Bakken Delight

Guest Post By Michael Lawlar

 

Some people come here all trodden down

They are looking for a better life in our town

They come to Dakota by day and by night

Oh my gosh, some are a ghastly sight!

 

The work here is plenty for all

It continues on and never stalls.

Backhoes, bobcats, bulldozers all do the same

They re-shape the land for the oil field game.

 

Build roads, and bridges and fill up wash outs too

Many a chore for the crews to do.

Pipelines, oil tanks, gas plants are all a part of it,

Many phases of the oil field to make it all fit.

 

The stores in the Bakken are doing a huge business

The State thinks it's all good and a great success.

The pace is hectic and plum out of sight

The highways and stores are going day and night.

 

The crime scene is another game coming down the pike,

Stay here if you can or else take a hike!

 

Michael Lawlar was raised on a farm north of Watford City. After over 30 years of working in the oilfield, many of them driving truck, he is now retired and lives in Bismarck. He cannot be found on Facebook or Twitter but can be found on his cell phone talking and texting. He has been married to his wife, Deone for 42 years and has 5 kids and 8 grandchildren.

 



Cars and trucks line the highways all throughout the busy Bakken
Western North Dakota Photo by Heather via Flickr



Trucks taking a rare reprieve from the road - Photo by Cari Bousfield



Let's Get Frackin' Notepad by TCsStore
Browse Bakken Notepads online at Zazzle.com
 

Former worker in the Bakken from Las Vegas who decided to take a hike.

 



Watford City Centennial Photos

Here are some photos from the 100-year event that took place in Watford City not long ago. If you have a photo of the Centennial you would like me to post - just e-mail it to writeoncarijean@outlook.com

Watford City in 2014 - photo by Tesa Lawlar Graff of Lincoln, NE

WCHS Class of '69 doing the twist with walkers - Photo by Rita Hovet of Watford City

Float in the Centennial Parade - photo submitted by
Anita Hildre Pedersen of Arnegard

Walking Tours of Watford City during the Centennial

"How many Norwegians does it take to fix a threshing machine?"
Photo by Sharon Leiseth of Arnegard

Celebrating history with Native American dancing
 photo submitted by Anita Hildre Pedersen

Native American dancing demonstration during the Centennial

Kids checking out a one room schoolhouse at the Heritage Park
Photo submitted by Anita Hildre Pedersen

The class of 1970 gathers together at the all-school reunion
Photo submitted by Rita Hovet of Watford City

Friends from the class of '98 reunite at the street dance on Main Street
photo submitted by Dawn Lawlar of Bismarck

Best friends reunite at the celebration in Watford City
photo submitted by Tesa Lawlar Graff

Watford City Centennial Book - purchase here

Don't forget to get all your Bakken Green apparel including your Roughnecks Rock T-shirts!

Watford City Kicks Off Centennial Celebration

Watford City, located in the heart of the Bakken, is getting ready to kick off their Centennial Celebration and there certainly won't be a shortage of things to do. The once small town is going all out to celebrate 100 years.

Photo Credit: Tim Evanson@Flickr

Whether you're looking for entertainment, food, art, kids activities, sports or are looking for events that celebrate the history of the area, you will find it in Watford City. The events kick off on Thursday, June 26 with Main Street Days including Walking Tours of Main Street Then and Now and concludes Sunday morning with a non-denominational worship service at the McKenzie County Fairgrounds with plenty going on in between.

The schedule is jam packed for the Watford City Centennial and both locals and those visiting from other cities and states will not be disappointed with such a variety of things to do. Highlights of the Centennial Celebration include:

• A film festival at Six Shooters Showhall featuring the debut of "Cowboys & Crude" and "6 Brothers" followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers. Both movies were produced by former residents of Watford City. 
• Centennial Quilt Show and Threshing Demonstrations
• Art in the Park
• "The Way it Was" Watford City History through Music theater production
• Native American Dancers
• Alumni Baseball Game and Mud Volleyball
• All School Reunion
• Group photo opp with Watford City High School football players, cheerleaders and stataticians with Coach Fred Fridley in honor of his retirement
•  Baby pageants
• Free lunches and dinners
• Entertainment by various artists including Medora Burning Hill's Cloggers, Jesse Veeder, Six Appeal, 32 Below, Tigerlily, Whiskey Rebellion and Gospel music with Merrill Piepkorn & the Radio Stars

Gatherers at the Watford City Centennial will be remembering the pre-oil boom days of no traffic - image source

Watford City was founded by Dr. Vaughn G. Morris. The name of the town was originally just Watford, named after his hometown in the province of Ontario, Canada. "City" was later added to avoid confusion with Wolford, another town in North Dakota. In 1940, Watford City became the county seat of McKenzie County, the largest county in North Dakota. Watford City beat out Alexander and Arnegard during the campaign for the county seat "without a shot fired." In 2010 the town's population was 1,744 but has a current estimated population of 5,000.

Watford City has certainly seen a lot of changes during their 100 years, and many of those changes have taken place in just the last five. It will be interesting to see how history continues to shape the once sleepy little town as it moves to a near bustling city status.

For now, we at Bakken Green would just like to say Happy 100 years Watford City! Don't forget you can order your Bakken Green t-shirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs and more at TCs Bakken Products!

Tornado Hits Heart of Bakken

Residents in Watford City, North Dakota are still helping families clean up from last week's tornado. The storm blasted through the heart of the Bakken and tore right through a man camp 5 miles south of town. Those in the path of the tornado virtually had nowhere to go for protection. The man camps are filled with tiny trailers that have no basements or no nearby cellars, which is typically the norm for farmhouses in rural North Dakota. Amazingly, only 9 people were injured and there were no fatalities.

"Obviously, we're very fortunate there are no deaths, to our knowledge," said McKenzie County Emergency Management Director, Jerry Samuelson.

 

Of the nine, the most critically injured was a fifteen-year-old girl who was visiting her aunt and uncle from out of state when the storm hit. She was air-lifted to Minot and spent the first couple of days in the intensive care unit at Trinity Hospital. She is reportedly doing better although she has not yet been released.

A man camp near Watford City, North Dakota

Having moved to western North Dakota to work in the oilfield, many of the residents who live in Watford City and other parts of the Bakken are relatively new to the area. Long-time residents of the area know that tornadoes like this one are rare. In fact, there have only been six tornadoes in that part of the state in 60 years.

The tornado was an F2 and produced 120 mile an hour winds. According to the Fujita Tornado damage scale, an F2 produces winds between 113-157 miles an hour and causes considerable damage. It is common during a storm of this magnitude for mobile homes to be demolished, boxcars overturned large trees uprooted and cars lifted off the ground.

Check out this YouTube Video where Jarod Piepenburg, a meteorologist from KXMB news in Bismarck chats with  Sam Champion on the Weather Channel. There is some pretty amazing footage of a tornado to which some guys probably got a little too close. Also on the video, the guys on the Weather Channel give a great explanation as to why those in the path of the tornado had no place to go for protection.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/26/4139982/tornado-damages-trailers-at-north.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/26/4139982/tornado-damages-trailers-at-north.html#storylink=cpy