Where We’ve Been, What We’ve Been Doing, And Why.

On New Year’s Eve, 1940, Paul Southworth Bliss, a veteran of the Great War in Europe and a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, took his service revolver from its holster in his small apartment at the Kansas City, Missouri, YMCA, put the pistol to his head, and pulled the trigger. He was just 51 … Continue reading Where We’ve Been, What We’ve Been Doing, And Why.

‘The Buck Stops Here’ (At The Governor’s Desk)

I’m pretty sure these phone calls have already happened. Rrring! Rrring! “Hello, Governor’s Office, this is Doug Burgum.” “Hello, Governor, this is Bill Peterson over at the State Historical Society. They’re telling me I have to decide if I should sign off on letting the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tear down their historic bridge … Continue reading ‘The Buck Stops Here’ (At The Governor’s Desk)

How About A Job In The Bad Lands?

Do you know some young person, just starting, or just ready to start, a professional career in North Dakota? Someone who’s a good communicator (maybe a journalism degree), and is interested in the outdoors (especially North Dakota’s Bad Lands)? Well, I’ve got an idea for them. I’ve been a member of an organization for more … Continue reading How About A Job In The Bad Lands?

Here We Go Again. The ‘Bridge To Nowhere’ Is Back.

Elections, as they say, have consequences. What’s been going on in Billings County, North Dakota, elections has been pretty consequential. Billings County is an important place. It's home to the Bad Lands, Medora and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. And the Little Missouri State Scenic River. More about elections in a minute. You’ve been reading here … Continue reading Here We Go Again. The ‘Bridge To Nowhere’ Is Back.

What To Do About The Wild Horses

Nothing in recent memory has stirred up as much emotion among Bad Lands enthusiasts as the goofy process now underway to rid Theodore Roosevelt National Park of its wild horse herd. The papers have been flooded with letters to the editor, and newspaper editors themselves have even published editorials telling the National Park Service to … Continue reading What To Do About The Wild Horses

How About A “Super Bridge?”

I went to the North Dakota Department of Water Resources public hearing Friday on whether they should grant the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad permission to build a new bridge over the Missouri River between Bismarck and Mandan. To quote from the Department’s meeting notice, “The new bridge is intended to replace an existing … Continue reading How About A “Super Bridge?”