North Dakota (ND).

• Region: North central United States
• Population: 779,261 (ranked 47th) (2022 estimate)
• Capital: Bismarck (pop. 74,445) (2022 estimate)
• Largest city: Fargo (pop. 131,444) (2022 estimate)
• Number of counties: 53
• State nickname: Flickertail State; Peace Garden State
• State motto: Liberty and union now and forever, one and inseparable
• State flag: Blue field with eagle holding olive branch, arrows, and scroll reading “E pluribus unum,” bearing shield of the Stars and Stripes on its breast; double arch of thirteen stars with a sunburst above, scroll with name “North Dakota” below

North Dakota, the thirty-ninth state, entered the Union on November 2, 1889, the same day as South Dakota. The two states had previously formed the Dakota Territory, which originally included Montana and Wyoming, as well. Bordering North Dakota are the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north, Montana to the west, South Dakota to the south, and Minnesota to the east. Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark visited the region as part of the Corps of Discovery in the early nineteenth century. President Theodore Roosevelt, as a young man in the 1880s, spent several years as a cattle rancher in the state’s badlands region; Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established there in his honor. The state’s tourist trade focuses extensively on North Dakota’s scenic beauty as well as its American Indian and frontier heritage.

State Name: “Dakota,” the Sioux word for “friend,” is the name that the Sioux tribe uses for itself. North Dakota has several nicknames, including Flickertail State and Peace Garden State (after the International Peace Garden straddling the Canadian border).

Capital: The state capital is Bismarck. The city was named in the nineteenth century in honor of German chancellor Otto von Bismarck in an effort to attract German investment.

Flag: The North Dakota state flag, adopted in 1911, has a dark blue field for a background. In the middle is the state coat of arms, a design resembling the seal of the United States. The North Dakota design shows a bald eagle holding arrows in one claw and an olive branch in the other. On the eagle’s breast is a shield bearing thirteen stars, to represent the thirteen original members of the Union. Above the eagle’s head are thirteen stars, also representing the thirteen original states. The red banner above the eagle’s head bears the words “E Pluribus Unum” (“Out of many, one.”) The banner beneath the eagle’s feet bears the name “North Dakota.”

Adopted by the legislature in 1911, the state flag is based on the regimental flag carried by the North Dakota Infantry regiment during the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899). The only difference is that the state flag includes the words “North Dakota.”

Official Symbols

• Flower: Wild prairie rose
• Bird: Western meadowlark
• Tree: American Elm
• Fish: Northern pike
• Song: “North Dakota Hymn” by James W. Foley and C. S. Putman

State and National Historic Sites

• Big Mound Battlefield State Historic Site (Tappen)
• Buffalo Creek State Historic Site (Buffalo)
• Camp Arnold State Historic Site (Oriska)
• Camp Atchison State Historic Site (Binford)
• Camp Corning State Historic Site (Dazey)
• Fort Buford State Historic Site (Williston)
• Fort Mandan (Washburn)
• Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (near Williston)
• Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site (Stanton)
• Sitting Bull Burial Site (Fort Yates)

DEMOGRAPHICS

• Population: 779,261 (ranked 47th) (2022 estimate)
• Population density: 9.7/sq mi
• Urban population: 61.0% (2020 estimate)
• Rural population: 39.0% (2020 estimate)
• Population under 18: 23.5% (2022 estimate)
• Population over 65: 16.7% (2022 estimate)
• White alone: 86.6% (2022 estimate)
• Black or African American alone: 3.6% (2022 estimate)
• Hispanic or Latino: 4.6% (2022 estimate)
• American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 5.3% (2022 estimate)
• Asian alone: 1.7% (2022 estimate)
• Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.1% (2022 estimate)
• Two or More Races: 2.6% (2022 estimate)
• Per capita income: $37,343 (ranked 20th; 2021 estimate)
• Unemployment: 2.1% (2022 estimate)

American Indians: In North Dakota, there is a historic predominance of the Lakota or Sioux peoples. Other important groups include the Chippewa as well as the affiliated tribes of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara. The history of relations between American Indians and White settlers is full of violence and bloodshed as well as treaty breaking by the federal government.

In the twenty-first century, North Dakota is home to four federally recognized tribes. These are the Spirit Lake Tribe; the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (North Dakota and South Dakota); the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation; and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota. The state’s relations with tribal governments are handled through the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission, which serves as the liaison between the state’s executive branch and the American Indian tribes.

