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NORTH DAKOTA
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See also:NORTH DAKOTA , one of the North Central states of the See also:American See also:Union, between 45° 55' and 490 N., and 96° 25' and 104° 3' W. It is bounded N. by the See also:Canadian provinces of See also:Saskatchewan and See also:Manitoba, S. by See also:South Dakota, W. by See also:Montana and E. by See also:Minnesota, from which it is separated by the Red See also:river (or Red river of the North). North Dakota has an extreme length, E. and W., of 36o m., an extreme width, N. and S., of 210 m., and a See also:total See also:area of 70,837 sq. In., of which 654 sq. m. are See also:water See also:surface. See also:Topography.—North Dakota lies in the See also:Prairie Plains and See also:Great Plains physiographic provinces. The escarpment o4 the Coteau du See also:Missouri is the dividing See also:line, that portion to the N. and E. lying in the Prairie Plains, that to the S.W. in the Great Plains. The surface presents few striking topographic features, and may be subdivided into three vast plains or prairie table-lands rising one above the other from E. to W., the two eastern-most together constituting the Prairie Plains portion of the See also:state. The lowest of these plains is the valley of the Red river, and this valley extends along the eastern edge of the state and varies in width from 25 to 70 M. Its See also:elevation is 965 ft. at Wahpeton, in the extreme S.E.; 903 ft. at See also:Fargo; 836 ft. at point in the state, about 3500 ft., is in the See also:southern See also:part of See also:Grand Forks; and 798 ft. at Pembina, in the extreme N.E., which is the lowest point within the state. To the W. of this valley lies a second See also:plain, ranging in height from 1200 to 1600 ft. above See also:sea level, and in width from 75 M. in the S. to 200 M. in the N. This plain is separated from the Red river valley in the N. by an abrupt slope rising to a height of from 300 to,5oo ft. above the surrounding See also:country, and called the Manitoba escarpment, because the greater part of it lies in the See also:province of Manitoba. The Pembina Mountains, See also:low hills near the inter-See also:national boundary and about 30 M. W. of the Red river, See also:form a portion of this escarpment. From these hills southward the See also:ridge gradually becomes less abrupt until in See also:Walsh See also:county it vanishes into prairie. The ascent to the upper plain then becomes very See also:gentle, though there is a rise of 400 or 500 ft., until it reaches the south-eastern portion of See also:Sargent county and changes into the more abrupt Coteau See also:des Prairies, a See also:plateau about 2000 ft. above the sea. The second plain, while not so level as the Red river valley, contains but one See also:group of hills, the Turtle Mountains; these rise from 300 to 400 ft. above the See also:general level, near the centre of the See also:northern boundary. The prairies in this second table-See also:land are gently See also:rolling, and are covered with See also:drift from the See also:continental See also:ice-See also:sheet of the glacial See also:period. They are bounded on the W. by a ridge from 300 to 400 ft. in height and from 20 to 50 See also:main width, which roughly marks the dividing line between the farming lands of the E. and the grazing lands of the W. The northern portion of this ridge forms the water-parting between the streams that empty into See also:Hudson See also:Bay and those that flow into the Gulf of See also:Mexico. To the W. of this ridge lies the third and highest plain within the state, the so-called Coteau du Missouri. It occupies nearly one See also:half of the state, and rises gradually westward until it attains a general level of about 2700 ft. See also:East of the Missouri river this region is covered with glacial drift, and is noticeably different from the more level lands of the See also:lower plains. The ice-sheet wore down from the hills and filled the valleys with debris until the surface has a billowy See also:appearance. As the Missouri river marks approximately the lower edge of the ice-sheet, the region W. of this stream is almost See also:free from glacial deposits and presents a strong contrast to the See also:rest of the state. The billowy plains still remain in places, but in the vicinity of streams the billows give way to deep ravines. The sands and See also:clays found here are See also:fine and soft, and as there is scant vegetation to protect the hillsides they are easily eroded by the rains. As a result, the surface has been carved into fantastic forms. The See also:early See also:French explorers called the region See also:les terres mauvaises, on See also:account of the difficulties that here met the traveller, and in its See also:English See also:equivalent, " the See also:Bad Lands," this appellation still remains. High winds and seams of burning See also:lignite See also:coal have aided the rains in giving the Bad Lands their See also:peculiar configuration. Prairie fires or spontaneous See also:combustion have ignited many coal seams. Some have already burnt out; others still emit See also:smoke and sulphurous