Albert Sickler died last week. He was 94. You maybe didn’t know Albert. Let me tell you a little about him. The first time I met Albert (at least that I can remember) was in the summer of 2004, on the front steps of his aging house on a farmstead in Dunn County, North Dakota, … Continue reading Remembering Albert Sickler

It seems like the threats to our Bad Lands never cease. Let’s go back and revisit Wylie Bice. He’s the rogue, rich, rancher up in Dunn County, on the eastern edge of the Bad Lands, who’s built himself a private bridge on public land, without permission, over the Little Missouri State Scenic River. Now it … Continue reading Looks Like The Illegal Bridge Is Going To Stay–If You’ve Got Enough Money, You Can Get Away With Most Anything

My monthly column in Dakota Country magazine is dedicated to conservation and the protection of our Western North Dakota public lands, especially the Little Missouri National Grasslands and Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I’ve been traveling this winter, and I’m going to share some thoughts on public lands and national parks this month. But first . … Continue reading Do We REALLY Appreciate Our Public Lands?

There’s an old joke North Dakota Republican Legislators tell about their worst nightmare: They’re walking down the Great Hall in the Capitol heading for the cafeteria on their short lunch break and they see Secretary of State Al Jaeger coming toward them. Knowing they’re going to get stuck in a boring 15 minute conversation, they … Continue reading What Does A State Treasurer Do, Anyway?

I’ve got a problem. I need to write a column that is going to be kind of critical of three people I like, and I’m trying to figure out how to do it without making them all angry at me. Their names are Sara, Doug and Marvin. They're all kind of half-ass friends of mine. … Continue reading DAKOTA

Let me explain this article before you read it. It is an article that appears in the current (February 2019) issue of Dakota Country magazine. My editor there, Bill Mitzel, is kind enough to let me share my articles with my blog readers who don’t subscribe to Dakota Country or pick it up on the … Continue reading Well, Excuuuuse Me! Not.

Before I depart for a month, leaving the North Dakota Legislature to its own devices, I’m going to comment on some of the strange goings-on over at the Capitol. I just can’t help myself. The best adjective to describe this session of the Legislature is weird. Maybe even awful. Much of the weirdness comes in … Continue reading Strange Goings-On At The Legislature–I Think I’ll Go West

It was newspaper editor Gideon J. Tucker who wrote those words in 1866. A bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but we’re all well-advised to keep an eye on what goes on over at the Capitol this winter. I’ve got my eye on a couple pieces of legislation, one bad and one good, and I expect … Continue reading No Man’s Life, Liberty Or Property Are Safe While The Legislature Is In Session

I’ve listened to a few State of the State speeches by North Dakota Governors–probably somewhere between 15 and 20—and even had a hand in writing a few of them, so I think I’m qualified to offer a few comments on the one Doug Burgum gave yesterday to the North Dakota Legislature. As they go, his … Continue reading If You’re Going To Talk Like Teddy Roosevelt, You Better Act Like Teddy Roosevelt

Here’s an update on the strangest, and most fascinating, story I’ve written in all the years I’ve been writing on this blog. This story appears in the current—January 2019—issue of Dakota Country magazine, where it reaches a hell of a lot more readers than I have on this blog. But for faithful Prairie Blog readers, … Continue reading North Dakota Has Its Own Version of the Beverly Hillbillies