The Face Of North Dakota

Okay, here's an end-of-winter assignment for you. You have time. Five days, by the calendar, but, judging by the amount of snow in my back yard, you won't be tilling that garden for three or four weeks yet, and the storm windows don't come down until Maybasket Day, my dad used to say. So here's what I recommend: Read John P. Bluemele's "The Face Of North Dakota."

I just finished it, again. I first read it back in the 1980's when a friend of mine from Carrington said he wanted me to come spend a day visiting Hawk's Nest Ridge and Sully's Hill, and I realized how little I knew about places like that in North Dakota. I read Bluemle's Third Edition this time, which is an updated version of his Revised Edition I first read. The original work dates to 1977, and is the geologic history of North Dakota. If you want to know about eskers, concretions, cannonballs, and clinkers, or, more importantly, just why North Dakota looks like it does today, you should read this.

In language the layman can understand, Bluemle, until recently the North Dakota State Geologist, takes us through half a billion years of warming and cooling, continental drift, rivers and lakes and, most importantly in Bluemle's mind, glaciers. In his introduction he writes "The record of the glaciers, especially the record of their departure, is inscribed on the land. It is recorded in the hills, the lakes, and ponds of the Missouri Coteau; in the broad flat expanse of the Red River Valley; and in the rolling plains between. The boulders scattered across the land testify: "The glacier was here!" Perhaps the most important heritage of the Ice Age is our rich farmland, the soil that makes our crops grow so well. Once you are aware of it, the reality of the Ice Age cannot be avoided; If God had a hand, it was the glacier."

In less than 200 pages, some laboriously detailed that cry out for frequent snack breaks, but all part of a "generalized discussion . . . meant to heighten people's awareness of our natural environment and surroundings and help them understand the changes in rocks and landforms that can be seen across the state," you'll gain a new appreciation for what you'll see in your drives across North Dakota this summer.

Once you've worked through the Pleistocene and the Cryptozoic and the Cretaceous, a bit of a struggle, I admit, you get interesting and useful stuff, like Devils Lake's origins in the Cannonball and Knife Rivers, and a first discussion of the Bakken Formation before any of us had heard of it (a friend of mine sent me a note after one of my earlier blog posts that said "I thought John Hoeven discovered the Bakken;" Bluemle tells us that it was around way before that, even way back in the Bill Guy days, although "fracking" wasn't part of the terminology when this edition was written (2000), so you'll have to wait for Bluemle's 4th Edition or, I suppose, listen to a Hoeven campaign ad, to find out who gets credit for that).

And then, at the end of the maybe ten or twelve hours you've committed to reading this, you get a treat. The crusty old geologist steps outside his laboratory, past his Geological Survey staff, onto the land you realize he has come to love after all these years of studying it, and gives us an epilogue straight from his heart. I'm reprinting it here, in its entirety, even though it is a bit long, because most of you are not going to complete the assignment of getting the book (you can buy it at the North Dakota Heritage Center, or most university bookstores, or borrow it from almost any public library in North Dakota) and reading it before Spring.

"This land--the "Face of North Dakota"--is built on a deep geological inheritance, one that has been developing for eons. Any one individual can, during a lifetime, observe only small natural changes to the landscape. We will see only a brief moment, a scratch on the surface of our earth's long and dynamic history during our lifetime. Even so, if enough small events, and occasional larger ones, continue long enough, they can combine to transform the "face" of the state.

"North Dakota bears a signature that tells the story of the geologic forces, both visible and buried, that have shaped our state. Their bold, unmistakable inscriptions mark the surface on which we live. The face of North Dakota may be likened to a fragmented history book, one that records not only the natural events, but also the human experiences that have shaped the earth and our lives. If we read between the lines, interpret the footnotes (and piece in some of the missing pages), we can better understand the deeper, hidden layers of much older, buried landscapes and seascapes. Ancient sea floors, coral reefs, shore lines, coastal swamps, tropical river systems, melting ice sheets, and a variety of other environments have combined to produce the framework that forms our land.

"North Dakota's "face" attests strongly to its underlying geology. A change in surface terrain usually indicates a geologic change beneath the ground. Most of what we see: elevation, drainage, surface materials--even snow and rain--are the products of geologic activities. The landscape is where almost all human activity takes place. Learning to live in harmony with it is essential. If we understand its building blocks--the bedrock, glacial materials, soil, water and air--and their inherent relationships, we will be better able to protect its past and future heritage.

"We tend to think of the landscape as permanent. But our hillsides, ravines, buttes, badlands, broad rolling prairies, lake plains and flood plains are dynamic, always changing. People are sometimes a major force in hastening the changes. Humankind has, in fact, become a geologic force, as anyone knows who has watched a dam being built, or seen a road-construction crew at work. We have the technology, the equipment, the power, and the will to shape our environment--sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically, sometimes purposefully, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes for the better, sometimes detrimentally.

"North Dakotans ask much from the land--and the land, in turn, challenges us. We farm the fields, drink the water, build our homes and businesses, pump the oil and gas, mine the coal and sand and gravel, bury the wastes and play in the parks. The land is the physical basis for all we are. City people depend on it and on its complex parts just as much as rural people. We all need clean water, fresh air, open space, and the chance to experience the natural marvels surrounding us.

"Yet, as we look at today's North Dakota, we should strive to appreciate yesterday and anticipate tomorrow. Our past and future are both rooted in our land, and in its ability to work for us and with us. If we understand the geological history and natural processes that shaped that land, we can apply that knowledge to conserve and renew it. As we constantly mold and remodel the face of North Dakota to suit our needs, we must also adapt to the changes we impose upon it. However we choose to treat our land--gently and with respect, or harshly and callously--we are shaping the legacy we leave our children."