fumes from the crevices in the hillsides, and through the fissures may be seen the glowing coal and See also:rock. The See also:earth surface above these natural furnaces has been hardened, cracked and sometimes melted into a reddish slag, called See also:scoria, which, on account of its resemblance to See also:lava, has given rise to an incorrect impression that the region was once the centre of volcanic disturbances. The picturesque effect of this sculpturing by water, See also:wind and See also:fire is greatly enhanced by the brilliant See also:colours along the faces of the hills and ravines—See also:grey, yellow, See also:black and every shade of red and See also: See also:Cattle sometimes congregate in See also:cold See also:weather around a burning coal seam and enjoy the warmth. The lignite in this region also warms the ranchman's See also:cabin, being easily See also:mined where a seam is exposed in the walls of a See also:ravine or on the See also:side of a See also: The waters of this lake are strongly saline. The entire region W. of the Red river valley and E. of the valleys of the Mouse and Missouri rivers is dotted with small lakes. The morainic belts and other obstructions in the drift plains hem in the waters in the intervening basins and create what are called " glacial lakes," varying in See also:diameter from a few yards to several miles. All the lakes of the state are of this See also:character, and many are strong with See also:salt and See also:alkali. The drift plains also contain numerous shallow hollows, locally termed " pots and kettles," which receive the drainage of their vicinity and form sloughs.
See also:Fauna and See also:Flora.—Before the See also:advent of the See also: The prevailing plant-See also:colour is a greyish See also:green, due to a hard dry See also:outer covering which serves as a See also:protection from See also:desiccation. All plant See also:life has a remarkably large proportion of subterranean growth, because of the See also:necessity of getting moisture from the earth and not from the See also:air; hence roots and tubers are unusually well See also:developed. The Red river valley is a See also:meeting ground for many See also:species of See also:plants whose See also:principal See also:habitat lies in some other See also:quarter. Many trees of the eastern See also:forest, such as basswood, See also:sugar, river and red See also:maple, red, white and black ash, red and rock See also:elm, black and See also:bur See also:oak, white and red See also:pine and red See also:cedar find their western limit here. Some species characteristic of the more northerly regions—for example, the mountain ash, See also:balsam See also:fir, tamarack and black and white spruce—find here their southern or south-western limits, The same is true of shrubs and herbaceous plants. The prickly ash, Virginian creeper and See also:staff-See also:tree find here their northern limit; and the mountain maple. Canada blueberry, See also:dwarf See also:birch and ground See also:hemlock their southern limit. Of 1500 species of herbaceous plants in the Red river See also:basin, it is estimated that fully half reach here their See also:geographical limit or limit of frequent occurrence. Trees are found 1 The peculiar See also:bow shape of these western tributaries of the Red river is due to the fact that these streams originally flowed S.E. into Lake See also:Agassiz, now See also:extinct. As the waters of the lake gradually receded, the rivers reached it by pushing their channels eastward through what was once its See also:bed. The southern part of the lake bottom was finally uplifted by a See also:movement of the earth crust, and the outlet was changed from the S. to the N.E. The waters continued to recede, and the tributaries, in cutting their way through the sediment, followed the slope of the land and gradually turned northward. 2 The early settlers found the bones of the bison scattered over the prairies, and after the construction of See also:railways the gathering and See also:shipping of these for use in sugar refining and in the manufacture of superphosphate became temporarily a profitable See also:industry. Between See also:January and See also:August 1889 a single dealer at See also:Minot shipped 'zoo tons, which sold at $8 the ton. only on Turtle Mountains, in the vicinity of streams, and in a few other places sheltered from wind and See also:sun. North Dakota's total woodland area is estimated at 600 sq. in., or less than i % of its entire surface. No other state in the Union has such a relatively small area of forest. By an executive See also:proclamation, which came into effect on the 24th of See also:November 1908, a Federal forest See also:reservation of 21.8 sq. in. was created. The prairies of the more humid regions are covered with valuable See also:grasses, and with masses of showy native See also:flowers, which See also:bloom from See also:spring to autumn. The pasque See also:flower is found on all the prairies and is the earliest to appear. The Bad Lands exhibit a vegetation typical of semi-arid regions. Cottonwoods flourish along the Little Missouri river, and in sheltered ravines grow stunted junipers and cedars, which seldom rise above the See also:crest of some protecting See also:bluff. Poplars grow in the valleys, and the See also:cactus and See also:sage See also:brush are See also:common. The faces of buttes and ravines that are turned toward the sun are usually devoid of vegetation. See also:Climate.