Fort Sauerkraut

In a lifetime ago, I was a teacher... a social studies teacher...in Mandan...Morton County...state of North Dakota. Eighth grade kids can be a challenge. Teaching North Dakota history can be a challenge. Finding anything that might be of interest to that age group is never easy. And so it was with North Dakota history.

Every state is rich in historical perspective. The difficulty lies in making it something more than just names, dates, and places.

In my high school days, the very brief sojourn into North Dakota history was focused primarily on that which happened in the eastern half of the state. Why? I can't say. But it was.

When one considers what happened in the western part of the state, particularly the Badlands with Teddy Roosevelt and the Marquis de Mores, the west has every bit as much of a "colorful" past as does the east.

But what about in between? What kind of "history" does the area around my home town of New Leipzig have to offer? The answer is "a LOT"!

Ever hear of Ft. Sauerkraut? This may just be one of those hidden, very little known "jewels" of history. I'd never personally heard of it until I started digging to find something about Morton County history that might interest my kids.

There's a lot of information, actually, about this fort, but a story that stuck out for me was the one that follows. It's actually copied from a book on Morton County that I can't even find anymore for attribution. It may still be available, but in all the research I've done online, it's nowhere to be found.

The humor related in this story is unmistakable. It makes it more real to the reader. I'm doing the story in four parts:

Part 1: Ghost Dancing Among the Indians; Schweigert Awake While Others Nap

Part 2: Indians Reported on War Path; Frightened Settlers Flee to Town

Part 3: Frightened Men Build Fort, Scouts Watch From Hilltops

Part 4:  Northern Indians Come to Rescue; Raber Holds His Scalp

And, just so you know I'm not making this stuff up, here's a link to a shorter version of the story I'm sharing: Dickinson....The Western Edge



Enjoy!