ENVIRONMENT AND GEOGRAPHY

• Total area: 70,699 sq mi (ranked 19th)
• Land area: 69,001 sq mi (97.6% of total area)
• Water area: 1,698 sq mi (2.4% of total area)
• National parks: 3
• Highest point: White Butte (3,506 feet)
• Lowest point: Red River (750 feet)
• Highest temperature: 121° F (Steele, July 6, 1936)
• Lowest temperature: -60° F (Parshall, July 6, 1936)

Topography: North Dakota has a continental climate, with extremes of temperature and rainfall. The eastern part of the state, which includes the Red River Valley, is generally flat with rich soil. The area receives ample rainfall (an average of twenty-two inches per year), and some parts are even marshy, home to many species of waterfowl. The east is a prosperous agricultural region; over 90 percent of North Dakota is farmland, making it the nation’s most rural state. The western part of the state, much hillier than the eastern half, is semiarid. This is part of the Great Plains and home to the Badlands, a rugged section of stark landscapes that proved difficult for early travelers.

Major Lakes

• Arrowwood Lake
• Brewer Lake
• Chase Lake
• Devils Lake
• Hobart Lake
• Lake Alice
• Lake Ashtabula
• Lake Audubon
• Lake Darling
• Lake Laretta
• Lake Metigosh
• Lake Sakakawea
• Lake Tewaukon
• Strawberry Lake
• Stump Lake

Major Rivers

• James River
• Maple River
• Missouri River
• Red River
• Sheyenne River
• Yellowstone River

State and National Parks: North Dakota has several state and national parks. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is named for the twenty-sixth US president, who ranched in the Dakota Territory during the 1880s, and preserves the state’s badlands region. The National Park Service also operates the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, connected with the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803–6. Scenic areas include Painted Canyon Overlook near Medora, the Crow Flies High Butte in New Town, and the International Peace Garden on the North Dakota-Canada border.

Natural Resources: North Dakota, among the nation’s most rural states, enjoys immense agricultural resources, including not only the rich soil and crop yields but also the large herds of livestock. The Garrison Dam provides hundreds of thousands of kilowatts of electricity to state residents by tapping the power of the Missouri River. North Dakota’s mineral resources include extensive reserves of petroleum and coal as well as natural gas. Minerals such as lignite and clay are also important.

Plants and Animals: The state’s wide-open spaces, including wilderness areas such as the badlands, are home to much wildlife. Bird species include gamefowl such as pheasant and grouse. Other species include bitterns, herons, and plovers. Many species of migratory waterfowl reside at times in North Dakota. Wild game includes deer, pheasant, and grouse. The rivers are full of fish, including species such as trout, bass, and pike.

Climate: North Dakota’s climate is subhumid continental, with vast extremes in rainfall and temperature. The southeast receives an average of over twenty inches of rainfall each year, while the northwest receives around thirteen inches. The northeastern part of the state is the coldest, with an average annual temperature of about 37 degrees Fahrenheit. In January, the average temperature can drop to around 2 degrees Fahrenheit. The southern part of the state is warmer, with an average annual temperature of around 43 degrees Fahrenheit. January average temperatures in southwestern North Dakota are about 17 degrees.

EDUCATION AND CULTURE

Major Colleges and Universities

• Dickinson State University (Dickinson)
• Mayville State University (Mayville)
• Minot State University (Minot)
• North Dakota State University (Fargo)
• University of Jamestown (Jamestown)
• University of Mary (Bismarck)
• University of North Dakota (Grand Forks)
• Valley City State University (Valley City)

Major Museums

• Badlands Dinosaur Museum (Dickinson)
• North Dakota Heritage Center (Bismarck)
• North Dakota Museum of Art (Grand Forks)
• North Dakota State Railroad Museum (Mandan)
• Pioneer Trails Regional Museum (Bowman)
• Plains Art Museum (Fargo)

Major Libraries

• Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library (Bismarck)
• Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota (Grand Forks)
• North Dakota Heritage Center (Bismarck)
• North Dakota State Library (Bismarck)

Media

North Dakota has a strong newspaper presence, with dailies for the major cities. These include the Bismarck Tribune, The Forum (Fargo), and the Grand Forks Herald. Not surprisingly, several weekly newspapers have agriculture-related titles, including Farm & Ranch Guide (Bismarck), the McKenzie County Farmer (Watford City), and the Renville County Farmer (Mohall). Prairie Public Broadcasting in Fargo provides public radio to North Dakota and public television to North Dakota as well as parts of Minnesota, Manitoba, Montana, and South Dakota. Commercial broadcasting includes radio and television stations in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, and other major cities.

ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE

• Gross domestic product (in millions $USD): 73,267.1 (ranked 44th) (2022 estimate)
• GDP percent change: 1.3%

Major Industries: The majority of North Dakota's land is used in farming. Production agriculture brings in billions of dollars in cash annually. North Dakota is one of the nation's largest producers of barley, sunflower seeds, and durum wheat. Mining for petroleum, natural gas, and coal is also significant.

Tourism: North Dakota has turned its remoteness into an advantage for tourism, promoting the state as a place for hunting and fishing as well as for enjoying American Indian and pioneer cultural heritage. Tourism has become a third main source of revenue, along with agriculture and mining. Popular sites include the state and national parks, such as Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the Badlands region and the International Peace Garden along the Canadian border.

Energy Production: North Dakota relies for its energy on conventional power sources such as coal and petroleum, with coal and natural gas predominating overall consumption. The state is a major producer of crude oil, with some of the highest proved crude oil reserves in the United States, especially following the fracking boom in the 2010s. Other sources of energy include the Garrison Dam on the Missouri River, which provides over 500 megawatts of hydroelectric power. The state’s total energy consumption is among the lowest in the nation, primarily due to its small population. At the same time, its per capita energy consumption is among the highest, due in part to the state's cold winters and high industrial demand for energy. In 2022, 55 percent of electricity in the state was generated by coal-fired power plants, while 37 percent was generated by wind power.

Agriculture: North Dakota is one of the nation's most agricultural states, and the majority of the state's land is used for farming and ranching, and a significant percentage of North Dakotans are employed in agriculture. Among the most important crops are wheat for grain, spring wheat for grain, soybeans, corn for grain, and sunflower seeds. The top livestock inventory include cattle, turkeys, bees, hogs and pigs, and chickens for eggs.

Airports: North Dakota has a variety of public airports, of which a handful provide commercial service. These include airports at Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot, and Williston. The state also has over two hundred private airfields, some of which serve agricultural airplanes.

Seaports: A landlocked state, North Dakota has no seaports and relatively little water traffic on its rivers.

GOVERNMENT

• Governor: Doug Burgum (Republican)
• Present constitution date: October 1, 1889
• Electoral votes: 3
• Number of counties: 53
• Violent crime rate: 329 (per 100,000 residents; 2020 estimate)
• Death penalty: No (abolished in 1973)

Constitution: North Dakota is still governed by the original 1889 state constitution, with many amendments.

Branches of Government

Executive: The state’s highest executive officer is the governor, who is elected to a four-year term. Duties include proposing, approving, and vetoing legislation; administering the state’s executive departments; serving as commander in chief of the state’s military forces; and granting pardons. The lieutenant governor serves as president of the state senate and performs any other duties given by the governor. The lieutenant governor serves as acting governor in case of the incumbent’s death, disability, or removal from office.

Other constitutional officers include the agriculture commissioner, the attorney general, the auditor, the insurance commissioner, the three public service commissioners, the secretary of state, the superintendent of public instruction, the tax commissioner, and the treasurer.

Legislative: North Dakota has a two-house legislature, known as the North Dakota Legislative Assembly. The state senate (the upper house) has 40 to 54 members, and the house of representatives (the lower house) is composed of 80 to 108 members. The members of both houses are elected to four-year terms. Elections are staggered so that approximately half the legislature is running for reelection every two years.

Judicial: The judiciary includes the state supreme court, the court of appeals, the district courts, and the municipal courts. The five-member supreme court serves as the state’s highest court, hearing constitutional cases as well as cases from the lower appellate level. Its members are elected by nonpartisan election to ten-year terms; the chief justice is selected by the other justices as well as by district court judges for a five-year term.

The three-member court of appeals, the main appellate court, hears those cases referred to it by the state supreme court. The judges are selected from district court judges (both active and retired), retired state supreme court justices, and attorneys.

District courts are the state’s courts of general jurisdiction, with one for each of the state’s fifty-three counties. District judges are elected to six-year terms in nonpartisan elections. Voters in each county elect their own judges. Municipal courts handle most violations of municipal ordinances. The part-time judges are elected for four years.

HISTORY

1738 French explorer La Verendrye, in search of a water route to the Pacific, becomes the first European to explore what is now North Dakota. He reaches the Upper Missouri River while traveling southward from Canada.

