By BSU Alumni & Foundation
Published 10:00 am on November 1, 2025
Travel back in time with us as we remember some of the momentous moments of Bemidji State history from the month of November.
Nov. 1, 2014: Bemidji's David Park House was one of 22 Minnesota homes featured in a new book from the Minnesota Historical Society Press titled "Minnesota's Own: Preserving Our Grand Homes," which published for the first time on this date. The section on the Park House spans 14 pages and includes in-depth details about its history and a full-page photo of the building's three-story winding staircase.
Nov. 3, 1944: Bemidji State football completed its first and only undefeated season with a 27-6 victory over Eau Claire, capping a 4-0 fall. The small male population at Bemidji State kept dropping during World War II so that by the fall of 1944, only 18 men remained on campus. Despite this fact, Bemidji became the only state college to continue football without interruption throughout the war years. Indeed, the 1944 team had an undefeated season, although reportedly Coach “Jolly” Erickson had to round up some townspeople to fill in occasionally on the day of the games. They played four games, home and away contests, with Eau Claire and Concordia Moorhead.
Nov. 6, 1967: Bemidji State's first-ever building, known as "The Main," was renamed Deputy Hall in recognition of the late President Manfred Deputy. From 1919-1940, The Main was the only academic building on campus and housed all academic classes, a library and an observational school for children.
Nov. 13, 1945: American violinist Leona Flood performed a concert on campus with a 256-year-old violin. One of 205 in the world, the violin was made by Stradivarius in 1689. Purchased with money saved by her grandfather, the violin was insured for $25,000. According to the Northern Student, "Miss Flood pointed out that she must be very careful of her violin, for the slightest jar would case the sound post to move, upsetting the tonal balance of the instrument."
Nov. 17, 1967: The first hockey game took place at the John Glas Fieldhouse before 3,062 fans when the underdog Bemidji State men's hockey team lost 6-5 to the Minnesota Nationals, a team made up of aspiring 1968 U.S. Olympic Team players. The Minnesota Nationals scored the game-winning goal with 50 seconds left in the third period. Bemidji State goaltender Len Kliesinger made 72 saves. Bob Peters told the Pioneer that "we didn't have any glass on the sideboards, just chain link fencing around the ends. A well-timed check could very well send a player into the crowd."
Nov. 20, 1929: The first issue of The Northern Student newspaper ran on this date. Norman Widsten was the editor in chief and E.W. Beck was the faculty advisor. The other charter staff members were associate editors Walter Harvey, Linda Jokela, and Roy Johnson; sports editor John Lucas; editorial writers Bjorn Hakkerup and Marion Brown; news reporters Clifton Kartinson and Nora Smith; and business manager Paul Koefod. The publication's masthead was hand-drawn on for those first editions, and the first photograph didn't run until May 30, 1930. The Northern Student started as a weekly newspaper in 1929 and continued publishing as a newspaper into the 21st century. Changes in technology led The Northern Student to reconsider how it published, and in 2011, it became a monthly color magazine with a website.
