History of North Dakota facts for kids

North Dakota was first settled by Native Americans thousands of years ago. Europeans started exploring the area in the 1700s, setting up some trade with the native people.

The United States first organized much of this land as part of the Minnesota Territory. Later, it became the Dakota Territory in the 1800s. North Dakota officially became a state in 1889.

Railroads played a huge role in bringing people to the state. From its early days, North Dakota's economy has mostly been about farming. Crops like wheat and flaxseed, and raising cattle, were very important. However, farming has changed, and some areas have seen fewer people living there.

North Dakota's Early History

North Dakota was home to Native Americans for many thousands of years. By the time Europeans arrived, major tribes in the area included the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Sioux, and Chippewa.

The Mandan people had a very developed farming and trading society. This was clear even before European goods reached them through native trade routes.

La Vérendrye was the first European to explore this region. He visited the Mandan tribes around 1738. He was amazed by how advanced their society was. Limited trade with European countries began and continued through the end of the 1700s.

The Mandan villages were very important in the native trade networks. This was because of their location and how permanent they were. They were located at the northern end of the Missouri River. This put them close to the easiest routes to the Hudson Bay area. This meant they had the fastest access to French and British traders. Also, valuable Knife River flint was found close to their villages.

North Dakota in the Late 1800s

New Settlers Arrive

In 1861, the land that is now North Dakota became part of the new Dakota Territory. This territory also included what is now South Dakota. On November 2, 1889, North Dakota and South Dakota became separate states.

State officials wanted to attract many new people. They spread pamphlets and newspaper stories that painted a wonderful picture of North Dakota. This picture included:

• The idea that the land was like a garden.
• The promise that hard work would lead to owning a home, part of the American Dream.
• An image of a growing "empire" settled by good people.

By 1910, many settlers had arrived. The largest groups were German Americans, Scandinavian Americans, and Americans from the East Coast (often called Yankees). The Yankees mostly settled in towns and cities. The other groups became wheat farmers.

The Impact of Railroads

The Northern Pacific Railroad and the Great Northern Railroad were very successful. This was thanks to the many crops and fast growth of settlements in the Red River Valley. This valley is along the Minnesota border and saw huge growth between 1871 and 1890.

The railroads were the main reason for settlement in the state. A lot of growth happened in the 1870s and 1880s. The federal government gave land to the Northern Pacific Railroad. This helped the railroad borrow money to build its system. The government kept every other section of land and gave it to homesteaders.

At first, the railroad sold much of its land cheaply to land buyers. This was to get money quickly and avoid large yearly taxes. By 1905, the railroad changed its mind. It realized selling land so cheaply was a mistake. With better train service and new farming methods, the Northern Pacific easily sold its remaining land directly to farmers at good prices. By 1910, the railroad owned much less land in North Dakota.

Meanwhile, the Great Northern Railroad worked hard to encourage settlement along its lines. These were in the northern part of the state. The Great Northern bought its land from the federal government. It then resold the land to farmers one by one. It even had offices in Germany and Scandinavia to promote its lands. It helped families travel to North Dakota at a low cost.

A competition between James J. Hill's Great Northern Railway and Edward Pennington's 'Soo Line Railroad' led to a lot of new tracks. They built nearly 500 miles of new track and created over 50 new town sites in just one year. However, many of these town sites were never settled and were later abandoned.

Germans from Russia Arrive

Germans from Russia were a unique group of German-speaking people. They were Germans who had lived for many generations in the Russian Empire, especially along the Volga River. Their ancestors had been invited to Russia in the 1760s. The goal was for them to bring more advanced German farming methods to rural Russia.

They kept their religion, culture, and language. But the Russian rulers slowly took away the freedom they had been promised. Many felt they had to leave to avoid being forced into the army and to keep their culture alive. About 100,000 of them moved between 1900 and 1950. They settled mainly in North and South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska. The south-central part of North Dakota became known as "the German-Russian triangle."

These immigrants felt they were a group that had been treated unfairly. Their experiences were different from German Americans who came directly from Germany. They settled in close-knit communities that kept their German language and culture. They had large families, built German-style churches, and used special cast iron markers in their cemeteries. They also formed choir groups that sang German church hymns. Many farmers specialized in growing sugar beets, which is still a major crop in the Great Plains.