1797 The first trading post is set up at Pembina. The first permanent trading post is established there four years later, in 1801.

1803 President Thomas Jefferson purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million. He appoints Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the region, with $2,500 in funding from Congress.

1803–06 Leaving a camp near St. Louis in mid-May 1813, the Lewis and Clark expedition travels westward up the Missouri River. They arrive in present-day North Dakota over a year later, in mid-October 1804. Late in October 1804, the expedition arrives at the five Knife River Indian villages (Mandan and Hidatsa tribes), near the confluence of the Knife and Missouri Rivers. There, Lewis and Clark hire French trapper Toussaint Charbonneau and his pregnant wife, Sacagawea (Sakakawa), a sixteen-year-old Shoshone woman, as their guides. In November 1804, the expedition constructs Fort Mandan on the east bank of the Missouri River. Sacagawea’s son, Jean Baptiste (called Pomp), is born in February 1805. In April, the expedition heads westward for the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, they are helped by the Nez Percé tribe. Having crossed the Rocky Mountains, the expedition reaches the Pacific in November 1805 and constructs Fort Clatsop on the Oregon coast. After wintering there, the expedition begins the journey back to St. Louis in March 1806, reaching their destination in September of that year.

1812 Thomas Douglas, Fifth Earl of Selkirk (in Scotland), establishes a farming colony of Scots and Irish immigrants in the Great Plains, in what is now Manitoba, North Dakota, and Minnesota. The Red River Settlement at Pembina faces intense opposition from the fur-trading North West Company and Hudson’s Bay Company, which see it as a challenge to their market dominance. Over the next decade, the trading companies clash violently with the settlers. Selkirk is eventually ruined by legal battles with the companies, and the Pembina colony folds, but the Red River settlements overall become permanently established by the early 1820s.

1818 The United States and Britain sign a treaty giving the United States control of the northeastern part of what is now North Dakota.

1823 The United States takes control of the Pembina region.

1851 Pembina, the first permanent White farming community in the area, is established in what becomes the Dakota Territory. The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 establishes the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, home to the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation.

1857 The federal government begins establishing frontier forts in the Dakota region. The first is Fort Abercrombie.

1859 Commercial water traffic begins traveling on the Red River.

1861 Congress establishes the Dakota Territory, with the capital at Yankton. President James Buchanan signs the measure on March 2, just before Abraham Lincoln takes office. The territory, the name of which means “friend” in the Dakota (Sioux) language, includes the present-day states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.

1864 The Northern Pacific Railroad receives from Congress a large grant of land in what is now North Dakota. The first Northern Pacific line reaches North Dakota in 1872.

1863–66 The US Army leads a series of campaigns against the Sioux of the Dakota Territory. The two sides sign a peace treaty in 1868, but this does not prevent continued conflict or White efforts to encroach on American Indian lands.

1868 The Teton Lakota tribe moves to the Great Sioux Reservation. The federal government promises not to sell the land without the written consent of three-fourths of the adult male populations.

1869 The Great Sioux Reservation is broken up by the federal government into six smaller reservations.

1870s–80s Railroad construction begins in the Dakota Territory, bringing with it thousands of immigrants. In 1872, the Northern Pacific line is extended to Bismarck.

Late 1870s Residents of the Dakota Territory begin working toward statehood. Some supporters of the idea want a single state, while others want to divide the territory into two states.

1876 Much of the US Army’s Seventh Cavalry and its commander, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, are killed by the Sioux (under command of Sitting Bull, a Hunkpapa Sioux chief) at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

1878 The first cattle ranch is established in the Dakota Territory.

1883 The territorial capital is moved from Yankton to Bismarck. French nobleman the Marquis de Mores establishes the town of Medora as a center for meatpacking. The town experiences a brief boom but collapses in the financial crisis of 1886. The territorial legislature passes a measure to establish a state university at Grand Forks, to be known as the University of North Dakota. This marks the first use of the term “North Dakota,” six years before creation of the state.

1883–86 Theodore Roosevelt, a future US president, spends time hunting and cattle ranching in the Dakota badlands region.

1889 On November 2, North Dakota enters the Union as the thirty-ninth state. That same year, the federal government breaks up the Sioux reservation into six smaller reservations.

