As territories became states, communities vied for a piece of the statehood pie and North Dakota was no exception. As statehood neared, the various institutions of state government were divided among cities and enshrined in the state’s constitution.
Bismarck, through some scheming involving Alexander McKenzie and Territorial Governor Nehemiah Ordway, wrested the territorial capital from Yankton in 1883. It became the capital city of our state when North Dakota was admitted to the Union in 1889. But its position as the capital wasn’t without detractors.
An attempt to relocate the capital began in 1915, when the Capital Removal Association of Eddy County started efforts to move the seat of government to New Rockford. The CRA argued that New Rockford was more accessible to more North Dakotans, despite Bismarck having served as capital for over 25 years at that point. The organization also claimed Bismarck gave the impression that North Dakota was only good for cattle raising, ignoring the “lush fields and gardens” of the eastern region. They even insisted the city was still only accessible by steamboat, overlooking the fact that Bismarck had been served by rail since before statehood.
The determined campaign gained supporters across the state and caused some panic among Bismarck’s leaders. In September 1916, the North Dakota Supreme Court restrained Secretary of State Thomas Hall, ruling that the CRA needed to go through the legislature with its proposal.
On July 30, 1920, the Bismarck Tribune reported that Justice J. E. Robinson refused to consider a motion to vacate that 1916 decision. In Linde v. Hall, the court ruled that the law providing for initiating constitutional amendments “was not self-executing.” But in Twichell v. Hall in 1918, the court reversed itself.
Sensing an opportunity, the New Rockford campaign led by J. F. Richards asked the Secretary of State Hall to hold the 1916 petitions valid, based on the 1918 ruling. But both Hall and Assistant Attorney General F. E. Packard held that the law did not allow such action, paving the way for Judge Robinson’s final decision. And so, the effort to move the capital came to an end.
Relocating state capitals isn’t unheard of changing times and settlement patterns can influence where a state places its seat of government. But Bismarck has now served as North Dakota’s capital for over 140 years and it shows no signs of changing.
Dakota Datebook by Daniel Sauerwein
Sources:
- Elwyn B. Robinson, History of North Dakota (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1966), 200-201, 210-211.
- The Bismarck Tribune. (Bismarck, N.D.), 30 July 1920. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042243/1920-07-30/ed-1/seq-1/.
- The Bismarck Tribune. (Bismarck, N.D.), 16 March 1932. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042243/1932-03-16/ed-1/seq-1/.
- Tessa Sandstrom, “A Capital Campaign,” Prairie Public, accessed July 8, 2025, https://news.prairiepublic.org/show/dakota-datebook-archive/2022-05-16/a-capital-campaign.
