an activity in which the entire community participated. The buffalo
had almost disappeared when a young man named Theodore Roosevelt came
to Dakota from the East to regain his health; but big game was still
plentiful, for his books tell of hunting not only bison, but also
deer, mountain sheep, elk, antelope, wolf, coyote, and grizzly bear.
Despite the vanishing of the big game, North Dakota still has excellent
hunting. In the wooded areas of the Missouri and Mouse River valleys
and among the Turtle and Pembina Mountains, deer may be hunted during
open seasons. Coyotes are present, as the long dreary wail heard on the
western prairies on a still night testifies; an interesting sport is
shooting them from airplanes. Many such small animals as the prairie
dog, gopher, squirrel, and rabbit provide popular sport; and the alert
hunter may even bag a red fox, for these crafty animals can still be
found in the broken country where there is cover.
Because migratory flocks pass over the State flying south in the
fall, and because the many sloughs, swamps, and shallow lakes form
ideal breeding and feeding places, North Dakota has an abundance
of game birds. Duck hunting is particularly good in the north and
central regions; the southeast section of the State is best for
pheasant hunting; and prairie chicken and grouse are also plentiful
throughout the State. Sportsmen's clubs have taken an active part in
the protection of game birds, providing food for them in winter and
sponsoring projects to give them more adequate shelter. Through the
efforts of these clubs, several artificial lakes have been created: a
typical project is Lake Ardoch, where melted winter snows are impounded
to form a home for migratory waterfowl.
The climate of North Dakota is conducive to winter sports. Skating,
sleighing, and tobogganing have always been popular, and in recent
years many fine ski slides have been built and tournaments held
annually. Hockey and curling have many followers. Figure skating,
formerly regarded as a professional achievement, has also become
popular, and many clubs have been formed. The frozen rivers and
snow-covered fields are excellent for ski and snowshoe hikes. In
the larger cities gala winter-sports carnivals of competitive and
exhibition events are held each year, with entries from this State,
Minnesota, and Canada; they are particularly interesting because of
their international character. Snow modeling is one of the recent items
added to the list of contests, and the varicolored snow statues add a
festive appearance to the parks in which the carnivals are held.
Hiking is a favorite sport the year round, and is the only way many
interesting but otherwise inaccessible spots in the Badlands, the
Turtle and Killdeer Mountains, and in the many State parks can be
reached.
On the Indian reservations, glimpses are afforded of a people who,
despite a certain degree of assimilation, remain apart from the white
civilization that has surrounded them. Special dances are performed on
ceremonial occasions and at fairs. The tribal costumes are retained to
some extent, particularly among the older people; many of the ancient
methods of cooking, weaving, beadwork, and basketry can be seen, and
articles of handicraft purchased.
North Dakota is rich in remains of early Indian life. Mounds and
village and camp sites yield arrowheads, stone implements, enigmatic
petroglyphs, beads, and pottery. Old trails of early white explorers,
soldiers, and home seekers can still be traced in many places, despite
the fact that large areas have been plowed up.
Of the numerous fairs and agricultural exhibits held throughout the
State, probably the most interesting to the tourist are those in the
western counties, where rodeos are usually a part of the program. The
rodeo (pronounced ro´-deo in North Dakota) customarily is held in a
large arena surrounded by a stout fence. The most dangerous sports are
riding the "bucking broncs" and "bulldogging"; in the latter, the rider
throws himself from his horse to the neck of a running steer, grasps
its horns and twists its head in an effort to stop the animal and
throw it to the ground, all in the shortest possible length of time.
Other events often included are roping running calves; Roman races,
in which the contestant stands on the saddles of two horses running
double with their bits tied together; and wild-cow milking contests, in
which one contestant must draw a half cup of milk from a wild cow while
his partner holds the animal. Typical rodeos are held each year in
connection with the fairs at Elbowoods and Fort Yates, where interest
is increased by the large number of Indians who participate in the
contests.
Spectator sports are to be found in almost every town, and include
baseball, diamond or soft ball, basketball, football, golf, tennis,
track events, boxing tournaments, and horseshoe pitching.