During World War I, people were sometimes against them because they were German. By the end of World War II, the German language was used much less. Today, their descendants mostly speak English. German is mainly heard in singing groups. Even without their language, this group remains special and has left a lasting mark on the American West.

North Dakota in the 1900s

Shopping in the Past

In rural areas, farmers and ranchers relied on small local general stores. These stores had limited items and sold things slowly. They could only make money by selling at high prices. Prices were not written on items. Instead, customers would talk with the owner to agree on a price. Men often did most of the shopping. Getting credit was more important than the quality of goods. Most customers bought things on credit, paying their bill after selling crops or cattle. The store owner's ability to know who would pay back their credit was key to his success.

In cities, shoppers had many more choices. They bought clothes and supplies at local department stores. These stores had a much wider selection than country stores. They also had price tags showing the actual selling price. Before credit cards, department stores gave limited credit to certain customers. Everyone else paid with cash.

Stores created attractive displays, and after 1900, window displays too. Their clerks, usually men before the 1940s, were skilled salespeople. They knew a lot about the products, which appealed to middle-class housewives who did most of the shopping. To succeed, stores needed a large variety of good quality, well-known brands. They also needed to sell things quickly, have fair prices, and offer frequent sales. Larger stores sent buyers to big cities like Denver, Minneapolis, and Chicago. They went once or twice a year to see new trends and buy the latest fashions. By the 1920s and 1930s, large mail-order companies like Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Montgomery Ward became big competitors. So, department stores relied even more on good salesmanship and being a strong part of the community.

North Dakota Politics

From the late 1800s, the Republican Party usually controlled North Dakota's politics. A movement called Populism didn't gain much support among the farmers.

One important leader was John Miller (1853–1908). He was born in New York and came to North Dakota during a time of very large farms (bonanza farms) from 1878-1889. Miller was a Republican and became the state's first governor, serving for two years. After that, he focused on managing his farms. As governor, his biggest success was stopping a plan for a state lottery. He later started the John Miller Land Company in 1896. In 1906, Miller became president of the Chaffee-Miller Milling Company. He was involved in many projects to improve the community until he passed away in 1908.

Republican Senator Asle Gronna showed the feelings of his region. He was progressive and believed in staying out of foreign conflicts. He thought weapon makers were to blame for the push to prepare for World War I. In 1919, he strongly opposed the League of Nations treaty. He felt it would get the United States too involved in other countries' problems and limit America's own decisions. Gronna did not win re-election in 1920.

The Non-Partisan League (NPL)

The Non-Partisan League (NPL) was a group within the Republican Party. It put farmers forward as candidates in the Republican primary elections. It started in 1915 and grew from a movement that supported farmers. It was strongest in the north-central and northwestern parts of the state, where many Norwegian Americans lived.

The NPL wanted the state government to have more control. This was to balance the power of railroads, banks, and cities. Some of their ideas are still in place today. These include a state-owned bank and a state-owned mill and grain elevator. People who disagreed with the NPL, mostly from towns and cities, fought back. Republican primary elections became very intense political battles.

In 1916, Lynn Frazier led the Nonpartisan League. This movement gained control of North Dakota's lower house of the legislature. They also won 79% of the votes in the 1916 governor's election. The NPL campaigned as Republicans against Democrats. They got a lot of support from farmers and people in rural areas. They also elected John Miller Baer to the United States House of Representatives.

In the 1918 elections, the NPL won control of both parts of the state legislature. After that, they put many of their ideas into law. They created state-run businesses like a railroad, the North Dakota Mill and Elevator, and the Bank of North Dakota. The NPL also started a Home Building Association to help people get loans to build houses. The legislature passed a state income tax that charged different rates based on how income was earned. They also set up a state hail insurance fund and a workers' compensation fund. They also made it possible for voters to remove elected officials from office. Lynn Frazier was the first governor in U.S. history to be removed this way during his third term.