—There are no mountains, forests or large bodies of water to moderate the extremes of summer and winter, and the uniformity of topography makes the ranges of temperature for different parts of the state very nearly the same. Between the extreme northern and southern sections there is a range of only 6° F. The mean See also:annual temperature for the state is 39° F., with an extreme of See also:Ito° recorded for the summer and a minimum of – 540 for the winter. As a general See also:rule, temperatures are highest in the W. and lowest in the E. In the central region of the state (at See also:Jamestown, Stutsman county) the mean annual temperature is 40°; the mean for the winter, to°, with a minimum of – 40° recorded in See also:February; the mean for the summer is 67°, with an extreme of 103° recorded in See also:July. The winters are long and severe. The See also:season, however, on account of the dryness of the climate, is not so harsh as the low temperatures would seem to indicate. The seasons are sharply demarked; both winter and summer come suddenly. The summers are See also:short, but as there are sixteen See also:hours of sunlight per See also:day in midsummer, vegetation grows rapidly. Killing frosts often occur in See also:June and return again early in See also:September. High winds are frequent, and prairie houses are often protected by rows of trees called " wind breaks." During the growing season the winds are usually See also:light, but in the See also:late summer and autumn occasional dry, hot, southerly winds (" hot southers ") prove very destructive to vegetation. Tornadoes are not unknown, and See also:local See also:hail storms are frequent in the summer, but do little damage. The total precipitation for the state is 17 or 18 the heaviest, about 20 in., occurring in the Red river valley, and the lightest, about 14 in., in the extreme W. While the rainfall is always below the normal amount for humid regions, by far the greater part of it occurs in the spring and summer, and growing crops receive the full benefit. The precipitation rarely amounts to 2 in. for the entire winter. The snows are therefore very light, and are quickly swept from the prairies by the high winds, so that cattle may graze in the open plains throughout the See also:year. There are, however, during every winter from one to four severe blizzards, which inflict great damage upon unprotected flocks and herds.
Soils.—As the Red river valley is the bed of the extinct Lake Agassiz, its See also:soil is composed of the fine detritus and silty deposits carried into the lake by its tributaries. Over the whole basin this See also:deposit, to a See also:depth of I or 2 ft., is coloured black by decayed vegetation, and constitutes one of the most fertile tracts on the See also:continent. Being remarkably free from trees, rocks and streams, the soil can be turned in furrows that run perfectly straight for miles, and favours the development of " bonanza farms," where thousands of acres are cultivated in a single See also: The bed of the river is too far below the surrounding country to permit the use of its waters for irrigation purposes by the usual gravity methods. The See also:ordinary See also:process before 1906 was to See also:dam small streams and " coulees "(deep gulches in which water flows intermittently) and See also:flood the surrounding country. The total irrigated area in 1902 was 10,384 acres. The so-called Reclamation See also:Act passed by See also:Congress in 1902 provided for the construction of a See also:system of irrigation See also:works in this and other states by the Federal See also:government. In 1908 the Federal Reclamation Service had five projects in North Dakota. The Buford-Trenton, Williston and Nesson projects are situated in See also:Williams county, on the See also:left See also:bank of the Missouri river. The abundant lignite coal in the region was to operate pumps for raising water from the river into canals See also:crossing the valley. The See also:Washburn project was to irrigate 5000 acres in McLean county with water pumped from the Missouri river. It was estimated that the See also:fourth project, the lower Yellow-See also: The growing season is too short for See also:maize or See also:Indian See also:corn, which constituted only I.2 % of the acreage of cereals in 1905. No winter See also:wheat can be grown, and the climate is too harsh for the larger fruits, such as apples, See also:pears, peaches, plums and grapes; but such See also:hardy small fruits as currants, gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries may be grown in abundance. The total See also:farm acreage in 1890 was 7,660,333; in 1900, 15,542,640. The value of the farm See also:property in the same See also:decade See also:rose from $100,745,779 to $255,266,751, and the value of farm products from 1889 to 1899 from $21,264,938 to $64,252,494. The See also:average See also:size of the farms (excluding farms under 3 acres with products valued