Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, August 27, 1995                   TAG: 9508250004
SECTION: TRAVEL                    PAGE: G8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA

Famous North Dakotans Admission to the state's own Rough Riders Hall of Fame is ``the highest honor a North Dakotan can achieve,'' according to state capitol tour guide and lifelong North Dakotan Beverly Schlenker.

The hall - basically a row of paintings and plaques in a state capitol hallway - has honored local luminaries including Lawrence Welk (the first inductee), Angie Dickinson, Roger Maris, Peggy Lee and Clifford ``Fido'' Purpur (the only North Dakotan to ever play in the National Hockey League).

Historic Figures: Explorers Lewis and Clark supposedly spent more time in North Dakota than any other state, but of course there weren't any states there in their time, and the pair only stuck around because Clark got himself shot. Gen. George Armstrong Custer marched to his Little Bighorn doom from Fort Abraham Lincoln in Mandan. Sitting Bull surrendered, was imprisoned for encouraging ``ghost dances'' and then was put to death, all within the state's borders. Theodore Roosevelt, in the most-overused quote about the state where he ranched, said, ``If it had not been for what I learned during those years here in North Dakota, I would never in the world have been president of the United States.'' Nobody seems to know quite what he meant, but he did shoot a lot of buffalo.

Geographical Center of North America Look no further: It's here. This landmark is noted by an imposing stone obelisk in Minot. You can't miss it - it's across from a gas station.

Wind The 10-year average wind speed measured at Fargo is the greatest in the United States, at 14.9 mph (vs. 11.3 in the ``Windy City,'' Chicago).

Roads North Dakota has the highest number of lane-miles per capita in the United States. That's partly because there aren't a lot of people.|

Oversized animals: In addition to the ``World's Largest Buffalo'' and the ``World's Largest Holstein Cow,'' both chambers of commerce creations, there's the ``World's Largest Manmade Turtle'' - made of hubcaps.