1890 Federal authorities order the arrest of Sitting Bull for his participation in the outlawed Ghost Dance, an American Indian religious ritual. The chief is killed by American Indian police on the Standing Rock Reservation. Many of his followers flee southward but are massacred on December 29 by the US Seventh Cavalry at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

1892 Eli Shortridge, a Populist, is elected North Dakota governor. His victory represents collaboration with the Democrats and the agrarian Farmers’ Alliance against the dominant Republicans. The coalition’s political inexperience, however, leads to a Republican victory two years later.

1902 The Northern League, an independent baseball league, is formed in the Upper Midwestern states. The club from Fargo, North Dakota, is a founding member.

1906 Progressive Republicans join with the Democrats to elect “Honest John” Burke as governor. He serves until 1912.

1913 North Dakota establishes a state highway commission.

1914–18World War I. The North Dakota National Guard serves as the 164th Infantry during the conflict.

1915 The state legislature fails to pass a measure to establish state-owned grain elevators. This move angers farmers and agricultural workers, who want to escape the power of large grain companies. In response, they establish the Nonpartisan League (NPL), led by former socialist Arthur Townley. Not a political party, the movement eventually extends through much of the upper Midwest, including Wisconsin and Minnesota. The NPL controls North Dakota politics from 1918 to 1921 and enacts many reforms, including establishment of a state bank and a state-owned grain elevator.

1920–21 The Nonpartisan League loses its hold over North Dakota politics. This is brought about by the state’s economic problems following World War I, due to declining farm prices, as well as NPL infighting. Conservative groups have also charged that many NPL leaders are un-American because of opposition to the war effort.

1922 Radio broadcasting begins in North Dakota.

1924 The federal government confers US citizenship on American Indians.

1925Gerald Prentice Nye, a journalist and progressive Republican, is appointed to fill out an unexpired term in the US senate. He serves until 1945.

1930 The Old State Capitol Building in Bismarck is destroyed by a fire. The new capitol building, a skyscraper, is completed in 1935.

1930s The Great Depression hits North Dakota severely. Farmers organize politically to protect their interests. One outgrowth of this is a rebirth of the Nonpartisan League, in 1932. On the international scene, isolationist North Dakota senator Gerald P. Nye opposes efforts to intervene against the European dictatorships. His efforts include convincing Congress to pass the Neutrality Act. In the late 1930s, he becomes head of the isolationist organization America First, which tries to prevent US participation in World War II.

1941–45World War II. Approximately 69,000 residents of North Dakota serve in the Armed Forces, and 1,569 are killed. As in World War I, the North Dakota National Guard serves as the 164th Infantry.

1947 Theodore Roosevelt National Park is established in the North Dakota badlands, in honor of the late US president’s time as a cattle rancher there in the 1880s.

1949 North Dakota establishes the state American Indian Affairs Commission.

1950sCold War military expansion brings Air Force bases to Grand Forks and Minot.

1952 North Dakota gains its first television station, at Minot.

1953 Congress passes Public Law 280, which alters the relations between the federal and tribal governments in five states. The law provides the states with general criminal and some civil jurisdiction over the tribes.

1959 North Central Educational Television is incorporated. This is renamed Prairie Public Broadcasting in 1974.

1960 During the nation’s presidential campaign, Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy and Republican candidate Richard Nixon both visit the University of North Dakota.

1963 KFME becomes the state’s first educational television station. Two years earlier, the legislature had appropriated half a million dollars to support educational television.

1970s The University of North Dakota names its first director of American Indian studies.

1973 The Standing Rock Reservation’s Tribal Council establishes Standing Rock Community College in Fort Yates.

1977 Following several years of close votes, the state legislature finally approves funding for a statewide public television network. Previous efforts had failed in 1971, 1973, and 1975.

1979 The state begins a campaign to promote tourism as a way to increase revenues. This includes legalization of some kinds of gambling and removal of restrictive Sunday (“blue law”) legislation.

1981 The Turtle Mountain tribal government establishes the Trenton Indian Service Area (TISA), located in Williams and Divide Counties in the northwestern corner of the state. The community is established partly to provide a home for overflow tribal populations.

1996 Standing Rock Community College becomes Sitting Bull College.

1997 The Red River floods, killing eleven people and causing extensive damage throughout North Dakota.

1999 Long-term wet weather combined with continually fluctuating water levels cause Devils Lake, in northeastern North Dakota, to swell in size to 80,000 acres, approximately four times its area just six years earlier. The twenty-five-foot increase in the lake’s level causes millions of dollars in damage to nearby homes and farmland.

2000 A tour bus carrying fifty-six Canadian tourists flips over during a blizzard in the southwestern section of the state, landing upside down. Although no casualties occur, record-setting snowfall in the region makes rescuing injured passengers difficult.