at less than $50o) was 277.4 acres in 1890 and 343.8 acres in 1900. With regard to See also:tenure, 74.7 % of the farms were operated by their owners, 15.2 % by part owners and 7.2 % by See also:share tenants. See also:Hay and grain formed the principal source of income of 88.4 % of the farms, live-stock of 6.7 % and See also:dairy produce of 2.6%. Wheat is the state's most important product. In the acreage of this cereal in 1909 (according to the Year-See also:book of the U.S. See also:Department of Agriculture), North Dakota ranked first, and in the See also:crop second among the states of the Union, its total yield being 90,762,000 bushels, valued at $83,501,000. Next in importance to wheat in 1909 was flaxseed, amounting to 14,229,000 bushels, valued at $22,340,000. In the See also:production of this commodity the state ranked first, and produced about 55% of the entire crop of the See also:United States. The See also:flax is cultivated for the See also:seed, and only slightly for the fibre. Other important crops are oats ($16,368,000 in 1906) See also:barley ($8,913,000), hay, potatoes, See also:rye and Indian corn. The value of the various classes of live-stock on the 1st of January 1910 was as follows: horses, $81,168,000; mules, $1,040,000; cattle, $21,001,000; See also:sheep, $2,484,000; See also:swine, $2,266,000. Very little See also:attention is paid to See also:fruit and vegetable growing. Minerals.—With the exception of lignite, which underlies a large portion of the western half of the state, North Dakota has few See also:mineral deposits of commercial value. See also:Sandstone occurs in large quantities, and W. of the Red river valley See also:granite and See also:gneiss are found, but these materials are not quarried. The coal is all in the form of brown lignite and is not very valuable as a See also:fuel, as it soon crumbles into a fine See also:powder on being exposed to air. The total area of the coal beds is estimated at 35,000 sq. m. A See also:law enacted in 1896 required the use of lignite in all state buildings and institutions. See also:Mining is carried on along the Northern Pacific railway W. of the Missouri river, in the Mouse river valley along the line of the Minneapolis, St See also:Paul & Sault Ste See also:Marie railway, and at a few places in the same region along the line of the Great Northern railway. See also:Good clays for the manufacture of See also:tile and See also:brick are found at numerous places. The total value of the mineral products (except stone) in 1909 was $738,818, of which $522,116 was the value of coal and $206,222 of clay products. Manufactures.—Manufacturing in North Dakota is of small importance, being largely confined, with the exception of See also:flour and grist milling, to the supply of local needs. Under the factory system there were 337 establishments in 1900 and 507 in 1905: the See also:capital in-vested in 1900 was $3,511,968 and in 1905 $5,703,837; and the value of products was 7..,259,840 in 1900 and $10,217,914 (or 63.2 % more) in 1905. The products of the flour and grist See also:mills increased in value from $4,134,023 in 1900 to $6,463,228 in 1905, and in this last year constituted in value 63.3 % of the total factory products of the state. See also:Printing and See also:publishing was next in importance, with products valued at $719.950 in 1900 and at $1,110,439 in 1905. See also:Butter, See also:cheese and condensed See also:milk manufactured were valued at $122,128 in 1900 and at $562,481 in 1905. The See also:chief manufacturing centres are Fargo and Grand Forks. Transportation.—The total railway mileage within the state on the 31st of See also:December 1908 was 4135.67 M. The main line of the Northern Pacific, from St Paul to See also:Portland, See also:Oregon, enters the state at Fargo and runs almost due W. throughout its length for about 38o m. Parallel with this road, but farther to the N., is the main line of the Great Northern system, See also:running from St Paul to See also:Seattle. The length of its route within the state, from Wahpeton to Buford via Larimore, is about 46o m. Both of these systems have numerous See also:branch lines. The main line of the Minneapolis, St Paul & Sault Ste Marie enters the S.E. corner of the state at Fairmount and ends in the N.W. at Portal, on the international boundary, having in 1909 a length within the state of 361 m. Among its many branches are the " Wheat Line," running from Kenmare, North Dakota, to Thief River Falls, Minnesota, and having a length of 251 M. in the state; and the " Missouri River Line," penetrating the southern and central portions of the state from Hankinson to See also:Garrison, with a length of 282 M. In 1909 the Northern Pacific was See also:building about 140 in. of new track. The See also:Chicago, See also:Milwaukee & St Paul railway, running E. and W. through South Dakota, sends four short branches into the southern part of North Dakota. The Chicago & North-Western also sends a short branch line northward into the state, forming a junction with other lines at Oakes. The Red river is navigable as far S. as See also:Belmont, and the Missouri river is navigable throughout its course within the state, although it requires a skilrul See also:pilot.
