Victory Sing in Grand Forks

By STEVE HOFFBECK

Dec. 19 — World War I was the most devastating war in human history at the time it was fought from 1914 to 1918. The armistice that ended the conflict on November 1, 1918, came as a great relief to the nations at war.

For J. Myron Bacon, a pilot from Grand Forks, word that “the armistice had been signed and we didn’t have to go” on patrol. He said, it brought “some joyous shouts . . . and everyone behaved like a two-year-old. It really seems too good to be true, but it is, and I am glad.”

The joy of the armistice was tempered by a deep sense of loss, for 116,516 U.S. soldiers died in the Great War. In order to mark the end of the war, the Women’s Council of National Defense originated and carried out a National Victory Sing Day.

The Victory Sing was to feature hymns of patriotism and praise and thanks to honor the servicemen who had gone “over there” to the Western Front to fight against the Central Powers. Songs were also to be sung to celebrate the efforts of those on the Home Front who labored in the factories and farms to produce the food, supplies and weapons for the soldiers at the front lines. Accordingly, a call went out nationally after the Armistice for musicians and vocalists to gather together on Thanksgiving Day, the 28th of November.

Spirited citizens of Grand Forks wanted to join the Victory Sing, however, the city was in the midst of the Spanish Influenza epidemic from September through November. No public meetings were permitted. There were no school or college classes, nor movies or church services or gatherings of any kind, so Grand Forks could not schedule the Victory Sing until after Thanksgiving Day had passed.

The flu subsided in early December and the city opened up the public schools and allowed public meetings once again. Planning for the Victory Sing in Grand Forks proceeded and a community chorus under the direction of Mr. W.W. Norton began practicing.

On this date, over two thousand people joined in the celebration of the National Victory Sing in the city auditorium. The program consisted of two themes; the victory in the Great War, and the spirit of Christmas joy. The Grand Forks band, under the direction of A.E. Moses, led off with several numbers, starting with the National Anthem. Then came choral songs of Thanksgiving, including “America, the Beautiful,” and “Song of Peace” by Arthur Sullivan.

The Christmas theme featured a solo dance, given by Miss Doris Payne, followed by numerous hymns, capped off by “Silent Night,” and “Joy to the World.” The finale – the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah” was “splendidly rendered by the special chorus.”

The Victory Sing in Grand Forks was noted as the “first of its kind” in the city, and the celebration gloriously “won its way into the hearts of the community as a whole.”

Crossing the Red River at Drayton by Ferryboat or by Bridge, 1910

By STEVE HOFFBECK

Dec. 20 — There was a time when there were no bridges over the Red River of the North. In those days, wintertime crossings were made over the ice. Summertime travelers had to ford the Red by wading through a shallow stretch, or rowing a boat, or taking a ferry.

There were quite a number of ferries back then – hauling passengers and freight between North Dakota and Minnesota. The most notable were those crossing the Red between Fargo and Moorhead; and Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. But there were also ferryboats at Pembina, Caledonia, and Drayton.

Drayton, located about 35 miles south of Pembina, had been established in 1878. It became an important town at the northern end of the Valley because it was located on the “highest geographical point” between Grand Forks and Winnipeg.

With no railroad connections and no bridges, Drayton depended upon the ferry for commerce. It opened about 1880, and was typical of the ferries of that era, consisting of a flat-bottomed barge and a heavy rope or cable stretched across the river. The ferryman moved the barge by pulling on the rope. A typical ferryboat was capable of transporting a four-horse team and wagon holding 125 bushels of wheat, a load of approximately 15,000 to 20,000 pounds.

The Drayton Ferry, which was actually seven miles south of town, allowed farmers to get their crop to the elevator at Stephen, Minnesota, which had a railway connection. In the 1890s, the ferryman was George Courser, who farmed in Eagle Point township on the Minnesota side.

Drayton’s ferryboat was replaced by a pontoon bridge circa 1900, which conveyed goods more quickly and efficiently. A massive new bridge was on this date in 1910 when the federal government gave permission for a modern steel lift-bridge, giving the community “better communication and more business.”

The time for ferryboats and pontoon-bridges passed, just as the era of motorized cars and trucks began.

Wolves in the Valley

By LUCID THOMAS

Dec. 21 — The gray wolf is one of nature’s most majestic hunters. Weighing up to 175 pounds, it will prey on a variety of species … rabbits, beavers, deer, even bison and elk. Gray wolves will usually travel in packs of 2 to 15. This allows them to take down the larger prey. They are found in the northern Midwest and Canada, as well as Europe and Asia. Despite the fear that many people have of wolves, there is actually little record of wolves attacking humans.

