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North Dakota is both a Midwestern and Western state in the United States. It is the northernmost of the Great Plains states and is the northern half of The Dakotas. During the 19th century, North Dakota was considered part of the Wild West. Formerly part of Dakota Territory (named after the Dakota tribe of Native Americans), North Dakota became the 39th state in 1889. The Missouri River flows through the western part of the state and forms Lake Sakakawea behind the Garrison Dam. The western half of the state is hilly and is home to natural resources including lignite coal and crude oil. In the east, the Red River forms the Red River Valley, which holds rich farmland. Agriculture has long dominated the economy and culture of North Dakota. The state capital is Bismarck and the largest city in the state is Fargo. Large public universities are located at Grand Forks and Fargo. The United States Air Force operates bases at both Minot and Grand Forks.
History
Prior to European contact, Native Americans inhabited North Dakota for thousands of years. The first European to reach the area was the French-Canadian trader La Vérendrye, who led an exploration party to Mandan villages about 1738. The trading arrangement between tribes was such that North Dakota tribes rarely dealt directly with Europeans. However, the native tribes were in sufficient contact that by the time of Lewis and Clark, they were at least somewhat aware of the French and then Spanish claims to their territory. Dakota Territory was settled sparsely until the late 1800s, when the railroads pushed through the region and aggressively marketed the land. A bill for statehood for North Dakota and South Dakota (as well as Montana and Washington) titled the Enabling Act of 1889 was passed on February 22, 1889 during the Administration of Grover Cleveland. It was left to his successor, Benjamin Harrison, to sign proclamations formally admitting North and South Dakota to the Union on November 2, 1889. The rivalry between the two new states presented a dilemma of which was to be admitted first. So, Harrison directed his Secretary of State James G. Blaine to shuffle the papers and obscure from him which he was signing first and the actual order went unrecorded. However, since "North Dakota" alphabetically appears before "South Dakota", its proclamation was published first in the Statutes At Large and has traditionally been deemed admitted first. This makes North Dakota the 39th state. The territorial and early state governments were largely corrupt. Early in the 20th century, a wave of populism led by the Non Partisan League brought social reforms. The Great Depression was particularly hard on the state and came several years early with the 1920s farm crisis. The original North Dakota State Capitol burned to the ground in the 1930s and was replaced by a limestone faced art deco skyscraper that still stands today. The 1950s brought a round of federal construction projects, including the Garrison Dam and the Minot and Grand Forks Air Force bases. There was an oil boom in the Williston basin in the 1980s, as skyrocketing petroleum prices made development profitable, driving the state population to a peak of near 700,000. Today, the population stands at around 640,000 (roughly the same population as in the 1920s). Timeline
Population History
Note: North Dakota was admitted as a State on November 2, 1889 with essentially its present boundaries. It was formed from Dakota Territory, organized in 1861 (for Dakota's earlier history, see the State note for South Dakota). In 1850 census coverage of present-day North Dakota was limited to a few settlements in what was then Minnesota Territory. In 1860, some forts and settlements in the present State were enumerated in Nebraska Territory as well as in Dakota, which was not yet organized. No determination has been made to assign the 1860 Dakota total of 4,837 to what became the two separate States. Census coverage first included the whole State in 1890. The 1870 and 1880 populations consist of the totals of those counties of Dakota Territory located wholly or primarily in what is now North Dakota, plus (in 1870) an estimated portion of the Territory's unorganized part. The 1890 total includes the population (4,206) of the entire Standing Rock Indian Reservation, much of which was in South Dakota.. Totals for 1870 and 1880 are the totals of those counties of Dakota Territory located wholly or primarily in what is now North Dakota; in addition, the 1870 total includes an estimated share (1,192) of the population of the Territory's unorganized portion (2,091). Total for 1890 includes the population (8,264) of certain Indian reservations not reported by county; this includes the population (4,206) of the entire Standing Rock Indian Reservation, much of which was in South Dakota. The 1890 total also includes the population (511) of the Fort Yates and Standing Rock Indian agency other than reservation Indians, likewise not reported by county. Total for 1900 includes the population (2,208) of the portion of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota, not reported by county. Research Tips
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