See also:Population.—In 1870 the population of that portion of I For each judicial See also:district (the tenth district was created in 1907) Dakota Territory included within the See also:present limits of North
Dakota was 2405; in 1880, 36,909. The population of the state in 1890 was 182,719; in 1900, 319,146; in 1905, 437,070; in 1910, 583,888. The number of the See also:foreign-See also:born population in 1900 was 113,091, or 35'4%, the highest proportion to be found in any state of the Union. The principal elements composing the white foreign population were as follows: Norwegians 30,206, English Canadians 25,004, Russians 14,979, Germans 11,546, Swedes 8419. The coloured population consisted of 4692 See also:Indians not taxed, 2276 Indians taxed, 286 negroes, 148 See also:Japanese and 32 See also:Chinese. Most of the Indians not taxed live on reservations, of which there are four: Devils Lake Reservation in 1909 had a total area of 143.97 sq. m., a population of 980, consisting of Sisseton, Wahpeton, and Cut See also:Head (or Pabaksa) See also:Sioux; Turtle Mountain' Reservation, in Rolette county, established in 1882, and now allotted (excepting 186 acres for See also: The population of the state is largely rural. The larger municipalities with the population of each in 1905 were: Fargo (12,512), Grand Forks (10,127), Jamestown (5093), See also:Bismarck, the capital, (4913), Minot (425), Valley See also:City (40J9), See also:Dickinson (3188), Wahpeton (2741), Mandan (2714), See also:Grafton (2423) and Devils Lake (2367) ; in 1905 there were fifteen other municipalities each with a population of more than 1000. In igo6 the See also:Roman See also:Catholic Church had the largest number of communicants (61,261 out of a total of 159,0J3 members of all denominations), and there were 59,923 See also:Lutherans. See also:Administration.—The state is governed under its constitution of 1889, as subsequently amended. The See also:governor is chosen biennially, and has a limited pardoning See also:power. He may See also:veto See also:appropriation bills by items, but any of his vetoes may be overruled by a two-thirds See also:vote of each See also:house. The governor and See also:lieutenant-governor must be at least See also:thirty years old. The other administrative See also:officers are a secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, See also:superintendent of public instruction, See also:commissioner of See also:insurance, three commissioners of railways, See also:attorney general and commissioner of agriculture and labour; each of these officers is chosen biennially and must be at least twenty-five years of See also:age. The legislative department consists of a See also:Senate, with members chosen every four years, and about half chosen at each biennial See also:election; and a House of Representatives, with members chosen biennially. The sessions of the legislature are biennial, and are limited to sixty days. The minimum age for senators is twenty-five years and for representatives twenty-one years. Bills may originate in either house. A lieutenant-governor, chosen biennially, presides over the Senate. In 1907 the legislature proposed an See also:amendment providing for the application of initiative and See also:referendum to statutory See also:laws and constitutional amendments; two years later the legislature passed a substitute See also:resolution, which omits the clause regarding amendments of the constitution, and which, if passed by the legislature of 1911 will be put to popular vote at the general election of 1912. The judicial department consists of the supreme See also:court, district courts, county courts, municipal courts, and justices of the See also:peace. The supreme court consists of three See also:judges (minimum age thirty years), chosen by popular vote for six years. Their number may be increased to five whenever the population of the state shall amount to 600,000. ' The Devils Lake Reservation and the Turtle Mountain Chippewa are both under the Fort Totten School, which is on the Devils Lake Reservation. there is one district See also:judge, elected for four years; the district courts have See also:original See also:jurisdiction (except in See also:probate matters) and certain appellate jurisdiction. The judge of the county court is chosen for two years. This court has exclusive original jurisdiction in probate matters, and in counties with over 2000 inhabitants its jurisdiction may be extended by popular vote to include concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts in See also:civil matters involving amounts less than $1000, and in criminal actions below the grade of See also:felony. Justices of the peace have jurisdiction in civil cases involving no land titles and sums of See also:money not exceeding $200. They may also try misdemeanours in counties without other criminal jurisdiction. For the administration of local government, the state is divided into counties (46 in 1910). In those counties that have not adopted a township organization county affairs are ad-ministered by a See also:board of county commissioners; where the township organization has been adopted the county