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The Fraternal Order of Eagles, or FOE, is a non-profit
foundation with a goal to improve the human condition. In 1898 six of Seattle’s most prominent theatre owners gathered to discuss life and how to resolve a strike which was taking place at the time. Throughout their discussions, the group continued to meet, discuss life, how to solve problems they and their communities were facing, and what they could do to help.
Friday, March 25, 2022
Volume 1, Number 11
gladness, and hope.”
took this challenge head on.
popularity exploded.
Those same pillars of humanitarian support, communal integrity, and striving for peace and love are still being upheld at the local Langdon Eagles Club 50 years after its establishment and nearly 120 years after the inception of the FOE as a whole. Lowell Kartes was the original mastermind behind the establishment of the Langdon FOE 3454, meaning Langdon is the 3,454th FOE location and was officially sanctioned in 1972.
Although initial meetings took place in various locations, Kartes quickly began raising funds himself and with the help of other members to make a down payment on the building at the intersection of Third St. and Eighth Ave. The building was a bank just the year before but had moved locations and was now mostly vacant. After several negotiations with the bank, Kartes and the Langdon FOE settled on a price and were granted the keys immediately .
“I decided that we had to start serving food, and the old Green Mill Cafe was closing up. He had just bought a new stove and was happy to resell it to me, and we started serving steaks twice a week. My god, did the people just pile in like a herd of sheep!” According to Kartes it was standing space only on many of these nights due to how popular his idea was, and he soon decided an expansion was needed. “There was an empty lot right beside the bank, an old dress shop that had closed, and I said here’s where we’re going to add the dining room,” stated
“I was approached by the president of the Dakota Eagles and told that I
“The missiles and the minutemen
an 8th grade education. I didn’t know why I was chosen to do this, but I honestly don’t know if anyone else could’ve pulled it off,” Kartes stated. Langdon knew Kartes, and Kartes knew Langdon. He was born not far from town and has lived out his life there. People around knew and trusted him, therefore they trusted his mission and purpose. After his fifth year of being manager at the
The Langdon Eagles Club
50 YEARS
of Serving and Supporting the Community
By Hilary Nowatzki
“The Order of Good Things” was first established during these original meetings, but once the group started to grow, they decided upon the eagle as their official emblem and renamed themselves the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Much of the group’s early development is credited to touring theatre groups who were spreading the stories and common goal of FOE. The group’s official motto is, “uniting fraternally in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality to make human life more desirable by lessening its ills and promoting peace, prosperity,
should start an Eagles up here. I had no idea what the Eagles were, and I told him I don’t think it’ll work. He said - well, I think it will,” Kartes said. Kartes was accompanied by the Dakota Eagles president for only two days of training before he was let loose to figure out the rest on his own.
came in around the area the exact same time I opened the Eagles,” Kartes said. He continued to explain that these military men were always on hand to help him with whatever he needed done such as electrical, carpentry, flooring, plumbing, and basically any other renovation.
“I had gone door to door talking to people about the Eagles, and within those two days, I had already gotten 80 or 90 guys signed up, so the Dakota president threw the books at me and said - keep up the good work!” he said.
Kartes was also in need of some furniture, bar equipment, booze, and a few other odds and ends, but he was so supported by his community members that everything he needed, he was loaned in the beginning on good faith and nothing else. Once the building was officially open complete with a bar, tables, seating, and dance floor,
With a mission and purpose, Kartes
Kartes. The addition was added in the second year of the Eagle’s existence in Langdon. By the end of the second year, Kartes had made enough money to not only pay off the mortgage on the building but was also able to repay every good faith donation that was made to him. “When I had no money in the start, I asked each guy signing up if they could give me whatever they could stand - sometimes $5 or $500 - and told them they would get it back, and they did by that second year. I was only 24 at the time and equipped with
Eagle’s Kartes said, “I had them all set up, everything paid for, and I was ready to take a break from all the hard work; my god, was it fun though.” Since then the Langdon FOE has continued in the path that Kartes started and is a prominent donor in the area for scholarships, grants, and community resources having raised nearly $150,000 last year alone. The inception of the original FOE began at the turn of 1900, and womcont’d. on page 8
In this Issue:
Letter from the Publisher Page 4 Letter from the Editor Page 4 “Free Advice from an ex RD” by Sara Goodman Page 4 “The Mystery of Betsy Sheppard” by Matt Mitzel Page 4
By Hilary Nowatzki The Creative Heart Warrior’s motto is “Creating and Fighting with Every Beat” and that is exactly what a dynamic duo is doing with their small new business based out of Walhalla. Rebecca and Robert Ripple are the creative team that turned a nightmare situation for Rebecca into a small, thriving business - not only as a way to cope but also as a way to fulfill a passion and purpose.
Music Marathon Fundraiser Set for April 2 Page 7 BIO Girls Program Returns to Langdon, Expands Page 7 The History of Numedahl, North Dakota Page 10 Borderland Brewery Celebrates 5 Years, Forms Non Profit Page 11
Three hours after Rebecca was born in North Carolina in 1991, she began to turn blue in the nursery. It was at this defining point that doctors discovered Rebecca had Congenital Heart Defects – or CHDs – and five of them total. She had her first operation at 3 days old when doctors applied a heart cath. Once Rebecca turned 3-yearsold, she had the first phase performed of a Fontan procedure, which is a type of open heart surgery performed on children to reroute blood in their hearts. Six months later, she had the second phase of the Fontan completed. Until 12-years-old, Rebecca did well with her heart until doctors had to perform yet another procedure to close a hole they had located.
Jake’s Take on Sports Page 12
Index:
News Agriculture Opinion Education Community History Region Sports Obituaries/Church Classifieds Public Notices
Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Pages 8-9 Page 10 Page 11 Pages 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15
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Rebecca continued her care and collaborated with pediatric doctors until she turned 18. Unfortunately, before the 1980’s and early 1990’s, many infants born with CHDs did not have the life expectancy to make it to adulthood. Science and research had not evolved enough yet. This left a wide
Trade Area: Cavalier County, Walhalla, and Edmore - $49 per year North Dakota - $53 per year Out of State - $63 per year The Borderland Press P.O. Box 230 Langdon, ND 58249 701-256-5311
Rebecca and Robert Ripple, The Creative Heart Warrior, based in Walhalla. Photo by Hilary Nowatzki.
gap in finding quality, informed care for individuals such as herself at the time. Rebecca did well until around 2018 when she was 25 and working 60hour weeks as a gas station attendant in N.C. “All of a sudden, I was in the store one day and just collapsed,” she said. Rebecca began to have frequent bouts of feeling as though she couldn’t breathe, she was weak, and most of all, she was going stir crazy going from busting out 60 hour weeks to being stuck sitting at home while on oxygen. She was also waiting on answers. After several ER and hospital visits, along with several misdiagnosis (one of which being that she was in heart failure and had two weeks to live, but thankfully this was not the case), doctors at Duke University in N.C. finally found that her pulmonary valve cont’d. on page 8
