History in the Pines

Before Bucky, Bill-der Beaver was the first beaver at Bemidji State

By Micah Friez / April 7, 2024

In honor of International Beaver Day – celebrated wholeheartedly at Bemidji State University every April 7 – we’re looking back at Bucky’s forefather: Bill-der Beaver.

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On this date in 1972, Bemidji State students launched the world’s longest basketball game

By Micah Friez / March 18, 2024

The exhibition started at noon on March 18 and continued until 5 p.m. on March 23. When the contest finally, mercifully, triumphantly ended 125 hours after opening tipoff, more than two dozen Beavers had a new record to behold.

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‘University in the Pines’ book, documentary now available in free digital formats

By BSU Alumni & Foundation / February 27, 2024

The Bemidji State University Alumni & Foundation is proud to release two digitized versions of “University in the Pines” (1994), which are now freely available to the public.

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From the Archives: Paul Bunyan’s escapades at ‘Princeton of the Pines’

By Northern Student archives / January 30, 2024

Many stories have been written of Paul Bunyan as the lumberjack king, but how many people know of Paul’s college escapades at Bemidji State College?

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Art Lee: When just one (unexpected) non-signature would enrich Bemidji

By Bemidji State University / January 16, 2024

Today, most of the Bemidji townspeople have long forgotten or never even heard about.. well… “Cass Lake State University.”(?) Ahhhh, therein lies a most important tale of “What Might Have Been…”

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The year Bemidji became ‘Normal’: State selects city for teacher training school over Cass Lake, Thief River Falls in 1913

By Bemidji Pioneer / January 16, 2024

The campaign to bring a normal school to Bemidji had been a long one, and much work needed to be done before the school could open its doors to train teachers.

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A school within a school: Lab School gave real-world experience to students for decades

By Bemidji Pioneer / January 16, 2024

Parents considered it the premier place for their children to attend, and many former students continue to look back fondly on their experience. The story goes that one new dad applied for his son’s admittance on the same day the child was born.

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From the archives: “EXTRA!! Bemidji Wins the Sixth Normal School by Unanimous Vote”

By Bemidji Pioneer / December 28, 2023

A. P. Ritchie was present when the message was received and immediately went out on the streets shouting out the good news to the people. The fire whistle was set to blowing in order to bring the glad tidings to the people throughout the city.

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The heist in Deputy Hall: Investigating the ‘smoothly executed’ safecracking caper of 1955

By Micah Friez / November 22, 2023

From breaking and entering to cracking the safe to drowning evidence in a riverbed, here’s how unidentified thieves coordinated a heist in Deputy Hall – and how Bemidji State Teachers College still came out on top.

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Bemidji High, Bemidji State faced off in ‘city championship’ series 100 years ago today

By Bemidji Pioneer / November 16, 2023

On March 16, 1922, Bemidjians packed inside the town’s new armory for a battle of two fresh rivals: Bemidji High School and Bemidji State Teachers College.

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