government is administered by the chairmen of the several township boards. For each county there are a judge, clerk, See also:register of deeds, auditor, treasurer, See also:sheriff and state's attorney. All citizens of the United States residing in North Dakota are declared to be citizens of the state. The right of See also:suffrage is confined by the constitution to See also:males twenty-one years of age, who are citizens of the United States or have declared their intention of becoming citizens, and who have resided in the state one year, in the county six months, and in the voting See also:precinct ninety days preceding the election. Civilized Indians who have severed their tribal relations two years before an election are entitled to vote. See also:Women may vote for all school officers and upon all questions See also:relating solely to school matters, and are eligible to any school See also:office. Amendments to the constitution must be passed by both houses of the legislature at two consecutive sessions, and must then be ratified by popular vote. By this arrangement a period of nearly four years usually elapses between the proposal and the final ratification of an amendment. The amount of See also:homestead exempt from seizure for See also:debt is limited in value to $5000, and may not include more than two acres in a See also:town See also:plot or more than 16o acres elsewhere. The exemption is not valid against a debt created for the See also:purchase money, or against taxes levied on the property, or against See also:mechanics' or labourers' liens for See also:work done or material furnished for improvements, or against a See also:mortgage acknowledged by both See also:husband and wife. The grounds for See also:absolute See also:divorce are See also:adultery, See also:cruelty, See also:desertion (one year), neglect (one year), habitual See also:drunkenness (one year) and conviction for felony; See also:residence in the state for one year is required before application for divorce. North Dakota is one of the few American states whose constitution forbids the manufacture, importation2 or See also:sale of intoxicating liquors. Attempts to secure the See also:repeal of this See also:provision have been unsuccessful. Apothecaries may secure a See also:licence to sell liquors for purely medicinal purposes upon a See also:petition signed by twenty-five reputable free-holders and twenty-five reputable women. In 1909 the See also:advertisement of liquors, solicitation of orders for liquors, and the sale of cigarettes to minors were prohibited. See also:Education.—At the head of the public school system is a superintendent of public instruction, chosen for two years. He, with the governor and the See also:president of the state university, constitutes a high-school board, having supervision of the secondary See also:schools. In each county there is a county superintendent, elected biennially, and in each school district a board of See also:directors. The proceeds of the sale of public lands donated to the state for educational purposes,. and all escheats to the state, constitute a See also:trust fund, the See also:interest from which, with the proceeds of all fines for the violation of state laws, is annually apportioned among the school districts according to the school population; the total See also:apportionment from the State Tuition Fund in 1908 was $357,238. This income is supplemented by local See also:taxation. The minimum school See also:term allowed by law is six 2 Before the law passed by the first Legislative See also:Assembly of the state to carry out this provision could come into effect, it was partially annulled by the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the See also:case of Leisy v. Hardin (1890), in which the court held that liquors might be imported into any state and sold in the original package (q.v,) without reference to local prohibitory or restrictive laws. months, and the schools are open to all pupils between the ages of six and twenty-one years. For See also:children between the ages of eight and fourteen attendance for twelve See also:weeks, six being consecutive, is compulsory. The total enrolment in the public schools in 1908 was 131,582, with an average daily attendance of 90,419.. Educational facilities are also furnished by the state through university and school of mines at University, near Grand Forks, normal schools (opened in 1890) at Valley City and Mayville, an agricultural See also:college and experiment station (189o) at Fargo, a normal and See also:industrial school (opened in 1899) at Ellendale, a school for the See also:deaf (189o) at Devils Lake, a scientific school (opened in 1903) at Wahpeton, and a school of forestry at Bottineau. Fargo College at Fargo, founded in 1887 by Congregationalists, is now non-sectarian. The Methodist Episcopal Church maintains See also:Wesley College near Grand Forks (formerly the Red River Valley University at Wahpeton), affiliated with the state university. There is a state library See also:commission. The state supports a See also:hospital for the insane at Jamestown, an institution for the feeble-minded at Grafton, a See also:home for old soldiers at See also:Lisbon, a See also:blind See also:asylum at See also:Bathgate, a reform school (opened 1902) at Mandan and a See also:penitentiary at Bismarck. There is a state See also:sanatorium for See also:tuberculosis (1909). See also:Finance.