William Langer (1886–1959) was elected state attorney general in 1916 as part of the NPL. He was one of the few city people in the farmer-focused group. Langer became a powerful political figure. He was elected governor during the worst part of the Great Depression in 1932. As governor, Langer stopped people from losing their homes due to debt. He also raised the price the state-owned grain elevator paid to farmers for wheat. He was later reelected governor in 1936. Langer then moved to the US Senate in 1940, where he served until 1959. Voters remembered his actions during the depression more than any rumors about him.

After 1945: Politics and Farming

Staying Out of World Affairs

In the 1940s and 1950s, North Dakota's representatives in Congress were Senators William Langer and Milton R. Young, and Representatives William Lemke and Usher Lloyd Burdick. When it came to foreign policy, they believed in staying out of other countries' problems. They were against American involvement in the Cold War. They also opposed the United Nations, the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, NATO, the Korean War, and other international agreements.

Their views reflected the strong desire to stay out of foreign conflicts. This feeling was common among German American and Scandinavian American people in the state. Burdick's views came from his strong worries about communism and a world government. He feared they could threaten the United States' independence. Many people he represented saw global involvement, especially war, as dangerous for the state's farming economy and way of life.

NPL Joins Democrats

By the 1950s, the NPL had become a regular part of North Dakota's political system. In 1956, a group of younger members merged the NPL with the Democratic Party. Since the Democratic-NPL party was formed in 1956, both parties have held the governor's office for about the same amount of time. However, the state legislature has mostly been controlled by Republicans.

Changes in Farming

North Dakota has long been a very agricultural state. Farms have grown larger in size, but there are fewer of them. Fewer farmers are renting land as new technologies are used. More fertilizer is being used. Farmers are growing fewer cash crops like wheat and more feed grains for animals. Because of government programs, over 30 percent of farmland is not harvested. Even as the number of farmers decreases, their living standards are high. Schools and churches are becoming fewer as they combine or merge.

North Dakota in the 2000s

Since the year 2000, North Dakota has grown very quickly. This is mostly because of the oil boom in western North Dakota, where there is a lot of oil in the Bakken shale. A 2013 report showed North Dakota's population reached a record high of 723,393 residents. This made North Dakota the fastest-growing state in the nation. This population growth reversed nearly a century of flat population numbers.

Newcomers to the state are often younger than long-term residents. About 60% are between 21 and 40 years old. They are also often more educated. About 45% are college graduates, and another 35% have some college or vocational school experience. These new residents were drawn more by the quality of life than by money. The most common reasons for moving were wanting a safer place to live (58%), wanting to be closer to relatives (54%), lower cost of living (48%), and the quality of the natural environment (47%). These people are a very productive group. They were needed to help fill the gaps left by people who moved away in the 1980s.

Key Ideas in North Dakota History

In his book, History of North Dakota, historian Elwyn B. Robinson pointed out some main ideas in the state's history:

• Dependence (relying on others)
• Radicalism (wanting big changes)
• Economic disadvantage (facing money problems)
• The "too-much mistake"
• Adjustment (learning to adapt)

Robinson's book is the only full history of the state so far. However, his ideas have been debated. His idea of a "too-much mistake" is especially discussed. By this, Robinson meant that North Dakota had too many farms, railroad tracks, roads, towns, banks, schools, government groups, churches, and people for a dry grassland area. He suggested the state might go back to being natural grassland, have a future like its past, or deal with the "too-much mistake" by wisely managing government and using new technology. Some politicians have even blamed the book for making people have lower hopes for the state's future.

The land itself has been a central theme in North Dakota's stories and writings. In novels, poems, personal stories, plays, history books, and travel guides, the same ideas about the land appear again and again: its beauty, its harshness, its comfort, its plainness, and the hard work needed to survive and do well there. Many of the state's writers focus on the connection between people and the land. The landscape has changed very little since people first wrote about it. And the relationship between people and the land has also changed little.

Images for kids

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  First Nations people in the North Dakota region

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  1789: Louisiana and Rupert's Land

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  1803: The U.S. buys Louisiana

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  1812: Louisiana Territory becomes Missouri Territory

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  1861: Dakota Territory is formed

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  1889: North Dakota becomes a state