Earlier this month, we heard about the retired bronze figurehead from the bow of the USS North Dakota, which had been sent to the state to be preserved and put on display. It was agreed that North Dakota would receive the figurehead as a perpetual loan, paying only $73 to ship 3,240-pound object.
However, two years later, in 1915, while Governor Hanna was away, the State Auditor and the Secretary of State, both members of the Board of Trustees of Public Property, ordered that about one third of the figurehead – mainly the portion that was not on display – be sold off. A little more than one thousand pounds was sold as scrap to a junk dealer for $71 – about $2 less than it had cost to ship the figurehead. The junk dealer, in turn, resold it in Chicago for a small profit.
The Bismarck Tribune noted, "This bronze wasn't exactly the property of the state nor had the secretary of state nor the state auditor any authority to sell this government property and turn the money into the state treasury."
The scandalous news spread quickly. Many citizens also questioned a "rummage" sale conducted by the state, where many other items, such as revolving book cases, desks, and leather couches, were sold fast and cheap. According to reports at the time, the sale of the unused portion of the figurehead (and possibly the other items) was to reduce fire hazard at the Capitol.
The Navy was alerted to the fate of the figurehead, and on this date, an investigation continued. In the meantime, newspapers across the state lamented the loss:
"With the ornamental work on and mounted in the proper manner, the figurehead is a thing of beauty and a joy forever...but the part of the figurehead which was mounted and placed on the capitol grounds is a huge joke. Some have mistaken it for an imitation of the rock upon which our forefathers first set feet and most of the visitors who have seen it have still to figure out what it represents."
Today, what remains of the figurehead can be found on the Capitol grounds on the south side of the Heritage Center.
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
The Bismarck Daily Tribune, April 13, 1913, p4
The Bismarck Daily Tribune, April 30, 1915, p1/2
The Bismarck Daily Tribune, April 15, 1915, p2
The Grand Forks Herald, April 20, 1915, p1
The Grand Forks Evening Times, March 12, 1913, p2
