Draft:Alluvium and other North Dakota folk songs (album)

Alluvium is an album of songs written by Tom Brosseau, dedicated to his native North Dakota, whose state motto is both The Peace Garden State and The Flickertail State. It’s Tom Brosseau’s 21st, and features musician Heidi Gluck on several tracks

Story of the title

Alluvium the stallion

The title, Alluvium, and the album’s cover both reference a horse by the same name, a strawberry roan, who was removed from Theodore Roosevelt National Park on account of bad behavior. The stallion, in his prime, came upon a group of riders in the park in May of 2024. He’d taken a liking to one of the group’s mares, Gypsy, but his immediate presence spooked the group’s horses and as a result, one of the riders was bucked off. Thankfully, no one was hurt. As the group rode on, Alluvium followed and in general the group had a pleasant interaction with their new friend, but when the park officials found out about the incident they took action, first by reallocating the stallion elsewhere in the park, then by removing him completely. Alluvium was corralled, alone, on the outskirts of Theodore National Park, in a neighboring community called Fryburg.

Controversy

Alluvium’s removal has been interpreted by horse advocates and fans of Theodore Roosevelt National Park as both cruel and unjust. Cruel because his relocation was a 180 from what environment he was used to. He no longer had the terrain to naturally wear his hooves down, no longer had kinds of shade from the sun, and he no longer had his band. Horses are social beings. Unjust because he was only doing what he was meant to do - recruit other horses to be part of his enterprise.

The incident comes down to what is feral and what is wild, and since horses come from domesticated animals, and buffalo, for example, who also roam the park, they are deemed feral, where as buffalo are not domesticated, therefore wild. Horses are guests in the park and are subject to different treatment.

Track listing

1. Alluvium the Stallion
2. Rock n’ Roll Contra Dance
3. Talkin’ Corn Huskin’ Blues
4. The Flickertail State
5. My Prairie Rose
6. The Great Hot Air Balloon Rally
7. Going Down the Road
8. The Two Mayors
9. Silent Night
10. That’s All

Personnel

Heidi Gluck: organ, back up vocal, bass.

Mastered and mixed by Robbie Robinson, Robinson Mastering, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Artwork by Mikki Itzigsogn.