Dakota Datebook

About Dakota Datebook

Sitting Bull to Phil Jackson, cattle to prairie dogs, knoefla to lefse. North Dakota's legacy includes many strange stories of eccentric towns, war heroes, and various colorful characters. Hear all about them on Dakota Datebook, your daily dose of North Dakota history. Dakota Datebook is made in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota, and funded by Humanities North Dakota, a nonprofit, independent state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the program do not necessarily reflect those of Humanities North Dakota or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Publisher

Prairie Public

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Jan 2024

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

701 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   October 7: Getting on Track

   Railroad tracks finally began creeping west from Duluth, Minnesota, in 1870. On a cold New Year’s Eve in 1871, the railroad finally reached the Red River at Moorhead. Construction on a railroad bridge across the river continued through the winter. The residents of Fargo eagerly watched a locomotive sitting on the tracks, waiting for the completion of the bridge. On June 6, 1872, a group of women boarded a ferry and crossed the river. They decorated the engine with flowers and were then invited to climb aboard the train. The locomotive got up steam, the whistle blew, and the train moved majestically across the bridge and into Dakota Territory.

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   October 6: The Age of Train Robberies

   At one time, the stagecoach was a tempting target for outlaws. They could stop a coach far from the prying eyes of the law, stealing the cargo and robbing the passengers. As trains began moving across the country, they replaced the stagecoach for long-distance transportation. They also became the new target for outlaws. Train robbery was common in the United States and is associated with outlaw gangs in the American West.

3. 

   5 Oct 2026

   October 5: A Knight of the Air

   World War I broke out on July 28, 1914. At first, airplanes were used only for reconnaissance, but it didn’t take long for the shooting to break out in the air. On August 25, two French aviators shot at and damaged a German plane, which managed to escape. In September, a Russian pilot destroyed an enemy airplane, but instead of shooting it down, he rammed it with his own plane. The crews of both planes were killed.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

15 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 66 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

70

Social presence

0

YouTube

63

Engagement

90

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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