2007 North Dakota beekeepers report that some of their bees are leaving their hives and not returning. Dozens of US states continue to report the phenomenon of colony collapse disorder. Biologists are not sure what is causing the behavior among the bees, though recent research seems to suggest biotic factors as the cause, specifically the combination of a virus and a fungus.

2009 The Red River floods, threatening areas of Fargo.

2011 The Souris River floods, damaging more than two thousand homes in Minot.

2016 Thousands gather to protest the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline.

2020 Like other states, North Dakota begins facing the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Schools and many businesses are temporarily closed in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

2023 North Dakota's governor signs a ban on gender-affirming care for minors into law.

FAMOUS PEOPLE

Lynn Anderson, 1947–2015 (Grand Forks) , Singer.

Robert H. Bahmer, 1904–90 (near Gardena) , US archivist.

Warren Christopher, 1925–2011 (Scranton) , Lawyer; US secretary of state.

Thomas J. Clifford, 1921–2009 (Langdon) , President of the University of North Dakota.

James Critchfield, 1917–2003 (Hunter) , Central Intelligence Agency official.

Josh Duhamel, 1972– (Minot) , Actor.

Carl Ben Eielson, 1897–1929 (Hatton) , Pioneer aviator.

Phyllis Frelich, 1944–2014 (Devils Lake) , Actor.

Richard C. Halverson, 1916–95 (Pingree) , Presbyterian minister; US senate chaplain.

Phil Jackson, 1945– (Williston) , Basketball player; basketball coach.

Wiz Khalifa (Cameron Jibril Tomaz), 1987– (Minot) , Rapper.

William Langer, 1886–1959 (Everest) , Governor; US senator.

Louis L’Amour, 1908–88 (Jamestown) , Author.

Peggy Lee, 1920–2002 (Jamestown) , Singer.

Beata Moon, 1969– (North Dakota) , Classical pianist; composer.

William A. Owens, 1940– (Bismarck) , Admiral; vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Chester “Chet” Reiten, 1923–2013 (Hastings) , Entrepreneur; supporter of Norwegian American heritage activities.

Eric Sevareid, 1912–92 (Velva) , Television journalist.

Ann Sothern, 1909–2001 (Valley City) , Actor.

Dorothy Stickney, 1896–1998 (Dickinson) , Actor.

Bobby Vee (Robert Velline), 1943–2016 (Fargo) , Entertainer.

Lawrence Welk, 1903–92 (Strasburg) , Band leader; television performer.

Larry Woiwode, 1941–2022 (Sykeston) , Author.

TRIVIA

• A bronze statue of Sacagawea, the Shoshone American Indian woman who helped guide Lewis and Clark's expedition westward in 1804-1806, stands on the State Capitol Grounds in Bismarck. In North Dakota, she is known as "Sakakaewa."
• North Dakota, as part of a nationwide movement, has adopted English as the official state language.
• The North Dakota State Capitol Building is a skyscraper constructed in the 1930s.
• The Dakota Territory, established in 1861, originally included what is now North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.
• North Dakota and South Dakota entered the Union on the same day: November 2, 1889. No one is sure of the exact order of entry, because President Benjamin Harrison tried not to publicize the order in which the official proclamations were signed.
• The word "Sioux" to describe the Lakota or Dakota American Indians is derived from a name given them by their enemies. The Chippewa called the Lakota "Nadowesoiux," meaning "little snake or enemy." The French who traveled in the region shortened this to "Sioux."
• No team from North Dakota had reached the Little League World Series until a Fargo team did so in 2023.

Bibliography

Lewis, Mark J. North Dakota: Past and Present. Rosen, 2011.

"North Dakota." Quick Facts, US Census Bureau, 1 July 2022, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/ND/PST045222. Accessed 15 Sept. 2023.

"North Dakota: State Profile and Energy Estimates: Profile Overview." US Energy Information Administration, 20 July 2023, www.eia.gov/state/?sid=ND. Accessed 15 Sept. 2023.

"North Dakota: 2020 Census." United States Census Bureau, 15 Aug. 2021, www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/north-dakota-population-change-between-census-decade.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2022.

Parkinson, Crysta. North Dakota. Norton, 2010.

"State BEARFACTS." US Bureau of Economic Analysis, 31 Mar. 2023, apps.bea.gov/regional/bearfacts/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2023.

White, Richard. Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America. Norton, 2011.

Eric Badertscher