"Saddest" Story of the Day? -- Not a Bakken Story -- Books on Broadway -- Kathleen Norris -- And the Cattle at Richardton Abbey

Updates

December 23, 2013: Faces of the Bakken -- Chuck Wilder, Owner, Books on Broadway. 

Independent bookstore owner Chuck Wilder noticed a change in business four years ago when guys in Halliburton coveralls started coming into his shop.

Books on Broadway started getting new customers, including a more educated set of oilfield workers than previous oil booms had brought to Williston.

“These guys, they all have engineering degrees and they’re readers,” Wilder said.
The oil boom has been good for business in the downtown shop. Holiday sales are up this year, and the store can’t keep its top seller, “The Frackers” by Gregory Zuckerman, in stock.

Original Post

I spent a number of years in northern England in a previous life, and got to know the history of the monasteries there very, very well.  The monasteries were self-sufficient, raising crops, and raising sheep. I assume in some cases, also cattle, but I don't recall. Walking through the ruins one could imagine the monasteries before they were destroyed or decayed on their own.

Before ever visiting Yorkshire and the monasteries, I had read one or two books by Kathleen Norris, which added to my experience in northern England. Ms Norris would know the Assumption Abbey in Richardton, North Dakota, and she, too, probably feels a slight pang to read that the abbey is getting out of the cattle business (regional links break early).

As Brother Placid Gross walks the grounds surrounding the historic Assumption Abbey, he knows that one of the long-time traditions will soon be history.

Officials at the monastery have decided to do away with the cattle that have been there for over 100 years.

Gross has tended to the herd for 51 years and said he can still remember the days of raking hay with a team of horses.

There's not much else to say. I just find it kind of sad that the abbey could not continue with their cattle. Cattle have a way of suggesting calmness, and "everything is alright with the world." There is always at least one cow in every picture of the Christian manger.

I mentioned Kathleen Norris above. I really enjoyed her writing. The first book of hers I read, and it might have been her first, certainly it was her most well received book, was Dakota: A Spiritual Geography. The book was awarded "Notable Book" status by The New York Times. (By the way, of all print media, The New York Times is my favorite. If one realizes that the front page is part of the op-ed section, it is easier to enjoy. I was introduced to the newspaper in my sophomore year by the assistant wrestling coach at Williston High School who also taught social studies of some sort, perhaps "World Geography" if there was such a thing.  His last name started with an "R" and I'm blocking on it, but he, too, instilled in me a love for the news.)

Wow, I'm digressing.

Anyway, I highly recommend Kathleen Norris' Dakota: A Spiritual Geography. It provides a lot of insight into the character of the folks that were raised in this part of the world. Her second book was a bit too "religious" for me, The Cloister Walk. I never read The Virgin of Bennington. The last book of hers that I read was Acedia and Me which I discussed elsewhere. That is one of the most "open" books that an author can write. One gets the feeling that it was to be her last book; after writing a book like that I cannot imagine an author having the emotional energy to start another, much less finish. But one never knows, Kathleen Norris remains active, at least based on websites that I have not visited in awhile.

And as long as I'm digressing, speaking of insight into the character of the folks who settled this part of North Dakota, one of my favorite books is Prairie Peddlers: The Syrian-Lebanese in North Dakota. Any "reader" in western North Dakota, should have this book in his/her library. Maybe I will talk about it again, later. I've discussed it elsewhere before. You can find it at Books on Broadway, on Broadway, in Williston, North Dakota. [Update: The author is William C. Sherman. I see that the hardback copy is no longer available at Amazon.com; the book lists for $131.00. I probably paid about $49.00 for my hardback copy at Books on Broadway.]