Posted in North Dakota History August 05, 2022 by

In Spring Break Of 1969, Thousands Of Party-Goers Raided An Unsuspecting North Dakota Town

North Dakota has always been known as a place where people live quietly, where most people get along and not a whole lot of big news comes out of it. People who live in any of the many small towns in the state usually like it this way, and it isn’t often disrupted. In the crazy year of 1969, however, a single, unsuspecting small town in North Dakota was descended upon by thousands of people and what resulted was one of the state’s only recorded riots. What happened that year, and how did it lead to a riot in North Dakota? Let’s find out:

Woodstock, the moon landing... and Zip to Zap. 1969 was a year of many historic events.
Woodstock Whisperer/Wikimedia
If you think about some of the most prominent years in the last century when it comes to major events, 1969 is definitely up there. Millions of people watched the first man walk on the moon, thousands of young folks gathered at a farm in what ended up being Woodstock, and so many more major events happened.

North Dakota was not immune to the world's happenings. It had its own event that made it to news headlines and will go down in history as one of the only occurrences of its kind to happen in the Peace Garden State, still to this day.
Zap, North Dakota was and still is a small town that boasts quiet country living, but that wasn't the case during this particular event.
Andrew Filer/Flickr
Zap is a town in Mercer County that had just under 300 residents in 1969 and it's about the same half a century later. It was founded in 1913 and was the target of this event that'll go down in infamy.
This peaceful, unsuspecting small town became the destination for thousands of college students during spring break of that year.
Andrew Filer/Flickr
It was dubbed "Zip to Zap," where some NDSU students decided to name this random small town as their spring break plans and broadcast it in the school's newspaper. That article was picked up by the Associated Press, and from there it spread to many college students that all convened on Zap on May 9th, 1969.
The town of only 300 people was overrun with over 2,000 college students drinking, partying, and causing havoc.
Andrew Filer/Flickr
Students from colleges not just in North Dakota but all over the midwest and even as far as Florida and Texas came to Zap to drink and party. Unfortunately, the town - being quite small - was not stocked up and equipped to deal with this many drunken people. The bars ran out of alcohol and the mood began to shift. Local residents were upset over the ruckus that was being caused, and soon it became a riot.
"Zip to Zap" is the only recorded riot in North Dakota that had to be ended by the National Guard.
Andrew Filer/Flickr
The tension was built up by the concerned town residents, overwhelmed local police and security, and students destroying property and demanding more beer when the local taverns and cafes had run out. Some of the students did leave when asked by local authority, but many did not, and soon it broke out into chaos. Local businesses were damaged, citizens feared for their lives, and the North Dakota Governor had to call in 500 National Guard troops to handle the problem.

At the end of all of this, there were thousands of dollars in damage and even a couple of buildings destroyed. The rioters left fairly easily (especially since most were pretty hungover at that point) and everything calmed down. Still, it made national headlines and was the leading story on the news.
Though "Zip to Zap" ended up a mess, people still remember it fondly and even held a 50th anniversary gathering in Zap in 2019.
Zip to Zap 1969-2019/Facebook
Other post-Zip gatherings have been held without trouble. Reports stated that of the near 3,000 partygoers that came to Zap, it was likely only around 300 that took part in the riot. Still, it was an event that will be remembered by North Dakotans forever.

Do you remember Zip to Zap North Dakota? Here are more huge things that happened in small towns in North Dakota that put these places on the map, too!

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Address: Zap, ND 58580, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center

Zip to Zap North Dakota

August 10, 2022
Tori Jane

When was the Zap, North Dakota riot?  

Formerly known as the Zip to Zap Riot, this riot occurred from May 9th to May 11th, 1969. What was supposed to be a fun, small-town festival in North Dakota turned into a hellish nightmare when thousands of spring break revelers showed up thanks to coverage in North Dakota State University’s newspaper, which was then picked up by the Associated Press (for some reason). When the tiny town’s resources like liquor and other party stuff began running dry and the partiers became more aggressive, townsfolk asked them to leave, which escalated very quickly into one of the worst disasters in North Dakota history.  

What is the history of riots in North Dakota?  

Unfortunately, there is a brief history of riots in North Dakota, which is surprising considering our little state is the least-visited state in the entire country. There was, of course, the above-mentioned Zap Riots, but those were far from the only ones. In 2016, Native American folks protesting the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline saw their peaceful protest turn violent with the arrival of federal agents. During the George Floyd protests in May of 2020, there were small-scale riots started by independent instigators as an attempt to discredit the movement nationwide.  

Where is Zap, North Dakota?  

Zap (what a fun name, right?) is a town in Mercer County, North Dakota, which can be found in the west-central region of the state. It was founded in 1913 and is unfortunately quite infamous for the Zip to Zap riots in 1969. It’s a prairie county and is located nearby Spring Creek, which is a tributary of the Knife River. There are lots of natural wonders in North Dakota, and Zap is one of those cute small towns in North Dakota that helps you really appreciate everything for what it is.