Community
There is a place in western North Dakota where you can experience a rodeo on Saturday night and a church service on Sunday morning.
Syndi Musland Miske was practically born with boots on. Growing up in rural North Dakota, she spent her free time riding horse, practicing barrels in the arena near her family’s farm and ranch and riding to the Do Drop Inn in Merricourt for malted milkshakes.
A cardiac rehab nurse, Miske and her husband, Darin, now live on a ranch in Wibaux, Mont., served by Goldenwest Electric Cooperative, just 40 miles away from Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). It’s a dream come true for the cowgirl who dreamed of riding her horse in the Badlands.
The city of Dickinson reimagined a downtown site – a former banking center – to create a vibrant outdoor space for the community.
Nearly five years ago, two North Dakota farmers had an idea to market their barley crop to beer brewers. A local surplus of barley and shortage of malt presented favorable market dynamics, and the pair were willing to bet on themselves, their barley and beer.
The world changed five years ago when the coronavirus pandemic entered our lives. It disrupted everything, from the way we learn and work to the price of groceries and gasoline. While many facets of our lives have returned to normal (or a “new normal”), the American pocketbook is still wishing and waiting for the return of pre-pandemic pricing.
For over a century, Minot State University (MSU) has empowered students with the confidence and skills to lead fulfilling lives in their communities. By providing over $4 million in scholarships and aid annually, nearly half of MSU students graduate debt-free.
At the small, rural school in Anamoose, a young girl runs to the cafeteria door with a giant smile and tiny brown seed in hand. She politely asks for a plastic bag to take her trophy home – a pepper seed she found during lunch – so she could plant it and grow peppers.
Miranda Reider, assistant cook and the school’s “bread master,” happily obliges, explaining this is a common occurrence at the Anamoose-Drake Elementary School.
High above the ground with a sweeping view of the North Dakota prairie is right where Jacob Lund is meant to be.
As a journeyman lineworker, Lund is often 35 feet in the air, working on the high-voltage electrical infrastructure that powers the lives of his cooperative’s members. And there’s no place he’d rather be.
North Dakota Living was wowed by the amount and quality of the photo entries submitted in our first ever photo contest! We received almost 300 submissions depicting the life, love and land of the great state of North Dakota.
We had a heck of a time choosing the winners.
Thanks to everyone who particpated and congratulations to the winners of the 2025 North Dakota Living Photo Contest!
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Watch for information on the 2026 contest later this year.
“It’s kind of scary thinking about traveling an hour plus to get the care we need,” Marketing and Human Resource Specialist Lauren McClintock said at the Aug. 27 grand opening for the new Rugby hospital. “We want to think about the future when we think of health care, and we want to think about our communities and what can help us the most.”
