July 8th, 2024
Homesteading stories shared by late local historian
By Michael M. Miller
The 53rd Germans from Russia Heritage Society Convention convenes July 17-20 at the Baymont Hotel in Mandan, North Dakota. For further information, contact GRHS at www.grhs.org.
The Germans from Russia Heritage Society Convention provides a chance to connect with others who are passionate about this group’s unique culture, art, and history. One such individual is historian and author Leona…
May 16th, 2024
Need more events? Check out our July 2024 and August 2024 calendars. (They're cleverly split up to save you some scrolling.)
Spring Crows
Now - June 28, Spirit Room, Fargo
Forty artists display works centered around a crow theme. Opening reception on May 17.
Women of the West Art Show
Now - June 29, Long X Arts Foundation Gallery, Watford City
Amanda Heimbuch's mixed media art is inspired by western women.
April 18th, 2024
By Michael M. Miller
On March 11, 2024, we celebrated the 121st birthday of bandleader Lawrence Welk. He was born March 11, 1903 in a sod house near Strasburg, North Dakota, and died on May 17,1992. The Lawrence Welk Collection was donated to the North Dakota State University Archives in Fargo.
In May 1994, I interviewed Fern (Renner) Welk, wife of Lawrence Welk, during the grand opening of the Lawrence Welk Champagne Theater in Branson, Missouri. Included in this…
April 18th, 2024
By Michael M. Miller
Nancy Martin and Connie Ulasewicz co-authored the article, “Ach, Gott, yes, I wish I was back in Russia: Heimat in the Dress of North Dakota’s Black Sea Germans.” It was published in the Journal of the Costume Society of America, Volume 46, 2020. Martin did extensive German-Russian textile and clothing research at the McIntosh County Heritage Center in Ashley, North Dakota, the State Historical Society of North Dakota in Bismarck and…
March 21st, 2024
By Annie Prafcke
As an elementary school kid in the early 2000s, Kristy Tran didn’t start her day the way most kids do. Instead of rolling out of bed to go straight to school, Tran and her parents went grocery shopping.
Nearly every morning — or sometimes after school — the Tran family got in the car to drive to Asian and American Market. At the store, Tran’s dad waited in the driver's seat with a cigarette or a cup of coffee, while her mom made the grocery…
March 21st, 2024
By Maddie Robinson
Johan Stenslie has always been immersed in Norwegian culture. His mother, originally from Norway, and his father, from small-town North Dakota, met at Concordia College and were strong proponents of keeping their children connected with their Norwegian heritage.
Growing up, Stenslie was only allowed to read and speak Norwegian at home. He also kept a Norwegian journal, visited Norway every other summer and performed Norwegian folk dance with his…
March 21st, 2024
By Sabrina Hornung
When the McIntosh County Heritage Museum in Ashley, North Dakota was approached by their county auditor regarding the value of the museum’s collection for the sake of insurance, the museum couldn’t give them an answer.
“When I jumped on board with the McIntosh Historical Society, we found we had no records of what our inventory was,” said Randy Woehl, McIntosh County Heritage Museum vice president. “There was a record book at one time that…
February 15th, 2024
By Michael M. Miller
Dwight Herr interviewed his father, Julius E. Herr of Wishek, North Dakota, in June 1979. Dwight provided a transcription and donated the “Life Story of Julius E. Herr” to the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection.
Julius Herr was born in Wishek on July 24, 1904. His parents were John and Christine Herr. Their ancestral village was Kassel, Glückstal District, South Russia.
Dwight Herr writes: “John Herr, dad’s father, was a…
December 7th, 2023
By Michael M. Miller
As the Holiday Season continues, I extend Yuletide Best Wishes and a special Fröhliche Weihnachten greeting to you and your family!
The December/January 1984-1985 issue of PRAIRIES Magazine published by the Ashley Tribune included this fascinating article authored by the editor, Warren Overlie, “A Russian Christmas: How was the grand holiday of Christmas…
November 23rd, 2023
By John Showalter
photo by Logan Macrae
Anyone who lives in the Fargo-Moorhead area knows that its yearly weather is a sequence of extremes. It feels like more often than not, springs and autumns are barely there while summers drag on with oppressive heat and stifling humidity and winters with bitter cold and copious amounts of snow. The ideal window for those with green thumbs to tend…
By Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…