As I began my trek home, I noticed a rainbow that became more and more vivid as the sun crept lower in the sky. At one point it even had a faint twin, as shown in this picture. It was one of those where both ends of the rainbow are visible, but I don’t have a wide enough lens to capture that. Darn.
When I was in junior high I recall hearing a guy talking about having lunch at the Red Fox (now Dakota Farms) on the east end of Main Street…he saw diesel spewing from one of the locomotives at the tanks behind what is now the vacant McDonald’s building, and hurried over to tell some railroad workers who were sitting in the diner. Their response? “We’re on break.” That pretty much cemented my opinion of unions, even at a young age. It’s also what I think of every time I hear talk about the lake of diesel sitting under my home town.
I also remember that shortly after we had moved into our new workspace in the Mandan Law Enforcement Center, we were told we couldn’t go downstairs or use the elevator because the diesel fumes were toxic. That immediately reminded me of the anecdote I’d heard years before, and I realized that it was part of a deeper issue. Sadly, much of Mandan is paying the price for the damage caused by the railroad by losing some of its more historic features.
It would be neat to see new life breathed into buildings such as the Showboat. A dollar theater would be really cool, as long as it didn’t become a place for parents to stash their unruly junior high kids (ie, Thunder Alley) and expect someone else to babysit them. One of Mandan’s key features is its history downtown area, and I hope it doesn’t disappear completely in the wake of the diesel aftermath.
Sure, it’s still open to foot traffic, but there’s no reason to close the gates on areas such as this one (the Indian Village lookout point at the top of Burnt Boat Road) if there’s no snow. I’m pretty sure I understand the reasoning behind closing the gates: there will be no need for clearing snow and maintaining the road. Well, so far there hasn’t been a need for either…regardless of the status of the entry gates.
It was fun to joke about that during my KFYR days. The TV station was in charge of changing the weather beacon to reflect the updated forecast throughout the broadcast day. On our program log in the control room, in between entries for commercials and programs, were occasional reminders to update the weather beacon. There was a panel in the weather room with six buttons on it: red, white, green, flashing red, flashing white, and flashing green.
The poor Beacon almost faded into history in 1997. It was showing its wear, and the cost of modernizing it was prohibitive. That was, however, until KFYR Radio rode to the rescue. Phil Parker and Mark Armstrong headed an effort to Save the Beacon!
At this time, Meyer Broadcasting was still intact. While I was hard at work on the TV side of the building, I also freelanced the website for KFYR-AM. As part of the campaign to save the Weather Beacon, we had a couple of pages on the website urging people to help donate.
You can click here to see the original Save the Beacon page from my archives.
The campaign was a success in that it raised money toward the Beacon’s restoration, increased public awareness of its plight, and served as a rallying cry to its rescue. While the entire cost of the Beacon’s renovation was not raised, its importance to the community was indisputably proven. Through a matching grant from local government and plenty of donations, the project was underway.
As part of the KFYR website, we were happy to post that the Beacon would be saved. Cliff Naylor did a report on the Beacon that aired as part of a live telecast from the roof of the Provident Building, atop which the Beacon still sits.
You can click here to see the post-campaign page from my archives and watch the video.
As I recall, and the details in my head are quite murky, the Beacon was restored but still had some gremlins. I believe it was then refitted one more time and has functioned ever since. None of it would have been possible without Phil and Mark. To this day, the controls reside with KFYR Radio instead of the television station. In fact, why don’t you call the PH Phactor on KFYR 550 AM and ask Phil about it?
Weather Beacon white as snow, down the temperature will go.
Weather Beacon red as fire, temperature is going higher.
Weather Beacon an emerald green, no change forseen.
When colors blink in agitation, there’s going to be precipitation.
Provident Life used to sponsor TV spots featuring the Beacon and its rhymes. Since they’re no longer doing business there, the ads don’t run. That means that the weather beacon itself is somewhat obscure now, with newer Bismarck-Mandan residents unaware of its history. For those of us who have lived here a long time, it’s good to see the weather beacon standing tall. No matter what the forecast, there’s something great about seeing it red in the spring, green when things are just right, and white when Thanksgiving and Christmas approach. Thanks to everyone who helped keep it up and running!
One of the points I particularly like is that North Dakota uses a Native American figure on its Highway Patrol vehicles and state highway signs. As previously pointed out by others, including the president of UND himself, that little tidbit first appeared six months ago right here on the Bismarck-Mandan Blog. I’m glad we’re all on the same page here.
