I would like to travel all the way to the top of US Highway 281 to North Dakota and see what's up there. I've been doing some research and will share with you what I have found so far.
North Dakota is located on the Northern end of US highway 281. The 19th largest state by area in the US. 48th most populous with just over 640,000 residents as of 2006. North Dakota was carved out of the northern half of the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union as the 39th state on November 2, 1889. When North Dakota entered the Federal Union in 1889, its leaders prophesied a glorious future for the Northern Prairie State. Great cities and prosperous farms, said the promoters, would make Dakota the "jewel" in the crown of Democracy.
The northern terminus is at the International Peace Garden, north of Dunseith, North Dakota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as Highway 10. The northernmost section of U.S. 281 passes through North Dakota's Turtle Mountains.
Climate:
Summers are warm with temperatures in the 80s and 90s with several days in the 100s. Evenings can be cool. Average maximum: July is 87.1 degrees and August is 86.7 degrees. Average minimum: July 54.5 degrees and August is 52.4 degrees. Annual precipitation is 15 inches. Winters are cold and windy with brief warming spells. Snow accumulation is generally minimal although occasional heavy snows are possible.
North Dakota Fun Facts: In the Sioux language, the word "Dakota" means Friend. The largest city in North Dakota is Fargo. The North Dakota city which is the geographical center of North America is Rugby. The state bird is the Meadowlark. The 1995 Legislative Assembly designated the Square Dance as the official American folk dance of North Dakota.
North Dakotans:
Lawrence Welk, North Dakota's most famous "favorite son," was born and raised in a sod house on a small farmstead near Strasburg. On his twenty-first birthday, Welk, having fulfilled his promise to his father, left the family farm to pursue a career in music. He became a musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, hosting The Lawrence Welk Show from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known to his large number of radio, television, and live-performance fans as "champagne music."
"The Lawrence Welk Show" embraced changes on the musical scene over the years. The show continued to feature fresh music alongside the classics for as long as it existed, even music originally not intended for the big band sound. During the 1960s and 1970s, for instance, the show incorporated material by such contemporary sources as The Beatles, Frank Zappa, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, The Everly Brothers and Paul Williams, albeit in Welk's signature "Champagne" style. A place to connect with fans of The Lawrence Welk Show:
Peggy Lee, was born May 26, 1920 as Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota. Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer and songwriter and Academy Award-nominated actress. Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong all cited Lee as one of their favorite singers. As an actress, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Pete Kelly's Blues. Peggy Lee Web Site:
Louis L'Amour, grew up in the fading days of the American frontier. He was born Louis Dearborn LaMoore on March 22, 1908, the last of seven children in the family of Dr. Louis Charles LaMoore and Emily Dearborn LaMoore. His home, for the first fifteen years of his life was Jamestown, ND.
Louis L'Amour wrote Western fiction remain popular, and most have gone through multiple printings. At the time of his death all 101 of his works were in print (86 novels, 14 short-story collections, and one full-length work of nonfiction) and he was considered "one of the world's most
popular writers. Louis L'Amour:
Theodore Roosevelt National Park:
Theodore Roosevelt first came to the badlands on a hunting trip in September 1883. He was enchanted by the landscape and its wildlife. TR invested in two cattle ranches, the Maltese Cross and the Elkhorn. The experience was influential on his life, philosophy, and politics. "I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota," he said.
North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department:
TRAVEL LINKS:
North Dakota Tourism Guide: North Dakota Department of Transportation:
North Dakota Council on the Arts: North Dakota State Historical Society:
The Red River, which divides north Dakota and Minnesota, is unique in that it flows North.
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