North Dakota’s old Capitol building in Bismarck, built in 1884, was home to state officials, including the governor, the secretary of state, and the attorney general. It was also where the two houses of the state legislature met. By the early 1900s, the building was showing its age.
The exterior was brick, but the interior was primarily wood. With all the walls, floors, and stairways in the large building, there was a great deal of wood. Concern about the possibility of fire grew so serious that records and documents were kept in fireproof storage cabinets.
The concern about fire was ongoing. On this date in 1915, Representative J. L. Hjort appealed to his fellow legislators to take the danger very seriously. He said the lack of safety features threatened anyone who worked in or visited the Capitol. Hjort urged lawmakers to approve the installation of fire escapes for both the Assembly and Senate chambers.
Hjort reminded legislators that they themselves had passed laws regulating fire protection in public places, but those laws apparently did not apply to the Capitol. He told them, “In the very hall in which emanated these same laws and regulations, no protection whatsoever for life and safety was thought of for those legislators who enacted these laws.”
Hjort noted that nothing had happened so far and that every legislator who attended sessions had left the building safely. But he warned that “this does not constitute any guarantee whatever that a most frightful loss of life in case of a fire might not occur at any moment.” He urged the legislature to approve fire escapes to improve the safety of the building.
Despite his impassioned speech, the legislators were not convinced. The building was equipped with fire extinguishers and fire hoses on the upper floors, but fire escapes were never installed. And then it happened. On the morning of December 28, 1930, smoke was spotted coming from the northeast portion of the building. Fortunately, it was about 7:30 in the morning, the building was empty, and no fire escapes were needed.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Daily Tribune. “Deplores Lack of Fire Escapes.” Bismarck ND. 1/6/1915. Page 8.
- State Historical Society of North Dakota. “Capitol Fire Introduction.” https://www.history.nd.gov/textbook/unit6_hardtimes/unit6_6_intro.htmlAccessed 12/17/2025.
- State Historical Society of North Dakota. “Capitol Fire – the Fire.” https://www.history.nd.gov/textbook/unit6_hardtimes/unit6_6_fire.htmlAccessed 12/17/2025.
- State Historical Society of North Dakota. “Capitol Fire – the Fire, Cause.” https://www.history.nd.gov/textbook/unit6_hardtimes/unit6_6_cause.htmlAccessed 12/17/2025.
