward expansion, from war and invention to civic achievements and cultural growth.

Ms. O’Connor herself represented a step forward when she claimed the distinction of being the first woman seated on the United States Supreme Court. It was a giant leap forward considering the 1889 constitution in North Dakota only gave women the right to vote for school affairs. Justice O'Connor championed civility as a cornerstone of a civil society. The Sandra Day O'Connor Institute's three pillars include civic education, civic engagement, and civil discourse. All are crucial in our current moment, but especially civil discourse, which has rarely been more important and is foundational to our constitutional republic. 

Branson, MO, 2025

 We returned from Branson, MO, tired but happy to have seen many great shows. Here are a few pictures I've collected. Danny O'Donnell is a favorite of many, esp. the ladies.

Veterans Day, 2025

Most of our observed federal holidays come and go without much notice. Some insensitive people might even grumble about no mail or bank service those days. Veterans Day, always on November 11, is upon us. We will just have returned from Branson, Missouri, a town that I’ve concluded is the most patriotic city in the whole USA. We travel with organized bus tours that have always scheduled seven shows per visit. Over the half dozen times we’ve traveled there, I can vouch for the fact that every show we’ve attended has paid respect to veterans in the audience by having them stand and be recognized.

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 has a certain ring to it that we can easily remember. That marks the time when the warring countries agreed to a ceasefire in World War I. Beginning in 1938, the date became a national holiday in remembrance of all citizens who wore the military uniform at any time in our history. 

The buildup to entering this war fought on European  battlefields was complicated, almost beyond understanding. Bullets had started flying already in the summer of 1914 after the assassination of the rather insignificant leader of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Previously, European countries had been harping at one another and were divided into confusing factions of alliances and treaties. As a consequence to the assassination, war began and resulted in a staggering 17 million deaths with 20 million wounded. Probably the best   history of the affair can be found in reading Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August.

Here in North Dakota, the mood of the people tended towards maintaining neutrality and that the war in Europe resulted from trade rivalries. As for entering the war, Elwyn Robinson’s book History of North Dakota states “Most North Dakotans believed that munitions makers were behind the preparedness movement.”

President Woodrow Wilson promoted neutrality despite harassment from German submarines that continually sank shipping, including the Lusitania, and a faction who pressured him to enter the war. Wilson maintained his neutrality stance until escalating events forced him to ask Congress for a declaration of war. One good reason for not entering the war had been our woefully unprepared military.

Teddy Roosevelt just couldn’t contain himself. He did not like Wilson and wanted him to step up. He said of his refusal to prepare, “My God, why doesn’t he do something?” Apparently TR wanted to lead a military unit to battle again. Wilson would have none of it, thinking that Mr. Roosevelt would propagandize it into another “Charge up San Juan Hill” and then try to win the presidency again.

The interception of a secret document called the Zimmerman Telegram had a lot to do in convincing Wilson that the U.S. must go to war. Germany had learned of the anti-American sentiment in Mexico and tried to take advantage of it by sending a coded message to Mexico in January 1917. It urged them to consider joining a potential military alliance between Germany, Mexico, and Japan in the event the U.S. entered the war. It promised military and financial support if the Mexicans would attack the United States, and in exchange Mexico would be free to claim its old territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

“Good Lord,” President Wilson said when he was told of the details. The telegram was then leaked to the American press that published it to an astonished public in March 1917. A month later, America was in the war.

A book titled Ransom County’s Loyal Defenders by Michael and Ann Knudson gives an excellent picture of the county’s contributions to the military in World War I. The following quote from the book states, “There were over 600 veterans from Ransom County who served in many different units, including the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Army. There were at least five women from Ransom County who served as nurses.” Thirty one county men and women died in service from wounds, accidents, or illness.

I remember years ago hearing the term Armistice Day mentioned while referring to the holiday. In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day so it would honor all veterans rather than commemorate the end of a single war.  Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day pays tribute to all American veterans—living or dead—but especially gives thanks to living veterans who served their country honorably during war or peacetime.

By the way, “Veterans Day”  spelled without the apostrophe is not a grammatical error. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the holiday doesn’t belong to veterans (in which case it would be Veterans’ Day) but is, instead, “a day for honoring all veterans.” We’ll  commemorate the day many times in Branson, Missouri.

A Dozen Roses

A dozen roses, just because...

 

Same Subject Limericks

 

There is nothing profound here…

Fresh lefse brings me on the run

Some like it with sugar and cinnamon

I like thick butter smear

Just watch it disappear

Then I’m ready to grab another one.

…

At first you roll out the dough

At least that’s what I’ve been told

Make it thin

with a rolling pin

Fry it on the stove and... magnifico!

…

Lutefisk and lefse - ya, ya, ya

It all follows an ancient formula

Find a church supper

Find words to utter

This is good - ooh, la, la.

Was it yesterday?

 

The years all run together now... from Oct 12, 2015

He's Growing Up

 My camera caught Lucas lofting a pass. Eleven years ago? He's a sophomore today at Depaul University in Chicago.

11 Years Ago

See your memories

Lynn Bueling

October 15, 2014 · 

Shared with Public

My 8 year old grandson lofts a pass last Saturday.