History of Bismarck, North Dakota

Bismarck is the capital of the State of North Dakota, the county seat of Burleigh County, and the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city was formed in 1872 as "Edwinton" after Edwin M. Johnson, a chief engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway company, when the railroad reached the eastern banks of the Missouri River. The name was changed less than one year later, honoring German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, in an effort to attract German immigrants. The discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills in 1874 was the first real impetus for growth. In 1883, Bismarck became the capital of the Dakota Territory and, in 1889, of the state of North Dakota.

Bismarck is founded

Edwinton was founded in 1872 when the North Pacific Railway reached the eastern banks of the Missouri River. The name was changed to “Bismarck” one year later to honour the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck [Bismarck museum] . When Burleigh County was organized in 1873, Bismarck became its county seat. Bismarck quickly erupted with the familiar signs of a prosperous city, with a school, courthouse, and hotel. The Bismarck Tribune published its first edition on July 11, 1873.

Bismarck was selected to be the point where the Northern Pacific Railroad would cross the Missouri River. The fate of Bismarck seemed doomed when the Panic of 1873 forced construction to halt on the railroad, forcing Northern Pacific to file for bankruptcy in 1875.

Expansion begins

The survival of Bismarck was dependent on that of Northern Pacific, which survived bankruptcy and continued the railroad. The first passenger train crossed the Missouri in 1882, bringing never-ending traffic to the area.

Bismarck becomes government & healthcare hub

The territorial capital of Dakota Territory was moved from Yankton to Bismarck in 1883, putting Bismarck in the national spotlight. Construction on the capitol was completed in 1884, and would go onto serve as the state capitol when, in 1889, North Dakota officially became a state. The first hospital for Dakota Territory, Saint Alexius, was founded in 1885.

Turn of the century

Like most of the country, the 1890s were hard times for North Dakota. The Panic of 1893 was the nation's worst economic hardship to that point, and North Dakota's strong agriculture-based economy was directly affected. To make things worse, Bismarck was struck by a severe fire in 1898, which destroyed much of the city.

Rebuilding Bismarck

After the 1898 fire, Bismarck was forced to rebuild a large portion of the city, including most of its downtown. Buildings from this point onward were built mostly of brick and concrete, and often advertised as "fire proof". Two large and luxurious hotel complexes were constructed at this time. Hotel McKenzie, later renamed Patterson Hotel, opened on January 1, 1911, followed by Grand Pacific Hotel in 1912. Both hotels served as Bismarck's largest hotels for decades.

Hotel McKenzie

Hotel McKenzie opened its doors on January 1, 1911. Political boss Alexander McKenzie first owned the hotel, but was eventually purchased by Edward Patterson, a close friend to McKenzie. The hotel was renamed the Patterson Hotel in 1923. The Patterson would become home to the Non-Partisan League and was well-known as a gathering place for powerful politicians and businessmen. The Patterson secretly served alcohol during prohibition in addition to hosting illegal gambling and prostitutes.

Grand Pacific Hotel

The Grand Pacific Hotel opened in 1912, serving as a direct competitor to The Patterson for decades. Grand Pacific attracted more of a family audience than the Patterson. Finney's Drug was located on the first floor of Grand Pacific for most of its tenure.

New state capitol

The state capitol was destroyed by fire on December 28, 1930. The loss totaled $2 million, and North Dakota was faced to construct a new capitol in the midst of the Great Depression. They chose to construct an art deco skyscraper, which would tower over the city at nineteen stories when completed in 1934. Construction of the capitol was not smooth, however.

Construction laborers strike

Laborers constructing the new capitol went on strike on May 13, 1933. The strike lasted for weeks, and resulted in a declaration of martial law by Governor William Langer.

Governor is removed as construction ends

The new capitol was completed in 1934, but news of the completion was buried beneath that of the removal of Governor William Langer, who was found guilty on two felony convictions. The North Dakota Supreme Court ordered Langer out of office, to be replaced with Ole Olson. As a response, Langer called a special legislative session, where he would proclaim "I am still your governor" and asked for the impeachment of Ole Olson and the supreme court justices. Even with intense support, Langer eventually rescinded.

New high school

The high school was overflowing with 634 students, forcing Bismarck to construct a new facility to house high school students. The new Bismarck High School building opened in 1935, and was expected to fulfill the needs of the growing city for many years. Bismarck Junior College was housed in the upper floors of the facility from 1939 to 1955.

Growth of business

Bismarck experienced major growth during the 1950s. As a result, business was booming in the growing city. Significant growth continued into the 1960s, when the population topped 30,000 citizens. The completion of Interstate 94 through Bismarck in 1965 would bring increased traffic to the area, and also ignited the growth of northern Bismarck.

Downtown

During the 1950s and 1960s, Bismarck's downtown was thriving. Local retailers like A.W. Lucas & Company were extremely successful, and blended well with national retailers that included Sears, Woolworth's, JCPenney, and Montgomery Ward.

Decay of downtown

For decades, downtown Bismarck served as the regional hub for business, but like most cities, change was around the corner. Kirkwood Mall opened in 1970, forever changing Bismarck's retail trend. Woolworth's and Montgomery Ward were the first major retailers to leave downtown Bismarck when they anchored Kirkwood. Sears and AW Lucas left to anchor Gateway Mall when it opened in 1979. It was also at this time that BEST Products opened its doors in south Bismarck. JCPenney was last of the national department stores to leave downtown Bismarck to anchor Kirkwood's new wing in 1980. Since then, downtown Bismarck has been on a steady downfall. The Bismarck Downtowner's Association was developed to help support and promote downtown business.

Discount department stores

Kmart was the first discount department store to arrive in 1972, which was one of the first businesses to open north of Interstate 94. Regional discount chain White Mart became an original anchor for Gateway Mall in 1979, however closed in 1986. Target came with Kirkwood's 1980 expansion, followed by Wal-Mart in 1990.

Major retailers close

Beginning in the early 1980s, Bismarck was hit with a string of long-time business closures. AW Lucas closed not long after relocating to Gateway Mall, which was replaced with Herberger's until it too closed in 1994 upon expanding its Kirkwood Mall location. Woolworth's closed in 1985, but was quickly replaced with Dayton's. Gateway Mall took the biggest blow overall, beginning with the closing of White Mart in 1986, followed by the Herberger’s closure, which was unable to find a stable tenant for nearly ten years. Kirkwood also took a severe blow in 1998 with the closure of Montgomery Ward. Other major retail closures over the years have included BEST Products in 1997, and Marshall Fields (formerly Dayton's) in 2005.

Recent retail boom

Bismarck recently experienced the largest retail expansion since the opening of Kirkwood Mall in 1970. It all began with the announcement that Wal-Mart would be closing its current location upon opening two supercenters on each end of town, in addition to a Sam's Club. The Pinehurst Square Shopping Center also opened in 2005, with the first announcement that national retailers Lowe's, Best Buy, and Kohl's would occupy the center, all newcomers to Bismarck. Old Navy, TJMaxx, and other retailers came later.

References

* [http://bismarckpride.com/about/history.htm Bismarck History]