—The chief source of See also:revenue for the state, counties and municipalities is the general property tax. There are no See also:special See also:corporation taxes, but licence-charges are levied upon See also:express and sleeping-See also:car companies, and a tax is laid on the premiums of insurance companies. No See also:poll tax is levied for state purposes, but counties are authorized to See also:levy such a tax for school purposes. There are boards of equalization and See also:review for the state, counties and municipalities. The state board fixes the See also:rate of the state tax. For defraying the expenses of the state government, exclusive of the interest on the bonded debt, the tax rate is limited by the constitution to four mills on the See also:dollar of assessed valuation. The state debt, excluding the amount of Territorial indebtedness assumed when Dakota Territory was divided, may not exceed $200,000. Local indebtedness is limited to 5 % of the assessed value of the local property, but incorporated cities may by special vote increase this limit. The total bonded debt of the state on the 31st of See also:October 1908 was $642,300 and was incurred for the most part for the construction of public buildings during the Territorial period. At the See also:close of the fiscal year ending on the 31st of October 1908, the receipts for the year amounted to $3,259,668, the expenditures to $3,476,073 and the See also:balance in the See also:treasury to $582,905.
See also:History.—The first attempts to establish permanent settlements in what is now North Dakota were made by traders of the Hudson's Bay See also:Company, who began their operations in the Red river valley about 1793.1 In 1797 C. J. B. Chaboillez, a French trader in the service of the North-West Fur Company, built a trading See also:post on the southern bank of the Pembina river, near its mouth, but this was soon abandoned. Three years later See also: In 18o1 See also: The name of the Territory was derived from the Dakota Indians; the word " Dah-ko-ta " (signifying " allied " or " confederated "), being originally applied to the Sioux See also:Confederation. In 1863 when See also:Idaho Territory was formed, the boundaries of the Dakotas were fixed at practically their present limits. The boundary between Dakota Territory and Nebraska was slightly altered in 187o and 1882. The Territory had hardly been organized before its settlement was impeded by the Civil See also:War without and by Indian troubles within. In 1862 the Indians began a See also:series of bloody massacres along the frontiers of Minnesota and Dakota. In the following year General See also:Alfred See also:Sully (1821-1879), commanding United States troops, marched up the Missouri river as far as Bismarck, and thence to the valley of the James river. On the 3rd of September 1863 with 1200 men he routed 2000 Sioux near the present town of Ellendale, in Dickey county, in an engagement called the See also:battle of White Stone Hills. Four hundred warriors were slain, and a great number were captured. In 1864 Sully defeated the Sioux at the battle of Takaakwta, or Deer See also:Woods, on the Knife river, and a few days later he again encountered them, and after a desperate struggle of three days administered a crushing defeat; the warriors abandoned their provisions and escaped into the Bad Lands. The Indians still remained hostile, however, and in 1865 Sully found it necessary to conduct his troops N. as far as Devils Lake, and thence W. to the Cannon Ball river. By these operations the Indian frontier was fixed W. of the Missouri river, and forts and garrisons were placed along this stream. The worst of the Indian troubles in northern Dakota were then at an end, though for many years there were occasional outbreaks. A period of rapid development in the Red river basin followed the entrance of the Northern Pacific railway into this region in 1872. At the election in November 1887 the question of the See also:division of the Territory into two states at the " seventh See also:standard parallel " was submitted to the See also:people, and was carried at the polls. In accordance with the Enabling Act, which received the president's approval on the 22nd of February 1889, a constitutional See also:convention met at Bismarck on the 4th of July following, and drafted a See also:frame of government for the state of North Dakota. In October this was ratified at the polls. The chief interest in the election turned on the See also:prohibition clause in the constitution, which was submitted separately, and received a See also:majority of only 1159 votes. On the 2nd of November 1889 President See also:Harrison issued a proclamation declaring North Dakota a state. By an agreement between North and South Dakota, embodied in their constitutions, each state assumed the debt created for the erection of public buildings within its limits during the Territorial period.
