Lone Prairie Magazine: North Dakota

Poem: A Bad Day Farming, Illustrated

Julie R. Neidlinger — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 21:30:39 GMT

When Jerusalem On The Prairie Passes Away

Julie R. Neidlinger — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:30:41 GMT

While reading disparaging online comments about North Dakota— which are not difficult to find online—and its lack of acceptable diversity, I came across a numbskull who commented that there was probably only one Jewish person ever in North Dakota.

My mother could tell you otherwise.

Boy, could she.

My friend jokes about how, on his first visit to my fam…

A Perfect Quarter of Land

Julie R. Neidlinger — Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:16:38 GMT

Blue Like A River: By The Numbers

Julie R. Neidlinger — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:22:17 GMT

Post-protest data taken from NDResponse.gov, which was gathered by various state agencies, including: ND JIC, NDDES, NDHP, NDGF, NDDH, and the Governor’s Office.

$43M Total cost to state taxpayers (estimated as of September 26, 2017). About $30M goes to personnel costs.

210 Total days of response support. The protest started on April 1, 2016; camps were fully cleared on February 23, 2017.

331,721 Total hours of response support.

106 Total North Dakota agencies that provided support during the protest.

10 Other states that provided assistance: Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

34 Total out-of-state agencies that provided support during the protest.

761 Number of arrests. 709 were protesters. 94% were from out of state. 227 had prior criminal records. 34 had a history of violence. 58 had a history of theft/robbery. 36 had a history of DUI/drugs. 41 were previously cited/arrested for drug possession.

544 Morton County households were affected by the protest.

$15-20K Individual losses claimed by Morton County farmers and ranchers.

57 Total livestock affected by the protest. 23 were killed or went missing. 34 were injured.

1,820 Total number of North Dakota personnel who came to help Morton County when the call for assistance went out. There were 412 sheriffs and deputies representing 43 of North Dakota’s 53 counties. (Data: ND Association of Counties)

200 Total number of hours the ND Department of Agriculture spent dealing with potentially pest-infested firewood.

700 Total number of hours employees of the ND Department of Agriculture dedicated to protest-related activities.

1,421 Total number of NDNG members who responded to the protest. 1,272 were Army. 149 were Air. On average, there were 200 members on duty for any given day. 136 students had to leave school for active duty response. 159 North Dakota cities/towns sent members to the response, while 9 other states were also represented.

$8.75M Total NDNG cost to protest response. Includes personnel, equipment, meals, and lodging.

$4.43M Total cost of ND Highway Patrol for protest. Includes personnel, travel, equipment, supplies, etc.

155 Total NDHP troopers logging emergency declaration time during the protest.

41,039 Total hours of NDHP regular time logged. There were 349,139 miles driven on regular time.

39,113 Total hours of NDHP overtime logged. There were 412,983 miles driven on overtime.

4,700+ Total number of private citizens who joined a single pro-community group on Facebook to counteract the protest. There were at least five groups of varying sizes.

90,000+ Estimated number of calls received by the ND Department of Emergency Services alone, according to Cecily Fong. There were more than 100 record requests, and more than 9,000 emails and written responses. This is a rough estimate, given the broad spread of people in the state who receive messages and calls.

UPDATE JUNE 2026: Since the book was first published, a variety of legal actions have wound their way through the court systems. Lawsuits against Greenpeace by ETP (successful) and so on. In June 2026, the state of North Dakota and the Federal Government reached a settlement, and the state was awarded $28M to cover costs incurred during the protest on federal land. What is important to note is that the Obama Administration was held responsible for allowing significant harm to the state of North Dakota.

Blue Like A River: Dakota Access Pipeline Protest Timeline

Julie R. Neidlinger — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:05:47 GMT

Blue Like A River: Maps

Julie R. Neidlinger — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:58:41 GMT

Poem: Field Lunch

Julie R. Neidlinger — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 21:11:34 GMT

Blue Like A River: The Lawsuit, The Jerk, and the Road Forward

Julie R. Neidlinger — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 19:35:42 GMT

Blue Like A River: Interview with a Standing Rock Elder

Julie R. Neidlinger — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 18:00:21 GMT

Blue Like A River: Blue Highways and the Wisdom of Elders

Julie R. Neidlinger — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 15:09:35 GMT

We travel highways, all our live-long days.

William Least Heat-Moon, who is part Native American, had lost his job and his wife and took to the road, where maybe such losses can lose their sting. The result was the book Blue Highways: A Journey Into America.1

Least Heat-Moon describes his reasoning eloquently: “On the old highway maps of America, the mai…

Blue Like A River: A Prayer Meeting and a Documentary

Julie R. Neidlinger — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:46:10 GMT

Blue Like A River: Scott Davis Interview

Julie R. Neidlinger — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 15:32:38 GMT

Blue Like A River: James Schmidt Interview

Julie R. Neidlinger — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:01:45 GMT

Blue Like A River: In the place where the fight was.

Julie R. Neidlinger — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:45:26 GMT

Alice Corbin Henderson, the poet whose work often focused on Native Americans, said it. “In the place where the fight was, across the river…” she wrote, and I wonder how she knew.1

The Missouri River winds slow and thick through the rolling hills of western North Dakota. Cities and refineries and pastures can be found on its shores. Bridges go over it an…

Burleigh County, ATVs, and the importance of private property rights.

Julie R. Neidlinger — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:05:43 GMT

Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. — John Adams, in a letter to the Massachusetts militia on October 11, 1798

It is my opinion that as more Americans (and North Dakotans in particular) have reduced their connection to the land, their understanding of private property ri…

Blue Like A River: Julie Ellingson interview.

Julie R. Neidlinger — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:00:58 GMT

Blue Like A River: Who owns the land?

Julie R. Neidlinger — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:01:27 GMT

The Beauty of Harvest Despite Jerkwater Equipment

Julie R. Neidlinger — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:08:38 GMT

Blue Like A River: Private security and the vacuum principle.

Julie R. Neidlinger — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:01:12 GMT

Blue Like A River: Private security officer interview.

Julie R. Neidlinger — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:01:31 GMT