Politics in those days were messy.  Farmers who felt they weren’t being treated fairly by big businesses wanted a state-owned grain elevator to help them get fair prices on their crops.  They organized into a group they called the Non-Partisan League.  In theory, the league was a great idea:  citizens would collaboratively decide who to vote for, from either political party, when they felt that candidate would get them what they needed.

The Non-Partisan League leaders had socialist agendas.  Although they created the state-owned bank and the state-owned elevator that the people wanted, they also passed laws that changed the young state’s constitution and would have taxed people so heavily that private property would have to be relinquished to the state.  Many citizens, unaware of how the new laws would impact them in the future, enthusiastically supported the league leaders.

A small group of people, including state legislator E.W. Everson and Theodore G. Nelson, formed an opposition group they called the Independent Voters’ Association.   The IVA labored under heavy criticism from the Non-Partisan League leaders, who were solidly in power.  Everson, himself a former member of the Non-Partisan League, chaired the IVA.  Nelson was the secretary.

Some members of the IVA formed what they called Fighting Squads.  Everson and other members of the fighting squads traveled around the state.  They lobbied heavily against Non-Partisan League leaders, including Governor Frazier and the league president A.C. Townley. 

As the Non-Partisan League expanded into Minnesota, the tide began to turn.  Some of the leagues’ leaders were charged with corruption.  Frazier was recalled as governor in 1921 in a very close vote. 

The details of the recall collection have been blurred with time, but in light of the troubles in Illinois, some of the themes have been renewed.  Transparency in government, which apparently was absent in the early days of the Non-Partisan League has become a big deal in North Dakota. 

During this 61st Legislative Session, state lawmakers are looking at a bill that would provide a transparent process for situations where the governor would have to appoint a United States senator to represent North Dakota.  A few other bills address the open meetings laws, detailing what counts as an open meeting and under what circumstances city and county officials can meet. 

 Although few people remember the IVA or E.W. Everson, in some ways this is his legacy.  North Dakota still has a very large state government, but the spirit of cooperation has continued and there is also a sense of caution. 

State lawmakers talk about balancing the several needs of the state with putting money away for a rainy day.  Every bill introduced to the Legislature has a public hearing.  Each bill is debated in House or Senate at least once, and in both houses if it has a good chance of passing.  The lawmakers themselves are citizens who leave their jobs for around four months every other year in order to look after the interests of the state.

It’s common-sense politics, but it might not have been possible without the 1921 recall election and the policy changes that followed.  As embarrassing as a recall election or impeachment might be to a state, it’s also a sign of freedom, a sign that the citizens are watching, a sign that they will not put up with mandated limits on the freedoms they hold dear.

As audacious as it may be, it’s a sign of hope.

I also got to tour the mansion and carriage house–something I’ve been wanting to do since I moved to the area.  In the carriage house was a list of the Ten Commandments of Motoring, from a North Dakota Highway Bulletin dated September 1925.  I’m sharing them here:

1.  Drive to the right side of the road; it’s just as good as the left.

2.  Slow down when approaching a crossroad; it is nearly as dangerous as a railroad crossing.

3.  Look out for children.  You can never tell what they will do, and you are always in the wrong if you hit one.

4.  Try to hep instead of hinder the traffic officer; he is there for your good and he’s got a tough job.

5.  Be sure your “dimmers” really dim; it’s no joke driving into a blindng glare, as you probably know.

6.  Read and obey the warning signs; they are not put up as ornaments.

7.  If you feel you’ve got to speed, do it where it won’t kill anybody but yourself.

8.  When making minor repairs, stop where your car may be seen from both directions; otherwise you may stop longer than you anticipated.

9.  Speeding round corners s a straight route to the hospital.  Don’t race past a stopped street car.  Some day the jury will call it manslaughter.

10.  Use discretion.  The fact that you had the right of way won’t bring anybody back to life, least of all yourself.

No one talks that way anymore.  It’s not very politically correct or even polite, but it’s fun to read, anyway. 

Besides the Ten Commandments of Motoring, the carriage house has a very old bike–one where the front wheel is about five times the size as the back wheel.  The carriage house itself is well worth the visit.

For information on the Former Governor’s Mansion and fun bits of history like this one, contact the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

From the article:

He acquired an unparalleled collection of Mandan and Hidasta goods. And he kept detailed illustrated journals that would in sheer historical detail put the earlier, more famous explorers’ notes to shame.

Now the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn is featuring Prince Maximilian and the work of the gifted artist Karl Bodmer, who accompanied him, as a way to celebrate the 175th year since their journey.

I read last week that there will be a Christmas open house at the Former Governor’s Mansion tomorrow, December 7.  Unfortunately, it’s not a good day for me to go, so I hope someone who has the chance to go will write back and let me know what they learned.  It’s a part of North Dakota’s history I’m sad to miss out on.  Maybe I’ll catch a tour next summer.

Interested parties can read more about the Former Governor’s Mansion here.

The final explosion took place this morning.  A video link will be available through KX News around noon today.

