North Dakota

While a shared love of history and desire to preserve it for future generations called Marvel Gross and Randy Woehl to serve on the board of the McIntosh County Heritage Center, a question from their county auditor propelled them toward an incredible opportunity for their local museum.
 

A glistening gem amidst the prairie, Lake Tschida is a treasure trove of outdoor recreation and family fun for those visiting the area. Chase the wind atop a boat on the water. Or share the delight of a gooey, smoky s’more at a campfire.

Nestled among the rolling hills of southcentral North Dakota, Heart Butte Reservoir, known as Lake Tschida, summons visitors with wide-open waters for jet skis or boats and cozy campsites for family gatherings.

The 3,400 water acres are surrounded by 7,575 acres of public land where recreational opportunities abound.

For those craving peaceful waters under the North Dakota skies, the Harmon Lake Recreation Area offers an opportunity to build a sandcastle on the beach, dip a paddle in the pond or spin a tire on a trail.

The 136-acre reservoir located on Otter Creek has nearly 5 miles of shoreline, and getting to the water is easy, with a swimming area on an expansive sandy beach.

Or cast a line for northern pike, crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass or rainbow trout, launching from a public boat ramp with a dock. The lake also has a floating fishing pier.

North Dakota Living, the state’s largest-circulated publication and statewide electric cooperative magazine, will conduct a readership survey later this summer. If you are randomly selected to participate, we ask you to consider taking the survey.
Magazine readership surveys are conducted at regular intervals, ideally every three to five years. The last North Dakota Living readership survey was completed in May 2020.

Stretching along the shoreline of Lake Sakakawea, the Little Egypt Recreation Area’s miles of soft sand beaches beacon summertime visitors.

“It has some of the nicest beaches you’ll find in North Dakota,” says Jeremy Ludlum, director of the Williams County Parks Department.

You’ve likely heard the old adage, “They don’t make ’em like they used to.” And when it comes to frozen confections, the people of northwestern North Dakota know that sentiment to be true. That’s because the small town of Stanley is home to a nostalgic ice cream treat – one that can only be found at Dakota Drug.

“I don’t know that we could have did it without her,” says Corey Hart, a Bowdon area rancher who in 2010 desired to have a local meat processing facility in his community.

Many wouldn’t have thought it could be done. Period.

Bowdon’s population was 127 in 2010. The project faced challenges. A lack of people and capital, but not a lack of heart.
If the community of Bowdon wanted it bad enough, Lori Capouch was willing to try.

The electric industry is in a state of transition. In the mid-2000s, a shift away from fossil-fuel generation toward renewables began taking shape. The green energy conversation has dominated the industry for several decades. Consumers have more interest in where and how their power is produced. Policy, regulation and private investment capital continue to step on the accelerator toward a lower carbon future.

But, another critical conversation has emerged in recent years – it’s message ringing louder and louder as extreme weather events test the nation’s electric grid.

Eamon Alido lifts the canola plants from a tray, enthusiastically explaining hydroponics as a technique of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil.

In the music room, Mikaela Fattorini ripples her fingers over the piano keys, then settles into singing “Let It Be” to the heavens.

While Alido and Fattorini ventured from a world away to teach in the rural community of Mott, science and music know no boundaries.