Introduction to History of North Dakota
The first inhabitants of what is now North Dakota entered the region about 15,000 years ago. They were nomadic hunters. Some 2,000 years ago Indians of the Hopewell culture moved into the area. About 1300 A.D. Mandan Indians settled the river-bottom lands of the Missouri. By the late 17th century, the principal tribes in the region were the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara. In 1682 the French explorer LaSalle claimed for France the area drained by the Missouri, which included a large part of what is now North Dakota. Not until 1738, however, did the first European, the Sieur de la Vérendrye, explore the North Dakota area.
Important dates in North Dakota1682 Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, claimed for France all the land drained by the Mississippi River. This land included southwestern North Dakota.1738 Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de La Verendrye, made the first European explorations in North Dakota.1803 The United States acquired southwestern North Dakota through the Louisiana Purchase.1804-1806 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark passed through North Dakota on their expedition to and from the Pacific Ocean.1812 Scottish and Irish settlers made the first attempt at permanent European settlement in North Dakota, at Pembina.1818 The United States acquired northeastern North Dakota by a treaty with Britain.1861 Congress created the Dakota Territory.1863 The Dakota Territory was opened to settlers for homesteading.c. 1875 The era of bonanza farming began.1889 North Dakota became the 39th state on November 2.1915 The Nonpartisan League was founded.1951 Oil was discovered near Tioga.1956 The first generator at Garrison Dam began to produce electric power. The dam was completed in 1960.1968 Construction began on the Garrison Diversion Project to increase the state's water supply.1986 U.S. Congress approved modified version of Garrison Diversion Project.1989 North Dakota celebrated its statehood centennial.1997 Spring flooding produced enormous damage in the Red River Valley, especially in the city of Grand Forks.Exploration and Fur Trade
In 1803 a section of the North Dakota area became part of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark crossed the area that is now North Dakota as they explored the Louisiana Territory (1804–05). Near present-day Bismarck, Sacajawea joined the expedition as guide and interpreter.
The first attempt at permanent settlement in what is now North Dakota was made at Pembina in 1812 by Scottish immigrants led by the Earl of Selkirk, who assumed they were north of the United States boundary. The area was then part of Missouri Territory. It became, at various times, part of the territories of Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
The fur trader was the dominant figure during the first half of the 19th century. In 1828 the American Fur Company established Fort Union at the mouth of the Yellowstone River. It became the most important trading post in the North Dakota area. Throughout the 1850's and 1860's, troubles with the Indians were almost constant.
Territory and State
In 1861 Dakota Territory was organized with its capital at Yankton. The area was opened for homesteading in 1863, but growth was slow until the railroads came. In 1871 the Northern Pacific reached Fargo. In 1880 construction was begun on the route of the Great Northern through Dakota. The 1870 population of what is now North Dakota was about 2,400; by 1890 it had risen to 191,000. Farmers were attracted by the soils of the east, ranchers by the plains of the west.
As the settlers moved farther into Indian territory, the Indians were pushed back into smaller areas. In 1875 the government permitted white settlement on reservation lands. This treaty violation caused uprisings among the Sioux. In 1876 General George A. Custer's command was massacred at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Montana.
In 1883 the territorial capital was moved to Bismarck. During that year, Theodore Roosevelt came to Dakota to regain his health and began ranching along the Little Missouri River. In February, 1889, Dakota Territory was divided into North Dakota and South Dakota. After drawing up a constitution, North Dakota was admitted as the 39th state in November, 1889. In the next two decades the state's population more than tripled—from 191,000 in 1890 to 577,000 in 1910. Immigrants from more than 40 nations came to North Dakota.
Modern Development
In the late 1800's, the Farmers' Alliance tried to end the interference of railroad and Eastern financial interests in North Dakota politics, and to enact progressive legislation, but achieved only limited success. In 1912 North Dakota became the first state to hold a Presidential preference primary. It adopted the referendum in 1914 and the recall in 1920.
In 1915 the Nonpartisan League was organized to work for state ownership of grain elevators, mills, and packing houses and to achieve other socialist goals. Successful in the 1918 election, it enacted much of its program, but after 1920 its power declined.
During the depression of the 1930's, North Dakota suffered from a prolonged drought. To bring greater economic stability, farmers diversified their operations in the 1930's and 1940's. Oil was discovered in 1951. In 1962 mining for uranium-bearing lignite was started. Beginning in the 1970's, much emphasis was placed on developing the state's energy resources—oil, coal, and water for generating electricity. In 1986 the U.S. Congress authorized funds for the Garrison Diversion Project, designed to deliver Missouri River water to city and rural water systems in the state.
In a state that relies heavily on farm production, North Dakota leaders were challenged to attract new industry to the area in the 1980's and 1990's, primarily because of the state's remote location from major urban centers. In 1997, after snow melted Grand Forks experienced an extremely damaging flood, forcing almost all of its residents to evacuate. In 2000, Congress passed the Dakota Water Resources Act, authorizing over $600 million for water supply and recreation projects throughout the state.