A governor scribbled poetry in the margins—and changed a state's soul forever.
Former governor Arthur A. Link has become virtually a mythic figure in the North Dakota consciousness. Art Link was governor of North Dakota during the first great energy crisis in the 1970s. On October 11, 1973, Governor Link delivered what is widely regarded as North Dakota's "Gettysburg address". His credo, written in the margins of his prepared speech moments before he was introduced, is known by its opening phrase: "When the landscape is quiet again." This is the story of that man, that speech, and the landscape that inspired it.
Writing
That handwritten credo—genuine goosebumps, no manipulation required.
Direction
Lets the landscape speak louder than any talking head could.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Link's 1973 speech became sacred text for Dakota environmentalists, quoted at pipeline protests forty years later.
The actual handwritten margins were nearly discarded; a staffer rescued them from a hotel wastebasket.
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