[Illustration: GEN. GEORGE A. CUSTER]
[Illustration: SITTING BULL]
[Illustration: BATTLE OF THE BADLANDS, 1864
Drawing by a soldier who participated in the engagement]
[Illustration:
Opposite
STATE CAPITOL,
BISMARCK
_Photo by Risem_]
[Illustration: A "LITTLE OLD SOD SHANTY" OF EARLY DAYS]
[Illustration]
[Illustration: REVIVING A NORWEGIAN FOLKDANCE, ESMOND, N. DAK.
_Photo by P. B. Rognlie_]
CITY NEIGHBORS
BISMARCK
=Railroad Stations:= Northern Pacific, Main Ave. bet. 4th and 5th
Sts., for N. P. Ry.; Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, 117
7th St., for Soo Line.
=Bus Stations:= Union Bus & Truck Terminal, 618 Bdwy., for
Northland Greyhound Lines and Interstate Transportation Co.; Grand
Pacific Hotel, Bdwy. and 4th St., Mandan-Bismarck, for local
intercity line, fare 25c.
=Airport:= Municipal airport, 2 m. SE. of city on unmarked county
road, taxi fare 50c, time 10 min., for Northwest and Hanford
Airlines. Day and night service, no public hangars.
=Taxis:= Fare 25c in first zone and to Capitol; 35c to outlying
districts.
=City Bus Line:= Busses leave Patterson Hotel, Main Ave. at 5th
St. and cor. of 4th St. and Bdwy., through residential district to
Capitol, fare 10c.
=Traffic Regulations:= No U-turn on through streets, Main Ave. (US
10) and 6th St. (US 83). Turns in either direction at intersections
and vehicle to the right has right-of-way. One-way streets border
Custer Park in W. end of city. Street signs show hour parking
limits in business district.
=Accommodations:= 6 hotels; tourist camp adjoining Riverside Park
at SW. edge of city, reached by turning L. on US 10 just before
reaching Liberty Memorial Bridge.
=Information Service:= Association of Commerce, 215 6th St. City
Hostess maintains office here also.
=Theaters and Motion Picture Houses:= Bismarck Auditorium, Bdwy.
at 6th St., occasional road shows and local productions; 3 motion
picture theaters.
=Golf:= 18-hole course at Country Club on NW. outskirts of city
(_greens fee 40c, Sat. and Sun. 75c_).
=Tennis:= Country Club and Hughes Field, 316 Ave. D, W.
=Swimming:= Outdoor municipal pool, 323 W. Bdwy.
=Skating:= Floodlighted rinks at 7th St. and Ave. D, 4th St. and
Ave. F, Hannafin St. and Ave. A.
=Hunting and Fishing:= Information can be obtained from State Game
and Fish Department in the Capitol.
=Annual Events:= Slope Poultry Show, World War Memorial Bldg.,
early January; State high school basketball tournament, World
War Memorial Bldg., 215 6th St., March, no fixed date; State Art
Exhibit, Capitol, mid-May; City Flower show, World War Memorial
Bldg., late summer, usually August; State Corn Show, World War
Memorial Bldg., last week in October.
BISMARCK (1,670 alt., 11,090 pop.), Burleigh County seat, watched
over by its lonely skyscraper statehouse, is the storm center of
the State's widely known progressive politics. Ever since it won
that honor in Territorial days, its chief claim to fame and most
prized possession has been the capitol, which is an integral part of
Bismarck, influencing its development and character more than any other
single feature. From the very first the capital city showed signs of
enterprise that has characterized its growth. Its name was selected
with a view to flattering Germany's Iron Chancellor in the hope of
bringing German capital to the rescue of the financially stricken
Northern Pacific Railway.
[Map: CITY OF BISMARCK]
Bismarck is in the south-central portion of the State where the
Northern Pacific Railway and US 10 cross the Missouri River. The
natural ford here was long known to Indians and buffalo as one of the
narrowest and least dangerous crossings on the Missouri. A "pay roll"
town because of the State and Federal offices, it is a growing city
despite post-boom years; 87 new homes were built during 1936. Modern
business buildings constitute the downtown area, and comfortable, new,
bungalow-type homes, clean streets, and well-kept lawns can be seen on
the hills which not long ago were the home of Indian tribes.