Here’s a brief excerpt, although I suggest you read the entire article:
Members of the Standing Rock judicial committee visited UND early in 2006 to assess the situation for themselves. “We spoke to everyone, from students on the street to people at the gas station,” says Fool Bear. “Not one gave us any evidence of racism. We went to a hockey game, and they talked about the courage and integrity of the Sioux people. We looked at each other like, ‘Wow, we don’t even honor our Sioux warriors or veterans like this on the reservation.’ ”
White Mountain recalls the committee’s meeting with a UND group that opposes the name. “I asked them, ‘What tribe do you belong to?’ ” he says. “Not one was a Sioux Indian.”This group insisted that the name promotes racism on campus,” adds Fool Bear. “I told them, ‘Put any instances of abuse in writing.’ Today, I’m still waiting — I haven’t gotten one complaint.”
If anything is “hostile and abusive” at UND, it’s the way that some activists treat Indian students who take a different view.
“Our young people go there to get an education,” says Fool Bear. “When they arrive, they’re asked, ‘What do you think of the logo?’ If they have no problem with it, they are badgered and harassed for four years.”
Let’s not forget, as this article mentions, that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sent a delegation to UND in 1968 to formally grant the right to the Fighting Sioux nickname. I’ve seen historical photos of this event, even on local TV newscasts. Are the enemies of the nickname now going to ignore that it ever happened?
It would seem that UND has an airtight case from a common sense point of view. Liberalism, however, has forever defied common sense…so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Hopefully the “politically correct” movement won’t win the day. They should quit interjecting themselves into situations like this, creating racism where there is none and punishing an institution that has arguably done more for Indian education than any other NCAA organization anywhere.
Huge thanks to my friend Shari G for the tip.
This reminds me of a shelf of all sorts of assorted snack goodies at work. It’s marked “Client Use Only” or something like that to make sure that those treats are set aside for clients who stop in. On certain afternoons I get quite tempted to head over to that shelf with a bottle of white-out and make it a “Clint Use Only” area!
One other factor that’s caused me to abandon Double Ditch as a place for stargazing is the recent surge in houses being constructed on the Mandan side. There’s just too much stray light. With the incredible pace of expansion northward on both sides of the river, I may find myself heading east or west when I want a clear patch of sky.
I grabbed a pile of tourism information for central and western South Dakota, and I plan to take my wife (and son, once he arrives) for a nice vacation through many of the areas I witnessed at highway speed this week. Sure, there’s a lot of “tourist trap” stuff in the Black Hills, but it’s pretty easy to see through that. Even in the middle of “nowhere” in rural states like the Dakotas, however, there are always breathtaking sights to see. Next time, when I’m not on a tight schedule, I’ll be going a lot slower than 65 mph…with frequent stops.
Beneath one of the bridges I photographed, quite a ways from this one, I found a bunch of electronic equipment. It was the kind of thing a DJ or band would use: racks, amps, pedals, wireless gear. It had been unceremoniously dumped from the bridge and was lying far below, smashed along the rocks.
I climbed down to the smashed remains of the equipment, found a piece with the sticker of a local company on it, and called the phone number it contained. They said they’d go to that bridge and check it out. I haven’t heard back whether it’s their gear, or something they sold to some other unlucky person. In any case, it’s all a total loss and it will NOT be easy to carry up the wall of huge rocks to get it out of there.
So, there really IS a story behind every picture!
I’m right in the thick of it tonight, folks. Deep in south-southwestern SD, it’s interesting how many white Democrats have infiltrated the reservations. They’ve got a push for abortion going on that defies description.
The one bumper sticker I’ve seen so far that has it right says “Abortion is NOT the Indian way.” Yet many seem to have sold their souls to the Democrat party. The reservations seem to be the battle grounds for the abortion debate. As I type this, only 4-5% of the SD polls have closed…but so far the NOs are winning it for #6.
I don’t get it. What if some white guy said it would be a good idea to abort more Indian babies? Then the outcry of “That’s not the Indian Way” would be deafening. Would it be okay if he was a liberal Democrat? So far, I guess that’s the case.
I even saw a twisted slogan on a sign earlier this week: “A woman’s body is sacred. Vote NO on #6.” Apparently since they use a word like “sacred” they must know what it means, right? Obviously not. What if that unborn baby they choose to abort is female? Is her body somehow excepted?
You can’t go a few hundred feet without seeing a “NO on #6” sign here. They’re nice signs, printed on nice paper…likely the best you can buy. Meanwhile, the signs for actual South Dakota and tribal elections are hand-painted, many on particle board. See something weird in that? I do.
Like I said, the polls are closed. Assuming there aren’t any demands for recounts, flocks of white Democrats will leave South Dakota tomorrow, likely never to return. Maybe then the members of the Native Community who bought into their lies. Once they’ve served the purpose of pro-abortion liberals outside of South Dakota, they’ll be left here on “the Res” to rot.