![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bismarckmandanblog.com\/images\/nd_almanac2007.jpg\")
<\/center>Last week I got the opportunity to talk briefly with William “Jack” Jackson, the author of several books about North Dakota. I picked up a copy of his latest book, the 2007-2008 edition of his Almanac of North Dakota Mysteries and Oddities<\/em>. It was a fun read, especially for one who loves local history.<\/p>\nNorth Dakota has got plenty of interesting, humorous, and just plain outrageous tales in its history. For instance, it was a North Dakotan who coined the term “Flying Saucer” as he spotted a group of them near his airplane above Mount Rainier. A North Dakotan sentenced to death in New York turned out to be a German Shepherd. In Hankinson, a young boy survived with only a bruise on his nose after being run over by over 60 rail cars back in 1908. There’s plenty more where this came from!<\/p>\n
You can find out fun stories like the Burleigh farmer who walked 28 miles to catch a train to a checkers tournament, or sad stories like the great flue epidemic of the early 1900s, which killed thousands of North Dakotans. The stories vary, and there’s something in this book for everyone.<\/p>\n
If you’re a fan of North Dakota history, you owe it to yourself to talk to Mr. Jackson. Unfortunately he does not have a kiosk set up at Gateway Mall now that the holiday season is winding down, but his work is available at Barnes & Noble. He’s got eight books out, the majority of them about North Dakota.<\/p>\n
The next book of his I want to investigate more closely is Unbelievable Dakota People – the Good, Bad, Bold & Ugly<\/em>. It’ll be interesting to see who falls into the last category!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Last week I got the opportunity to talk briefly with William “Jack” Jackson, the author of several books about North Dakota. I picked up a copy of his latest book, the 2007-2008 edition of his Almanac of North Dakota Mysteries … Continue reading