It’s hard to say goodbye to a landmark, but I have to admit, I’m beginning to look forward to seeing the north view of the Missouri unimpeded as I travel across the new bridge.

According to this KX News article, there are less than 500 Nakota horses in the nation. 

My favorite part of this article:

Emma Zeigler made the move all the way from Sweden to Linton to be with the Nakotas

Emma Zeigler / From Sweden: “North Dakota is a very special place I think. I really, really like the prairie [and] the rolling hills. When the sun is going down it gets this golden color on the green hills. It is just so pretty, it is just a good atmosphere. People are very friendly, very open.”

At least in my case.  I am not muslim, but I belong to a religion that is largely misunderstood, sometimes even persecuted.  I haven’t experienced that here.  I’ve found I’m able to talk freely about my religion, and people listen without fear.  That doesn’t mean they embrace what I believe, but they don’t attack or shun me, either.

For me, that’s a precious measure of peace, freedom and security.  I don’t have to worry about my children in school or my husband at work.  We have found friends in abundance.  I suspect that’s true for most people in situations like ours. 

Stories like the one I linked to above always bring strong feelings to the surface.  If I could, I would reach out to every muslim woman in North Dakota to let them know they are treasured for who and what they are.

To everyone else, I would encourage a moment of reflection.  After all, North Dakota was home to the first Mosque in America. 

Read more about that here and here.

The textbook is called “North Dakota History: Readings about the Northern Plains State.” It includes articles published in state historical journals since 1906.

Kathy Davison, editor of the textbook and the State Historical Society of North Dakota, says it’s like “a series of snapshots of the state.”

It sounds like something that I would enjoy reading.  I’ll be watching for a copy at the library.

The site is located 14 1/2 miles northeast of Grenora, North Dakota, almost as far northwest as you can go and still be in the state.  For those who are interested in the Bakken oil formation area and come here to visit, this may be a fun side trip.

“It’s funny how North Dakota sticks with me,” he said.  “It’s what I long to build and create around me, wherever I am.  It is all things good and honorable.” 

It’s been a busy year for Everson.  Besides working on the raku art form and teaching it to others, he founded the Grizzly Groundswell blog site, began work on an online conservative radio station, and seriously considered running for the Minnesota House of Representatives.  

Everson, who said Grizzly Groundswell is more about faith and conservative living than politics, said the timing for holding public office just wasn’t right.  He decided to take the road less traveled.  He pulled out of the race in order to concentrate on building an online network of conservative bloggers.   

“I found that it tied my hands too much just as my site was taking off, so I am stepping back and reinvesting my energy into the online empire I am creating.  A big decision for me was looking at the political landscape here in my backyard.  It is volatile and I knew I could affect it more as a blogger than as a candidate.” 

Pulling out of the political race to work on politics in a different way was a bold move that was rooted in North Dakota history. 

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Everson explained how his great-grandfather, E.W. Everson, immigrated from Norway, settled in North Dakota, and became involved in politics.  According to Chad Everson, E.W. Everson was responsible for initiating the Independent Voters Association, which successfully challenged the Non-Partisan League and stopped some seriously socialistic maneuvers.

Generations later, Chad Everson said E.W. Everson was his inspiration and motivation for creating the Grizzly Groundswell site.

“This new media, to me, is my great-grandfather’s North  Dakota,” he said.  “It’s the last frontier, the last chance to homestead.”

E.W. Everson’s courage to stand alone in the face of political heat helped Chad Everson with his own decisions, including how he wanted to run Grizzly Groundswell.  The blog site aims to have at least one conservative political blogger in every state.  The variety of people and perspectives is important.

“It’s like a good North Dakota quilt,” Everson explained.  “If it doesn’t have all the colors and textures, it wouldn’t be as beautiful.”

The ultimate goal of the Grizzly Groundswell site and Grizzly Groundswell Radio is to be able to oppose small socialistic changes that may spread from one state to another without much notice.

“You can really head things off before people get the political machines moving,” Everson said.  “If you see something in someone else’s back yard, you know it’s coming to yours.”

“I looked at all the online media,” he said.  “There’s a lot of talent and a lot of good things going on, but no one seems to be working together.  I’m hoping that one day we’ll be so strong and so visible that we’ll whisper and people will hear us.”

Meanwhile, Everson and his wife Michelle focus on creating a simple, peaceful way of life.  They call their home ‘Dream Fulfilled’ and surround it with animals, fruit trees, and a large garden. 

“I still live like prairie land demands, honest and joyfully,” Everson said.  “I bring my inviting North Dakota smile and eye contact to lands where passerbyers seldom glance in each other’s direction.  I still insist corruption and socialism is not how business in my backyard is done.”

Everson, a North Dakota ambassador, is currently writing a book about E.W. Everson.  He said the book will be called ‘Better Man than I:  The Greatest American Story Socialists Never Wanted You to Hear.’ 

“So far it is my story as well, looking back to my great-grandfather’s heroism and gift so that I would be the man God has intended me,” he said.