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Territory of Lincoln

2/5/2009:

Welcome to the home of Medora, Fort Abraham Lincoln and Bonanzaville; that's right, its all here in the great state of…Lincoln!? Well almost. Naming the northern half of Dakota Territory 'North Dakota' seems an obvious choice today. But that wasn't always the case.

Territorial and national figures long debated the division and future statehood of Dakota Territory. The problem: no one could agree on how, where or even if to divide the territory.

The first proposal for the Territory of Lincoln was born out of a Black Hills separatist movement. They insisted 'farmer politicians' in Yankton were a barrier to the development of mineral interests. In response, a US Senator from Nebraska introduced a bill calling for a longitudinal division of Dakota, along the 100th meridian. The eastern half, which would include Fargo and Yankton, would retain the name Dakota. The western half, encompassing Minot, Bismarck and Dickinson, would become the Territory of Lincoln, in honor of the 16th President. The 1877 proposal initially showed signs of success.

Lobbyists for the Union Pacific and several US Senators jumped on board as did prominent contingents from both Bismarck and Deadwood, each with ambitions for the new territorial capital. But the bill had a number of powerful enemies. Residents of the Red River Valley had long demanded division on the 46th parallel, separating the territory into north and south. Dakota's congressional delegate argued that a longitudinal division would split the Sioux Reservation, making its management more difficult. Others simply wanted Dakota to remain undivided. Faced with these objections, the 1877 proposal went down in defeat.

Seven years later, the US Congress debated another proposal to divide Dakota Territory, this time along the 46th parallel. According to a bill presented by Senator Benjamin Harrison, the southern half would enter the Union as the state of Dakota. The northern half would remain a territory; with Bismarck as the temporary capital. But whatwould the new territory be called? The US Senate Committee onTerritories drew up a list of names including Pembina, Mandan,Jefferson and Isabella, the queen who sponsored Columbus' voyage. They finally settled on Lincoln.

Congressional debate over the 1884 proposal grew heated. For Republicans in the Senate, the immediate admission of a Republican stronghold like southern Dakota and the future admission of northern Dakota would fortify their majority. The bill passed the Senate in December of 1884, moving northern Dakota one step closer to becoming the Territory of Lincoln. But it was a short-lived victory. For Democrats, who controlled the House, an undivided Dakota was in their best interest. Thus the bill died in the House of Representatives.

A similar bill again passed the Senate on this date in 1886, but once again found little support in the House.

Any hope for a Territory of Lincoln finally ended in 1889 when President Benjamin Harrison signed a bill admitting both South Dakota and North Dakota into the Union.

Written by Christina Sunwall

Sources:
Kingsbury, George W. History of Dakota Territory. Vol. 2. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1915.

Lamar, Howard Roberts. Dakota Territory, 1861-1889: A Study of Frontier Politics. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1956.

Libby, O.G., ed. Collections of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. Vol. 3. Bismarck, ND: Tribune, State Printers and Binders, 1910.

Lounsberry, Clement A. North Dakota: History and People. Vol. 1. Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1917.