The generous western spirit of the residents seems reflected in the
structure of the city. Nothing is crowded. On the east bank of the
restless Missouri River the site of the city is hilly, rising to the
north. Gullies and small hills in the residential district have been
filled in and smoothed off as the city has grown. Along the Missouri
near the city cretaceous rocks are exposed. Strata of shale reaching up
almost to the summit of the bank are topped with a thin layer of drift.
Butte-like hills can be seen in the distance north and east of the
city, their flat tops capped with Fox Hills sandstone.
In Bismarck are the headquarters of both of the old-line political
parties and the various progressive groups. Hotels are the unofficial
headquarters of different parties, especially when the legislature is
in session. At such times, although the city is businesslike on the
surface, there is an air of expectancy as it awaits new developments in
the State's changing political creeds.
Pioneers of the city can still remember the first legislative session
in 1889, when the lobbyists for the Louisiana Lottery poured their
money into legislators' pockets, and were shadowed and exposed by
private detectives hired by a Governor and his friends. Nor forgotten
are the machinations of Alexander McKenzie, who represented the
railroad interests in all things political, and who in later years
exercised his peculiar talents in Alaska to such an extent that Rex
Beach accorded him the role of villain in his novel _The Spoilers_
(_see below_). And even the young citizens recall how four governors
succeeded one another in the teakwood gubernatorial office in the
course of a little more than six months.
Long before the arrival of the white man, the Mandan Indians found the
Bismarck-Mandan area a favorable spot for their homes. Their culture
gives this vicinity an interesting archeological background (_see_
INDIANS AND THEIR PREDECESSORS). Several village sites of the Mandans
and Hidatsa are in this vicinity, and a full-sized model of an earth
lodge is constructed on the Capitol grounds. Artifacts, including
implements of warfare and agriculture, pottery, and beads, were
recovered in these sites and are preserved in the museum of the State
historical society.
French fur traders, Lewis and Clark, Prince Paul of Wurttemberg,
Maximilian, Prince of Wied, and many another early adventurer and
explorer passed the site of Bismarck in voyages up the Missouri, but
squatters, anticipating the westward path of the Northern Pacific
Railway, were the first to settle this vicinity, in the winter of
1871-72. During construction of the railroad a settlement called
Burleightown, named for Dr. Walter Burleigh of the Northern Pacific
Company, grew up near where Fort Lincoln stands. At the end of the
railroad grade on the bank of the Missouri, just opposite Fort McKeen,
was a tent-town called Carleton City, later called Point Pleasant, and
known to the soldiers of the fort as Whiskey Point.
The site of the city was originally occupied by Camp Greeley, later
known as Camp Hancock, a military post established in 1872 for the
protection of railroad crews. One of the log buildings of the post is
incorporated into the United States Weather Bureau at 101 Main Avenue,
the original post site, and is the oldest building in Bismarck.
In 1860 river transportation had begun on the upper Missouri, opening
a vast new region to settlement. During this period at least fifty
cargoes were being discharged yearly at Fort Benton in Montana, while
it required a fleet of some thirty or more vessels to transport troops
and carry supplies to the various posts, forts, and Indian agencies in
the Missouri basin. The "Crossing on the Missouri" became a stirring
steamboat port, attracting many rivermen and wood choppers. The latter
served an industry of extensive proportions, since wood supplied all
fuel needs for boats on the river and for the military posts and
agencies.
The flooding of the flats near Burleightown each spring threatened
danger for the railroad grade, however, and this is thought to have
been the ostensible reason for changing the route in 1873; actually,
the change was probably made to keep land grabbers from obtaining
control of the point at which the road would cross the river. A new
grade was built about one mile north, running past Camp Greeley. The
Lake Superior and Puget Sound Company, a town site location company
auxiliary to the Northern Pacific, was then able to locate another city
site which was named Edwinton for Edwin F. Johnson, Northern Pacific
chief engineer, but was generally known as "The Crossing." When the
Burleightown grade was left unused the town was abandoned and the
inhabitants moved to Edwinton. In 1873 the name Bismarck was chosen,
but the first title of the town persisted. When Mrs. Linda Slaughter
became postmistress in 1874 she found it necessary to point out to
the Post Office Department in Washington that mail should be addressed
to "Bismarck, D. T." rather than to "The Crossing, Northern Pacific
Railroad on the Missouri River, D. T."