In the development of the state since its See also:admission into the Union the railways have been an important See also:factor. In 1894 they inaugurated the so-called " concentration movement," and began to conduct annual excursions into North Dakota, thus bringing into the state thousands of immigrants. They have also adopted the policy of selecting favourable town-sites on the uninhabited prairie, erecting grain See also:elevators at such points, and furnishing transportation facilities by means of branch roads tapping the main lines of travel. Under this system prosperous towns and villages have sprung up among the prairies
In politics the state has been Republican, except in 1892, when the Democrats and Populists combined; in 1906, 1go8 and 1910 a Democratic governor was elected.
Territorial See also:Governors)
See also: 1861-1863
See also:Newton See also:Edmunds . 1863-1866
See also:Andrew Faulk 1866-1869
J. Faulk
. . 1869-1894
John A. .
John L. Pennington 1874-1878
William A. Howard2 . . 1878-188o
See also:Nehemiah G. Ordway , 188o-1884
See also: 1887-1889 See also:Arthur C. Melette . 1889 State Governors. 1889-1891 John See also:Miller . . Republican Andrew H. See also:Burke 1891-1893 „ See also:Eli C. D. Shortridge . . Democratic 1893-1895 See also:Roger Allin . . Republican 1895-t897 See also:Frank A. See also:Briggs 4 . „ 1897-1898 See also:Joseph M. Devine 4 „ 1898-1899 See also:Frederick B. Fancher „ 1899-1901 Frank White „ 1901-1905 Elmore Y. Sarles . „ 1905-1907 John Burke . Democratic 1907- Statistical, See also:Historical and See also:Political Abstract (See also:Aberdeen, S.D., 1889), prepared by Frank H. Hagerty, Commissioner of See also:Immigration; North Dakota: A Few Facts concerning its Resources and Advantages (Bismarck, 1892), prepared by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Labour; Glimpses of North Dakota (See also:Buffalo, 1901), published by the North Dakota See also:Pan-American Exposition Company; The See also:Story of the Prairies; or, The Landscape See also:Geology of North Dakota (Chicago, 1902), by D. E. See also:Willard; Explorations in the Dakota Country in the Year 1855 (Senate Ex. Doc. No. 76, 34 Cong., t Sess., See also:Washington, 1856) by G. K. See also:Warren; See also:Report on the Geology and Resources of the Region in the Vicinity of the See also:Forty-Ninth Parallel (See also:Montreal, 1875), by See also:George M. Dawson; United States See also:Geological Survey of the Territories. Annual Report for 1872, containing The See also:Physical See also:Geography and Agricultural Resources of Minnesota, Dakotaand Nebraska(Washington, 1873), by See also:Cyrus Thomas.; publications by the U.S. Geological Survey (consult the See also:bibliographies in Bulletins, Nos. too, 177 and 301). Fauna and Flora: United States Geological Survey of the Territories: See also:Miscellaneous Publications,No.3, Birds of the North-west (Washington, 1874), by Elliot See also:Coues; publications by the United States Geological Survey (consult the bibliographies in Bulletins, Nos. too, 177, 301) ; and See also:Wallace See also:Craig " North Dakota Life: Plant, See also:Animal and Human," in Nos. 6 and l (June and July) of vol. xl. (1908) of the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society (New See also:York). History: " Historical See also:Sketch of North and South Dakota," in South Dakota State Historical Society Collections (1902), i. 23-162, by W. M. See also:Blackburn; Illustrated See also:Album of See also:Biography of the Famous Valley of the Red River of the North and the Park Regions, including the most Fertile and Widely Known Portions of Minnesota and North Dakota (Chicago, 1889) ; New Light on the Earlier History of the Greater North-west. The See also:Manuscript See also:Journals o{ Alexander Henry and David Thompson, 1799-1814, edited by Elliot Cones (3 vols., New York, 1897). Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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