Even though North Dakota may not have purple mountain majesties, its waves of grain provide vivid greens, yellows, and oranges. This state has it’s own beauty.
According to Wikipedia, “North Dakota has long been known as the most agricultural state in the Union.”
However, just like most farms in the United States, the farms have increased in acreage but have decreased in numbers. When Dan and I travel the back roads of Minnesota and Wisconsin, we would consider ourselves lucky to happen upon two abandoned properties. The abandoned properties that we stumbled upon in North Dakota were plentiful and we even joked at one time that we had hit our quota for the entire year just in this one trip. Some of the most beautiful and interesting properties that I have ever had the privilege of visiting were on this trip. Keep your eyes peeled for my favorite properties coming soon!
Researching the population of North Dakota, I came across this wonderful article on the Bakken Shale Oil Fields at nationalgeographic.com titled:
The New Oil Landscape
The fracking frenzy in North Dakota has boosted the U.S. fuel supply—but at what cost?
In recent years, the state has had a strong economy. Much of this growth is not due to what they are growing in the fields, but has been due to what they are pulling from the earth in the Bakken Oil Fields of the Western portion of the state. In 2012, the United States Census Bureau estimated that North Dakota’s entire population for the state was 699,000. Whereas the 2012 population for Denver, Colorado alone was 634,000 and the cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul total population was an estimated 670,000. From those facts, take a look at the map below of the light that is seen in certain areas of the United States from space.
In an article written on Oilprice.com titled, “Bakken Companies Sued for Wasting Gas Royalties”, The light that you see on the image of the United states is the result of the surge of natural gas flaring in the Bakken shale. HOLY CRAP!
“The result is that North Dakota, over the Bakken shale oil fields, looks like a bonfire party, with at least 1500 bonfires at any given time, flaring excess natural gas that can’t make it to the market. It’s cheaper to burn than to build pipelines to transport it.”
In this Oct. 8, 2013 photo provided by the North Dakota Health Department, a vacuum truck cleans up oil in near Tioga, N.D. The North Dakota Health Department says more than 20,000 barrels of crude oil have spewed out of a Tesoro Corp. oil pipeline in a wheat field in northwestern North Dakota. Officials say the 20,600-barrel spill is among the largest recorded in the state and was discovered on Sept. 29 by a farmer harvesting wheat about nine miles south of Tioga. (AP Photo/North Dakota Health Department)
Read more on oil spills in North Dakota here: newsbreak-100s-of-nd-oil-spills-not-publicized
I will be interested in how this all changes the face of North Dakota… Only Time will tell. Take a trip down that dirt road with us as we travel the back roads of the eastern portion of North Dakota. I also encourage you to read these articles on the Bakken Oil Fields of ND. This industry is not only affecting the driftless areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin, It is affecting the Eastern and Western coasts of The United States as well.
So open up the car door and jump inside- Don’t forget your seatbelt!
Find the Beauty 