Dakota Datebook: Meteors

Oct. 9, 2018 — On a cold winter night in 1910, a 600-pound meteorite lying on a sidewalk in Carrington disappeared and was never seen again.

Thousands of meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere every single day, but only a few survive to actually hit the dirt. On this date in 1992, for example, thousands of people heard a sonic boom, then watched as a meteor burst into flames and streaked across eastern skies.

As the meteor hurtled toward New York, more than a dozen people captured it on film. Before falling into Peekskill, 50 miles north of New York City, the 30 pound fireball flew over an open football stadium. It slammed into the trunk of a 1980 Chevy Malibu, just barely missing the gas tank.

In contrast, the meteor that landed near Carrington on Jan. 10, 1910, was 20 times larger than the New York meteor.

In their publication, “Meteorites in North Dakota,” authors Edward Murphy and Nels Forsman reported that the Carrington Weekly carried an article that week titled “Five Foot Meteor Strikes Near Guptil, Buries itself Six Feet Deep in Ground and Sizzles for a Day.”

The rock was described as over 5 feet in diameter, weighing about 600 pounds, and had the appearance of iron ore. The brilliant light from the fireball was said to have engulfed the countryside for miles and, despite falling at 2 a.m., was witnessed by at least two local families. The meteorite was said to have stayed white hot for a full day after it fell.

Carrington citizens wanted to put the meteorite on display on the courthouse lawn, but instead, it was moved into Beck’s Clothing store uptown. The “Courtnay Gazette” reported that the rock attracted hundreds of visitors, which may account for it soon being moved to the sidewalk in front of the store.

Then in December, almost one year after it landed, the Guptil meteorite was suddenly gone. The Fargo Sunday News carried the story under the title, “Carrington Meteor Vanishes from Sight. Rock that Attracted Attention of Scientists has Disappeared.”

Many believed the meteorite had been stolen, since it had gained national attention. Others thought that maybe the workers who were repairing a sewer line in front of the store used the meteorite in their backfill. Either way, the meteorite has never been found.

Existing scientific literature unfortunately contains no mention of a Carrington or Guptil meteorite. And to be fair, two weeks after the meteorite landed, the “Carrington Weekly” reported there was a rumor going around that the rock never even fell.

According to authors Murphy and Forsman, it’s possible that the story was a hoax. The report that the rock was white hot for 24 hours isn’t quite believable, since most meteorites are thought to be fairly cool by the time they reach the earth’s surface. On the other hand, if the story is true, a valuable iron meteorite may someday be unearthed from beneath Carrington’s streets.

Killdear Volcano

Oct. 10, 2018 — University of North Dakota’s Volcano World is said to be one of the best sources of volcano information on the web. Many layers of volcanic ash accumulated across the state during the early formation of the Rocky Mountains.

Back in 1906, reports came from the Killdeer Mountains saying that some kind of volcanic action was “taking place in the depths of the earth.” A newspaper story read, “A distinct shock was felt one day last week at the mountain and for a distance of 15 miles in every direction. Deep grumblings of the earth with occasional explosions can be distinctly heard, and those who live near the base of the mountain are divided in their opinions whether to be scared or not. If the mountain continues to show signs of having a toy volcano concealed under its outer covering, it is probable that the people living on the foothills and surrounding prairies will seek refuge in flight.”

“Dakota Datebook” is a radio series from Prairie Public in partnership with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and with funding from the North Dakota Humanities Council. See all the Dakota Datebooks at prairiepublic.org, orsubscribe to the “Dakota Datebook” podcast.