Rails were laid into Bismarck on June 4, 1873, and it remained the
terminus of the Northern Pacific until 1879. With the coming of the
railroad the town became the head of navigation on the Missouri. When
river traffic closed in the fall because of low water, no attempt was
made to operate the Northern Pacific west of Fargo until the following
spring, as the company did not have snow-fighting equipment with which
to keep the road open during the winter months. Merchants had to stock
up in the fall with enough goods to last until spring. Mail came once
a week via a Government carrier from Fargo to Fort Abraham Lincoln.
Enterprising persons sometimes came from Minnesota with loads of
dressed poultry and hogs for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The trip from
Fargo to Bismarck took about six days by wagon.
In early days the young town combined the advantages of a river
steamboat port and a western railway terminus. A frontier town, the
life of its residents was necessarily rugged. A story is told of the
young son of a newspaper editor, who questioned a stranger about his
family and learned that the father of the visiting gentleman had died.
The youngster, familiar with the columns of his own father's paper,
said, "Got shot, did he?" The stranger replied that he had not. "Drank
too much whiskey?" Again the visitor replied in the negative. "Well, he
can't be dead then," the boy triumphantly exclaimed, "'cause that's the
only way men die in Bismarck!" There were always the few, however, who
made an effort to preserve the social graces. At the first party given
in Bismarck, honoring Dr. and Mrs. Slaughter on their fourth wedding
anniversary, dancing was part of the entertainment, and the evening
ended with refreshments of champagne and buffalo tongue sandwiches.
The first train arrived in Bismarck June 5, 1873. Part of its cargo
consisted of printing presses for the Bismarck _Tribune_, which was
first issued July 11, 1873, and continues publication as North Dakota's
oldest newspaper. The _Tribune's_ greatest scoop was scored in 1876
when it gave the world the story of the Custer massacre at the Little
Big Horn in Montana. Mark Kellogg, reporter for the _Tribune_ and New
York _Herald_, was killed in the battle, but more than a column of
notes on the battle was found in a buckskin pouch on his body. When
Grant Marsh's steamer _Far West_ brought Reno's wounded and the first
news of the disaster, Col. C. A. Lounsberry, founder-editor of the
_Tribune_, obtained the story, wiring it to the _Herald_ at a reputed
cost of $3,000 for 24 hours use of the telegraph wires.
Bismarck felt the loss of Custer's command keenly, for he and his
Seventh Cavalry officers from Fort Abraham Lincoln had figured
prominently in the social life of the city.
The Bismarck _Sun_, another early newspaper, had a prominent part
in the exposure of Indian and military post corruption which led
to the impeachment of Secretary of War William W. Belknap in 1876.
James A. Emmons, publisher of the paper, issued a handbill entitled
_Pirates of the Missouri_ which alleged that appointments as traders
at military and Indian posts were being bought from the Secretary
of War. The New York _Herald_ sent out a reporter, who obtained a
position at Fort Berthold Indian Agency, incognito, and succeeded in
exposing the dishonesty prevalent at almost all of the Missouri River
posts. The reporter barely escaped with his life when his identity was
discovered; but he returned the next year and succeeded in completing
his investigation. Belknap was impeached on a charge of bribery, and
resigned, but was later acquitted. The episode caused a great furore
throughout the country, but particularly in Bismarck.
Gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1874, and Bismarck
experienced its first boom. A regular stagecoach and freight line was
maintained to Deadwood, S. Dak. It was more than 200 air line miles
cross country, with no towns between. Stations were established every
20 miles and all freight was hauled into the Black Hills by wagon,
10 or 12 yoke of "wild Montana cattle" being used to pull trains of
two or three wagonloads of freight. Gold seekers flocked to Bismarck,
where they outfitted their supply trains before departing for the gold
fields. The Bismarck _Tribune_ of October 25, 1879, reported:
"There are no rooms available at the hotels in Bismarck tonight as
there are many transients in town bound for the Hills. Our freight
and passenger business to the gold fields has been very heavy
during the past ten days, amounting to 300,000 pounds of freight
and seventy passengers. There were also two carloads of horses
shipped in for the stage coaches. There are at present two and
sometimes three stages a day."