One way to learn more about the gray wolf is to visit the Red River Zoo in Fargo. The wolf exhibit consists of a 1.2-acre enclosure and a replica trapper’s cabin that contains information about the wolves and large windows looking out upon the enclosure.

When the exhibit first opened there were five wolves, Moose, Sirius, Mozart, Orion, and Ella. They were received as pups in June of that year, and had to be under 24-hour surveillance so they got used to humans. They were fed a diet of about three pounds of meat per day, donated by local hunters.

The wolf pack lived in harmony for five years, until the summer of 2012 when Sirius died from a twisted stomach. Mozart had to be euthanized two years later because of a brain tumor. The absence of two disrupted pack dynamics. Moose and Ella began showing aggression towards Orion, so he had to be shipped off to the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, leaving only Ella and Moose.

Not for long though! In the summer of 2015, the zoo received four new pups! For the first few weeks, the pups were off display while being introduced to the older wolves. After several weeks of closely-supervised contact, the wolves were finally released into the exhibit.

Christmas Creatures

By MERRY HELM

Dec. 22 — An interesting Christmas tradition of the Germans from Russia is recounted in the book Ethnic Heritage in North Dakota. Authors Kas and Ida Greff wrote, “As early as two weeks before Christmas the Belznickl would gather his chains, rattling and roaring at the window just to be sure we wouldn’t forget he was coming. Now if anything can keep you from misbehaving, the Belznickl could. After all, he could drag you away on Christmas Eve.”

The Greffs wrote that the Belznickl would finally show his face on Christmas Eve after dinner. “His rattling and growling would keep on for an hour or two,” they wrote. “When he let up for a few minutes, we would worry that he had skipped our home and gone somewhere else. He and the Kristkindl did, after all, leave gifts and treats and we certainly didn’t want to miss that. Usually preceding the actual entrance of the Kristkindl and Belznickl, we would furiously say prayer after prayer.

“Finally the Belznickl came in with the Kristkindl behind,” they continued. The Belznickl “was a furry thing that crawled on all fours, rattled his chain, and grabbed anyone or anything that got in his way. (He wanted) to get the bad kids and drag them away. Often he had to be held back by Mom or an older brother or sister. We’d pile on the bed, many times 10 or more of us kids. He’d make a grab for us and we’d run.

“The Belznickl was really our father but we didn’t know that. We were so scared we didn’t even recognize the big bear-like robe that we used on the bed. Later Mother would remind us ‘the Belznickl will get you’ if we weren’t good.

“Our first reaction to the Kristkindl was always what a beautiful angel she was,” they continued. “She was a neighbor woman dressed as an angel and would ask if we’d been good. She reminded us to say our prayers, and this was usually followed by an Our Father and a Hail Mary. The Belznickl in this whole process would try to grab our legs in order to take us away. A great havoc was created with prayers being said amid screams of agony and peals of laughter. After the children received their gifts the awesome duo would leave and the evening settled down. Gifts were opened, songs were sung, and stomachs were filled with Christmas treats.”

Watch the growth of Williston

By SARAH WALKER

Dec. 23 — In 1915, Williston was a town to watch. Established in 1887 as a station along the Great Northern Railroad tracks, Williston was named for Daniel Willis James, a stockholder of the line and friend of James J. Hill. Williston became a city in 1904. Just over a decade later, the city was undergoing a multitude of improvements. At the beginning of December, an article in the Grand Forks Daily Herald noted that a new record had been set in the city history, with new construction in 1915 valued at more than $100,000.

More improvements were underway. The Williston Graphic boasted of its low electric rates and a new street lighting system, both of which were arriving in time for Christmas. As the newspaper reported on this date: “Miss Williston gets ‘just what she wanted’ in her Christmas stocking, and it is enough to make her smile sweetly on Mr. City Commission.”

The low rates started at ten cents for the first 100 kilowatts, and dropped as low as 6 cents for heavier users. The newspaper surmised that the cost would “prove at least as cheap as coal or gasoline and will do away with the muss and labor and danger of handling.” As a result, the city of Williston was expected to promote electric ranges to induce more use.

Moreover, a new White Way street lighting system was set to be completed within the next six months, as bids were called for a multitude of possible systems–such as iron posts or cement posts, with a single light or five light system. The city commission eventually settled on a “handsome design” of a one light, cast iron post made by the King Foundry Company in St. Joseph, Missouri. The cost was expected to be about $20,000 for 217 posts; however, when the bids did come in, they were several thousand dollars higher than expected, due to rising price of copper, iron, tin, and other metals. Nonetheless, Williston would have its lighting; the commission did not see any prospect of decline in the price, and decided the city needed the improvement.

As one newspaper concluded, “Watch the growth of Williston – the City of Opportunity and great natural advantage.”

“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.