W. H. Horton, owner of the Horton Motor Co., sold Cadillacs at his dealerships in Devils Lake and Fargo, distributing the cars all across the state and into eastern Montana. He was such a believer in the superiority of Cadillacs that he made an unusual offer in the spring of 1913. Horton challenged any owner or dealer of six-cylinder cars to race him from Fargo to Minot and back, with the winner getting $100. Horton would drive a four-cylinder stock Cadillac.
The United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917. The guns fell silent on November 11, 1918. During that time, 35,448 North Dakota men served in the Armed Forces. Over 1,300 of them did not survive. There was sadness across the country as families held funerals for their loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice. There was even greater tragedy for the families of those who never returned from the war. Without a funeral, there was no sense of closure.
In 1921, 18-year-old Loraine Nolan robbed the Tokio State Bank in Benson County. Loraine was the son of Thomas Nolan, a farmer. The Nolans had a good reputation, until the robbery. They were highly respected in Tokio and Loraine was said to be an intelligent young man. Loraine enjoyed Wild West novels and films, which would later be considered as the inspiration for his crime.