History lives in the pages of the Obituary, and now, we’re bringing it back to life with Today in History. Each day, we will revisit notable news items from our archives, offering a glimpse into the events, people, and moments that shaped our community, the region, and the state of North Dakota and Minnesota.
From major milestones to forgotten curiosities, this feature will highlight the stories that once made headlines — just as they appeared in the Herald on this day in years past.
Join us on this journey through time, and discover how yesterday’s news connects to today’s world.
PUBLISHED ON MARCH 23, 1969
Walhalla suddenly in the limelight as ABM site
By GEORGE MOSES
WALHALLA, N.D. (AP story as published by the Obituary on March 23, 1969) — This cozy little northeastern North Dakota village of some 1,700 isn’t really mad at Chicago—or at any other metropolitan center which didn’t want antiballistic missiles in its neighborhood.
Walhalla looks at it this way: There are already enough nuclear devices buried in its back yard and the backyards of other midwestern towns—to blow them halfway to Tokyo.
And if Congress goes along with President Nixon and orders a start on the ABM system near towns like Walhalla—well, that will just diminish the likelihood of anybody shooting at them in the first place.
This, in effect, appeared to be Nixon’s rationale in resolving the ABM debate by recommending to Congress that an anti-missile system be deployed not around reluctant cities, but to protect areas where the United States’ nuclear trigger was already cocked against a potential enemy.
So—what about Walhalla, and why is it, as a symbol of other quiet prairie towns—suddenly in the limelight of potential nuclear warfare, a focus of attention?
Minding its own business, little Walhalla sits just five miles south of the Canadian border, at a point where the fabulously rich farming lands of the flat Red River Valley yield to an abrupt series of highlands. Its farmers grow potatoes, grain, and some sugar beets.
Walhalla nestles against the winding Pembina River, and from its days as a fur trading post more than a century ago, travelers on the often-monotonous prairies have felt blessed by nature.
As a towering irony, in light of the ABM flap, Walhalla traces its name to the legendary home of fallen Norwegian battle heroes, Valhalla.
A red-faced farmer, relaxing in a bar on Walhalla’s easygoing main street, will tell you the town is named after the Indian term for the high-bush cranberries called “Walla Walla,” which grow lush in the nearby hills and draws.
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Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.