Gold dust and nuggets brought $20 an ounce in trade in Bismarck. Many
who came to join in the gold rush stayed to take advantage of the
business opportunities.
The year 1881 saw a serious flood of the Missouri River. Most Bismarck
residents, with their homes up on the hills out of the river's reach,
made light of the occasion, some even to the extent of an excursion.
Capt. William Braithwaite ran his steamer _Eclipse_ to the foot of
Third Street where passengers boarded for a trip to nearby Mandan,
the greater part of which, like the five miles of river bottom land
between the two towns, was under water. It is reported that everyone
on the boat "danced and had a good time." Not so pleasant, however,
were the experiences of those who lived in the lowlands. The flood
came upon them suddenly, drowning their horses and cattle, inundating
their homes, and forcing many to climb trees. Perched above the
muddy, swirling waters and floating cakes of ice, several of these
unfortunates froze their hands and feet or otherwise suffered from
exposure. Wildlife also suffered because of the flood, and deer and
other game could be seen floating down the river on cakes of ice.
The Northern Pacific railroad bridge across the Missouri was completed
in 1882. Previous to this time the trains had crossed the river on
barges in the summer and on tracks laid on the ice in winter.
When the Territorial capital was removed from Yankton, S. Dak., to
Bismarck in 1883 the city experienced a second boom. Land prices
skyrocketed, and blocks of lots often changed hands several times
in an incredibly short period, since it was fondly, if erroneously,
anticipated that Bismarck would have a phenomenal growth and would soon
outrank many well-established and populous cities. The cornerstone
of the capitol building was laid that year at an elaborate ceremony
attended by members of the Golden Spike Excursion who were on their
way west to celebrate the completion of the Northern Pacific Railway.
Headed by ex-President Grant and Henry Villard, president of the
Northern Pacific, there was present a galaxy of prominent Americans
including Sitting Bull and numerous foreign dignitaries and noblemen.
These notable guests spent some time in Bismarck and every effort was
exerted to make their stay eventful. One young woman went so far as
to painstakingly decorate her apple tree with three bushels of apples
purchased at a local grocery store. Showing it to her admiring guests
the next day she asked, "What do you think of this for a fruit-growing
country?" "Magnificent, magnificent!" Grant replied, "I am surprised,
wonderfully surprised!" So were townsmen standing nearby, but they held
their tongues.
Since these early booms the growth of the city has not been remarkable,
but it has been steady. A large factor in the prosperity of Bismarck
has been the numerous Federal and State institutions and offices.
Bismarck's first church service was held on June 15, 1873, although
Mrs. Linda W. Slaughter organized a Sunday school in a Camp Hancock
tent as early as August of the previous year. The first church in the
city was the Presbyterian, at 303 Second Street. When the Catholic
church was built in 1898 the Marquise de Mores gave a large stained
glass window in honor of her late husband. The window, portraying the
Immaculate Conception, bears his name and is in the front of the church
in the choir loft. Fourteen religious denominations are represented in
Bismarck.
Two hospitals and several clinics serve both the urban population and
a large rural area. Radio station KFYR, with studios at 200 Fourth
Street, is an associate member of the National Broadcasting Company
and operates on 5,000-watt power during the day and 1,000 at night.
Four newspapers in addition to the _Tribune_ are published in Bismarck:
Two semi-weeklies, the Bismarck _Capital_ and _Der Staats Anzeiger_
(German); and two weeklies, the _Leader_, organ of the Nonpartisan
League, and the Dakota _Freie Presse_ (German). Bismarck and its
surrounding territory have a large German and Russo-German population.
The city was the home of James W. Foley, North Dakota poet, during his
school days, and later he was a member of the Bismarck _Tribune_ staff.
His numerous books include _Prairie Breezes_ and _Voices of Song_.