North Dakota

The land that today makes up North Dakota became U.S. territory as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The region was originally part of the Minnesota and Nebraska territories, until, along with South Dakota, it was organized into the Dakota Territory in 1861. The state was very sparsely populated until the arrival of the railroads in the late 1800s, and finally became a state in 1889. During the run-up to statehood, there was an intense rivalry between North and South Dakota over which state would be admitted to the union first. When the time came for their formal admission, President Benjamin Harrison selected at random which bill to sign first, and did not record the order in which the bills were signed, though North Dakota is traditionally listed first. The state is renowned for its scenic "badlands," which are part of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

More to Explore

People and Groups

Themes

Events

Related Topics

Recommended Articles

  • Native American Cultures

    Native American Cultures

    Long before Columbus, another group of people discovered America: the nomadic ancestors of modern Native Americans.

  • Homestead Act

    Homestead Act

    The 1862 Homestead Act set in motion a program of public land grants to small farmers.

  • Sitting Bull

    Sitting Bull

    Sitting Bull was the Lakota Indian chief under whom the Sioux tribes united in their struggle for survival on the North American Great Plains.

  • The States

    The States

    Stretching more than 3,000 miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the United States of America is comprised of 50 states, each with its own unique traditions and history.

Did You Know?

Dakota is a Sioux Indian word that translates to "friend."

Date of Statehood: November 2, 1889

Capital: Bismarck

Population: 672,591 (2010)

Size: 70,698 square miles

Nickname(s): Peace Garden State; Flickertail State; Roughrider State; Dakota

Motto: Liberty and Union Now and Forever, One and Inseparable

Tree: American Elm

Flower: Wild Prairie Rose

Bird: Western Meadowlark

Interesting Facts

  • Originally conceived of in 1928 by Dr. Henry Moore of Ontario, Canada, the International Peace Garden was intended to establish a memorial to perpetual peace between Canada and the United States. Encompassing 2,339 acres within North Dakota and the Canadian province of Manitoba, the park attracted 50,000 visitors to its grand opening and dedication on July 14, 1932.
  • Attempts to drop the word “North” and rename the state “Dakota” were defeated by legislature in both 1947 and 1989. 
  • In 1999, a teenager discovered a “dinosaur mummy” on his uncle’s ranch near Marmarth. The 67 million-year-old duck-billed hadrosaur was so well preserved that much of its bones, tendons and ligaments remained enclosed in skin. 
  • Theodore Roosevelt, who once credited his time spent in the North Dakota Badlands as critical to becoming the 26th president of the United States, fostered a legacy of resource conservation that has been memorialized by the creation of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Comprised of three distinct units in western North Dakota, the park covers more than 70,000 acres.
  • The geographical center of North America—marked by a 21-foot monument constructed out of stones—lies in the town of Rugby, North Dakota. 
  • Agriculture is North Dakota’s leading industry, which employed nearly 24 percent of the state’s residents in 2010. The largest producer of about a dozen crops, North Dakota supplied 90 percent of the nation’s canola and 95 percent of its flaxseed in 2010.

Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Advertisement

Related Shows

  • America The Story of Us

    America The Story of Us

    America The Story of Us is an epic 12-hour television event that tells the extraordinary story of how America was invented.

  • How The States Got Their Shapes

    How The States Got Their Shapes

    We take the shapes of our states for granted, but the map of America could have looked very different.

This Day in History

May 18

Lead Story

Pope John Paul II born, 1920

On May 18, 1920, Karol Jozef Wojtyla is born in the Polish town of Wadowice, 35 miles southwest of Krakow. Wojtyla went on to become Pope John Paul…

Shop HISTORY

See More