North Dakota History Guide

North Dakota was first settled by Native Americans several thousand years ago. The major tribes in the area by the time of settlement were the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Sioux, and Chippewa. By the time European trade goods were making their way through native trade routes, the Mandan had developed a notably advanced agricultural and trading society.

During the early 1600s, France established trading posts in Canada. Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle claimed all land surrounding the Mississippi River for France in 1682. This included the southern half of North Dakota, because the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi River. France also claimed the northeastern half of North Dakota, but in 1713 gave this land to Great Britain.

But, the actual territory that is today North Dakota was explored in 1738-1740 by French Canadians led by Sieur de la Verendrye. In 1803, the U.S. acquired most of North Dakota from France in the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark explored the region in 1804-1806 and built Fort Mandan across from present-day Stanton. As they made friends with the Mandan and Hidatsa Indians they were introduced to Sacajawea, a young Shoshone woman who had been kidnapped years before by the Hidatsa. Lewis and Clark set out again in April 1805. With them were Sacajawea, her baby, and her husband, a French-Canadian fur trader.

Some of the first settlements were made at Pembina in 1812 by Scottish and Irish families while this area was still in dispute between the U.S. and Great Britain. In 1818, the U.S. obtained the northeast part of North Dakota by treaty with Great Britain and took possession of Pembina in 1823. However, the region remained largely unsettled until the construction of the railroad in the 1870s and 1880s.

The railroads were the engine of settlement in the state. Major development occurred in the 1870s and 1880s. In 1861, the area that is now North Dakota was incorporated into the new Dakota Territory along with what is now South Dakota. However, few settlers came to North Dakota due to poor roads, harsh winters, and Indians attacks. In 1862, Sioux Indians massacred hundreds of settlers in Minnesota. Some of these then fled to the Dakota Territory. By 1870, North Dakota only had a population of around 2,400 people. On November 2, 1889, North Dakota and South Dakota became separate states. North Dakota became the 39th state on Nov. 2, 1889.

The Great Depression (1929-1939) caused many in the nation to lose their jobs and their land. North Dakota experienced a drought during the 1930s as well. This led to a severe drop in farm production and population for the state. By 1936, almost one-half of North Dakotans were receiving government aid. By 1939, one-third of the state's farmers had lost their land. During this time, the state and federal governments took steps to help North Dakota farmers. The North Dakota Water Conservation Commission was created in 1937. Other agencies worked to help provide irrigation methods and prevent erosion of the soil.

World War II (1939-1945) also helped North Dakota's economy to recover. Farmers supplied large amounts of food for the armed forces. But, after the war farm prices fell and the increased use of machinery led many workers in search of employment elsewhere.

North Dakota is the most rural of all the states, with farms covering more than 90% of the land. North Dakota ranks first in the nation's production of spring and durum wheat; other agricultural products include barley, rye, sunflowers, dry edible beans, honey, oats, flaxseed, sugar beets, hay, beef cattle, sheep, and hogs.

Recently, manufacturing industries have grown, especially food processing and farm equipment. The state's coal and oil reserves are plentiful, and it also produces natural gas, lignite, clay, sand, and gravel.

The Garrison Dam on the Missouri River provides extensive irrigation and produces 400,000 kilowatts of electricity for the Missouri Basin areas.

North Dakota Famous People

• Elizabeth Bodine (1898 - 1986) Humanitarian.
• Gen. George Armstrong Custer (1839 - 1876) and the 7th Cavalry were stationed at Fort Abraham Lincoln outside Mandan.  In 1876, they left on the journey that ended at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.
• Angie Dickinson (1931 - ) Actress; born in Kulm.
• William H. Gass (1924 - ) Writer and philosopher.  He wrote Omensetter's Luck and a book of short stories called In the Heart of the Heart of the Country; born in Fargo.
• Phil Jackson (1945 - ) Basketball player and coach; grew up in Williston and played college basketball for the University of North Dakota.
• Norman Kittson (1814 - 1888) Fur trader and transportation entrepreneur. His ventures helped open the Red River Valley to settlement. 
• Louis L'Amour (1908 - 1988) Author known for his vivid descriptions of frontier life; grew up in Jamestown.
• Peggy Lee (1920 - ) Singer; born in Jamestown.
• Meriwether Lewis (1774 - 1809) and William Clark (1770 - 1838) led the Corps of Discovery through North Dakota, where they spent the winter of 1804-1805 near Washburn at Fort Mandan.
• Cliff Fido Purpur (1914 - 2001) First North Dakota native to become a National Hockey League player; born in Grand Forks.
• Teddy Roosevelt (1858 - 1919) Ranched near Medora and credited his Badlands experience from 1883-1886 for molding him into a president.
• Sacagawea (c. 1790-1812 or 1884) Shoshoni Indian woman who, with her husband Toussaint Charbonneau, served as interpreter and guide for the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
• Sitting Bull (1831 - 1890) Lived the last years of his life at Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, near Fort Yates.